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HOW IT RATES: The town was founded by Edward I, and occupies a beautiful setting on Cardigan Bay. It became a fashionable resort in the 19th century with the arrival of the railway, and was chosen as the site of the first college of the University of Wales. The town’s sizeable student crowd helps to give it a relaxed, cosmopolitan air. Civil servants will soon join the mix as the Welsh Assembly moves government jobs here.

ARCHITECTURAL GEMS: The Victorian symmetry of the promenade, the Old College (the hotel building in which the university was founded in 1872), and the ruins of the 13th-century castle. Train buffs can savour the Vale of Rheidol Light Railway, which was built in 1902 and uses original engines and rolling stock, and Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, the longest electric cliff line in Britain at 778ft. The Ceredigion Museum is housed in an Edwardian theatre and has a beautiful interior; the National Library of Wales has tomes to satisfy the most avid bookworm.

WHAT’S NEW: The Welsh Assembly is building new offices on the edge of Aberystwyth, creating hundreds of new jobs by 2009. Merlin Homes is building seven executive houses and two flats on Infirmary Road. Prices start at £210,000 for flats and £325,000 for fourbed houses. Merlin is also converting a Methodist chapel in Mill Street into 14 two-bed flats. Prices from £135,000. Contact: 01970 615800.

QUALITY OF LIFE: Pretty good, considering the isolated position. This is mainly as a result of the large student population ushering in a plethora of pubs, cafés and restaurants. The coastline is best admired from Constitution Hill, which can be reached by the cliff railway.

POPULATION: About 17,000, including roughly 8,000 students, according to the Census of 2001.

TRAVEL: Aberystwyth is 234 miles from London, and is about a five-hour drive. It is 4½ hours to Euston by rail. The nearest major airports are in Cardiff, Birmingham, Bristol and Liverpool.

SMARTEST STREETS: Waun Fawr has large detached houses from £250,000 to £500,000. Just south of the town is Rhydyfelin: Lloyd Herbert Jones, a local agent, has homes there for £495,000.

BEST RESTAURANTS: Harry’s bistro in North Parade is a local favourite, as is Little Italy. Le Vignoble offers MBC (Modern British Cuisine). Gwesty Cymru is a new boutique hotel and restaurant.

TOP NIGHTLIFE: Aberystwyth Arts Centre is the busiest and largest arts complex in Wales, with films, comedy, dance, drama, concerts and exhibitions. Also good for live music are Rummers wine bar and The Scholars pub.

EDUCATION: Aberysthwyth University has expanded in recent years with a new school of management and business, a department of sports and exercise Science and a £3.6 million centre for theatre, film and television studies. A new building for the international politics department opened last year.

WORKING LIFE: The biggest employers are the university and Bronglais General Hospital. Other institutional employers include the National Library of Wales, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales, UCAC, Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg – and soon the Welsh Assembly.

UPSIDE: The town may seem rather isolated to some, but others find it tranquil. The number of students settling here after graduating is rising, which has created a younger and more diverse feel.

DOWNSIDE: The mix of tourists and students might make locals feel a little outnumbered. Plus, the broadcaster Wynford Vaughan-Thomas called Aberystwyth “the perfect town for the unambitious man”.

£172,800 The average property price in Aberystwyth

Source: Hometrack

89% The increase in property prices in Aberystwyth over the past five years

Source: Halifax

186% The increase in property prices in Aberystwyth over the past ten years

Source: Halifax

550 The number of employees in the new Welsh Assembly office in Aberystwyth

Source: Welsh Assembly

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