With excellent transport links, high earnings, first-class schools and a vibrant town centre, it’s no wonder Reading is popular with people of all ages.
Here are five reasons Reading is such an appealing place to live.
Excellent transport links
Reading is served by three junctions of the M4 motorway that links it with the M25, and it’s within easy reach of the M40 and M3.
And with direct routes to almost every part of the UK, Reading is one of the busiest interchanges on the national rail network. Trains are operated by GWR to London Paddington and to the west; South West Trains into London Waterloo and Basingstoke; and Cross Country Trains to Bournemouth, the Midlands and beyond.
National Express coaches pick up from Reading town centre, the train station, the Royal Berkshire Hospital, the University of Reading and Calcot, and the excellent local bus service covers the entire Reading urban area and some of the local villages.
High employment and earnings
Reading has a strong labour market with a high rate of employment and higher than average earnings. 1
This is based on a number of different sectors, but IT, investment and insurance play a big part in the town’s flourishing economy. Reading is home to some major British companies and the UK offices of foreign multinationals. Corporations such as Verizon Business, Cisco, Prudential, Symantec, Microsoft, Oracle and LogicaCMG are all based in the area.
First class educational establishments
The University of Reading is a global university that enjoys a world-class reputation for teaching, research and enterprise.
And schools in Reading boast some impressive statistics (provided by Living Reading2):
- The best A level results in the country with the highest average point score per academic entry – three schools in the top 100 schools.
- 8th best school for GCSE results (Reading School) and three schools in the top 50.
- The first UTC in the country to be rated ‘outstanding’.
- Reading has a higher proportion of pupils going to Oxbridge and Russell Group universities in the UK.
A wide choice of shopping and dining experiences
Reading town centre is renowned for its variety of retailers from well-known high-street chains to an eclectic mix of independent stores. On Broad Street, independent local traders set up in front of the historic former chapel-turned bookstore.
The town also offers an extensive and diverse selection of restaurants, cafes and bars as well as the town’s popular food markets.
Click here for Top places to eat and drink in Reading town centre.
A great mix of entertainment and attractions
There are many different venues in Reading that show live music and hold comedy nights as well as the town’s independent arts centre.
You can also explore the heritage and history of Reading in the various museums and churches in the town. Reading Abbey was one of Europe’s largest and wealthiest medieval buildings and is the burial place of Henry I.
It’s the combination of all of these features and attractions that make Reading such a popular place to live for people of all ages.
Sources:
1 http://www.reading.gov.uk/jsna/employment
2 https://livingreading.co.uk/move-to-reading/schools-in-reading