20 Reasons to live and work in Edinburgh

There are far too many reasons to list why Edinburgh is a dream destination to live and work, but you can read our top 20 below. 

1. It has been voted the 4th most beautiful city in the world, being beaten only by Paris, Florence, and Rome.
2. It is the Greenest City in the UK. Edinburgh has more trees per head of population than any other city in the UK. The capital is also home to 112 parks, the lungs of the city.
3. The main attraction and masterpiece of the city is the iconic Edinburgh Castle. On the walk up to the Castle, you can walk along the Royal Mile, which is the most famous street in Edinburgh, The Royal Mile, is not actually a mile along. It stretches one mile, and 107 yards and takes roughly 25 minutes to walk it and runs through the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town peppered with superb attractions.
4. It holds the largest annual international arts festival – Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
5. Edinburgh is the world's first UNESCO City of Literature. It is the birthplace and home to world-famous writers, poets and playwrights including Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes), Walter Scott (Waverley), and JK Rowling (Harry Potter).
6. Talking of Harry Potter, JK Rowling wrote most of the books while living in the city. You can also visit some of the Harry Potter film locations including GreyFriars Kirkyard and Victoria Street, or take the Potter Trail, a tour that takes you through the relevant sites.
7. The city is home to more than 130 public parks and has more trees per person than any other city in the UK. 
8. Edinburgh Zoo is home to more than 2,500 incredible animals from around the world and was the first zoo in the world to house and breed penguins. It is also the only zoo in the UK to house Koalas and Giant Pandas. 
9. It is home to national cultural institutions such as the National Library of Scotland, the National Museum of Scotland, and the National Scottish Gallery. 
10. Scotland's official national animal is the Unicorn. When exploring Edinburgh, you can see several unicorns of various shapes and sizes. For example; on a heraldic shield by the gates to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, another in the Royal Apartments at Edinburgh Castle and several hiding among the Victorian woodcarvings at St Giles’ Cathedral
11. Its public transport is very affordable and accessible with the bus services capping all journeys at a maximum of £20 a week. 
12. During the winter, the road going uphill at The Mound would freeze, so to keep a good and functioning transportation system, in 1955 a 35km long electric blanket was installed beneath the road surface to prevent the freezing. 
13. It has plenty of outlets so you can enjoy some retail therapy. The main shopping area is located around Princes Street, but in 2021 St James Quarter was redeveloped and close by is Waverly Market. There is a substantial amount of retail parks in the larger urban areas. 
14. The café culture is second to none, with more coffee shops than any other town in the UK outside of London with 232 cafes – one for every 2,000 people. 
15. Edinburgh has a cool, temperate, maritime climate which, despite its northerly latitude is milder than places which lie at similar latitudes such as Moscow and Labrador, Canada. 
16. Edinburgh's landscapes such as the land from Castle Rock to Holyrod, the edge of the Royal Mile and the deep valleys on the side of Cowgate and Loch were formed by glaciers in the most recent Ice Age.
17. It is the seat of the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament, and the highest courts in Scotland. 
18. The Scottish crown jewels were hidden in 1707 for protection and then lost until 1818 when Walter Scot discovered them in Edinburgh Castle.
19. Hidden beneath the streets and bridges of Edinburgh are several underground buried streets. You can go on world famous ghost tours of these streets – although they are not for the faint hearted.
20. Finally, it is the birthplace of companies such as Skyscanner, FanDuel and FNZ, Edinburgh’s tech jobs increased by more than 3 times the UK average between 2014 and 2017 and has continued to grow since. 

If you would like to discuss our Semiconductor opportunities in Edinburgh or a potential career move, please contact me Jordan Browne on jordan.browne@ic-resources.com or on +44 (0)118 907 7035 or Leon Morrison on leon.morrison@ic-resources.com or on +44 (0)208 400 2483.

Read more information on Edinburgh in our comprehensive city guide.