Thousands of people choose to make Birmingham their home each year - moving from London and many other areas across the UK and overseas.
However, there are some locals who decide to move out of the city to towns nearby - often known as commuter towns. During the pandemic, researchers found that as many as half of the population enquired about moving further afield, according to Rightmove.
Now Selecta UK, a food tech business, has undertaken research to identify which Birmingham commuter towns are the best places to live.
The company standardised the latest city and country-level data available for key categories including train travel time to Birmingham, annual season ticket cost, school ratings, crime ratings and available wellness facilities to rate the most desirable commuter towns near Birmingham from best to worst.
Commenting on the findings, Selecta UK said: “With hybrid working the new norm and many workers spending more days in the office post-pandemic, it’s interesting to see workers are not solely concerned with travel times into Birmingham, but also about their local community and amenities.
“We hope people find our research informative and it helps those looking for a good commute location to Birmingham to support both their professional and personal preferences.” You can view the full study findings here.
Here are the top 10 Birmingham commuter towns to live according to new research:
5. Cradley Heath - score 4.39
A season ticket on the train will set you back £59 and it takes 26 minutes to get to Birmingham. But the average house price is the lowest on the list at £196,160 and 11% of the schools are outstanding. The crime rate is lower than Rowley Regist at 13.8 per 1,000 people. | Express and Star
6. Banbury - score 4.35
The furthest from Birmingham, a season train ticket will cost you £131 and it takes 47 minutes to get to the city. Average house prices are among the most expensive at £301,993 and 13% of the schools are outstsanding. The crime rate is average at 6.7 per 1,000 people. | Ben - stock.adobe.com
7. Coleshill - score 4.24
Coleshill has the shortest commuter time at 13 minutes on the train with a season ticket costing £58. The average house price is £319,979 and 15% of schools are outstanding. The crime rate is 8.3 per 1,000 people. | Visit North Warwickshire
8. Kenilworth - score 3.98
It’s 39 minutes away from Birmingham on the train and a season ticket costs £75. Average house prices are the highest on the list at £423,174 with 15% of schools ranked as outstanding. The crime rate is among the lowest at 3.7 per 1,000 people. | BCFC - stock.adobe.com