HOW IT RATES

With Celtic roots and a rich history defined by the Romans, the Norman Conquest and the Tudor wool trade, this buzzing little city has an active arts and crafts scene and remains at the heart of Devon life. Prime property in the city, particularly in historic locations or with top specifications, is still rising in price.

ARCHITECTURAL GEMS

Exeter Cathedral competes with Westminster Abbey in size; the west face is known for its beauty. Somewhat surprisingly, the Debenhams store is repeatedly rated by locals as their favourite building, mainly for its height. St Olave’s Church and the St Nicholas Priory date from the 11th and 12th centries respectively.

WHAT'S NEW

Princesshay is Exeter’s largest and hottest development, priced from £150,000; buyers camped out over the May Bank Holiday weekend to ensure their place in the queue (Knight Frank, 01392 848 844). Huntsham Court Stables is a series of five stable conversions around a bright courtyard in Huntsham. Prices start at £299,950 (Savills, 01392 455 721).

QUALITY OF LIFE

Green and good. A city in the country; the coast and Dartmoor are close. Topsham, a short drive away, is one of many waterfront spots perfect for lunch and a stroll. Trains from Exeter St David’s to Paddington take 2½ hours. The M5 ends at Exeter. The A303 joins the M3. Exeter International Airport has a growing number of scheduled and chartered flights.

POPULATION

Exeter is grouped together with the sweetly named Heart of Devon region. A total 117,600 of Devon’s 1,109,900 people live in Exeter. There are about 2,000 more females than males.

SMARTEST STREETS

St Leonards is an area with very pleasant roads such as Wonford Road. Baring Crescent has a private park. Higher Duryard is a leafy private road on an old estate with very few houses. St David’s is also popular, as are those areas near the university.

BEST RESTAURANTS

Excellent eating venues abound. La Petite Maison on Fore Street is top of the range. The Galley, on the same street, serves outstanding seafood. Herbies is a well established local vegetarian institution, but the Plant Café is giving it a run for its veggies and does a scrumptious vegan chocolate Boston Tea Party is a cosy gem.

TOP NIGHTLIFE

The Hour Glass is an atmospheric local with good pub grub, and The Nobody Inn at Doddiscombesleigh is a country pub that does a mean bangers and mash. The hottest nightclub is reportedly Timepiece; the Cavern Club is a punk venue that welcomes all. The Barnfield Theatre holds a range of shows.

EDUCATION

Local schools have recently benefited from a highly successful rebuilding programme. Good primary schools include Ladysmith and the tiny Newtown school. St Peter’s Church of England is the secondary school of choice.

WORKING LIFE

Unemployment in the city is very low at 1.6 per cent. Public administration, health and education provide 26 per cent of jobs; banking and finance follow with 21 per cent.

UPSIDE

The West Quarter is full of intriguing little shops, there’s a popular local farmers’ market on Thursdays and local beers from the Otter Brewery go down well. Magdalen Road has good food shops, including the Bon Goût deli. The Exeter Phoenix arts centre has hot stuff in the way of gigs and exhibitions. Exeter is heaven for skater kids and its closeness to Newquay will keep teenage surfers happy.

DOWNSIDE

There is a rubbish disposal issue: seagulls rip bin bags and the Cathedral Green is littered with refuse in summer. The student drinking culture irritates the locals, who are nevertheless lamenting the relocation of Exeter College of Art (officially Plymouth University’s Faculty of Arts) to Plymouth.

£198,000 The average property price in Exeter Source: Hometrack

11% The increase in property prices in Exeter over the past year Source: Halifax

215% The increase in property prices in Exeter over the past ten years Source: Halifax

9.9 to 1 The average ratio of house prices to salary in Exeter Source: Exeter City Council

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