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HOW IT RATES Recently named the UK’s worst place to live by Channel 4, Middlesbrough is known for its industrial background, polluted air and poverty. But the town has its better sides: it’s home to the new Institute of Modern Art (MIMA), a Premier League football team and an active social scene.

ARCHITECTURAL GEMS The 17th-century Acklam Hall is Middlesbrough’s only Grade I listed building. The 1911 Transporter Bridge reflects the town’s industrial heritage, and the late 19th-century town hall is majestic. MIMA and the new “Spectra-txt” interactive tower are striking examples of more modern architecture.

WHAT’S NEW Barratt Homes (01642 828485) has a development on the site of the old General Hospital in Linthorpe called Parkside Gardens, where a one-bedroom apartment starts at £91,000. Lingfield Green, a Bryant Homes development in Coulby Newham, has three-bedroom houses for £160,000; call 01642 591822 for details.

QUALITY OF LIFE Economically, not great: the low income levels and high long-term unemployment rates are among the worst in the country. However, things are looking up. Hot on the radar of any Boro inhabitant is Middlehaven, a £200 million upmarket dockside development that plans to create 1,000 jobs and 750 homes over the next six years. First to go up will be two designer “sugar-cube” apartment blocks.

POPULATION The Office for National Statistics put the Middlesbrough population in mid2007 at 136,800. A total of 73.3 per cent of people of working age were economically active, compared with the UK average of 78.5 per cent.

TRAVEL Middlesbrough is well connected to the north and south by the A1, while trains take less than 3½ hours to reach London, and just over an hour to reach Newcastle. Teesport, Britain’s second largest port, is three miles away, and Teesside International Airport has flights to most of the UK and abroad.

SMARTEST STREETS The most popular areas are Acklam and Linthorpe, with bigger, traditional-style houses. Balmoral Road and Reeth Road are particularly popular streets.

BEST RESTAURANTS Spot the footballers at Central Park, which does a great version of the local “Parmo” dish (chicken or pork escalope baked with white sauce and cheese). The pick of the Italians is Eliano’s, for authentic “back-street” food, and try the smart Parisian-themed La Terrasse for French cuisine and seafood. The Crab and Lobster, 30 miles away in Asenby, gets rave reviews and is definitely worth going out of your way for.

TOP NIGHTLIFE Empire is the best nightclub in town, in a large 1900s music-hall venue. The Middlesbrough Theatre, 50 years old this year, has drama, music and dance, while the Princess Alice pub is the after-work crowd’s drinking spot of choice. Nearby Yarm’s cobbled streets are lined with upmarket watering-holes.

EDUCATION The Good Schools Guide recommends the Macmillan Academy and Abingdon Primary. It is also home to Teesside University and a campus of the Cleveland College of Art & Design.

WORKING LIFE The decline in manufacturing has hit the Tees Valley hard, resulting in the industrial base shifting towards the lower-paid service sector.

UPSIDE Disposable income is below the national average but low prices make housing more affordable, so it’s easier for first-time buyers to get on the property ladder. The North York Moors and nearby East Coast beaches are a bonus.

DOWNSIDE It’s hard to escape the fact that Middlesbrough is underperforming economically, and real career opportunities for its inhabitants are scarce. The industrial sprawl of its cityscape is an eyesore.

£120,998 The average house price in Middlesbrough

Source: Hometrack

14% The increase in house prices in Middlesbrough in the past year

Source: Halifax

153% The increase in house prices in Middlesbrough over the past ten years

Source: Halifax

25 Middlesbrough’s population in 1801

Source: thisismiddlesbrough.com

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