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How it rates

Chester is more famous for being the home of Hollyoaks, the glamorous television soap, and for its zoo than for its maritime history but the River Dee was once an important trade route. A hang-out of the glitzy “Cheshire set”, the city has attracted tourists to its historic sites since the 19th century.

Architectural gems

Take your pick. There are Roman and medieval walls and the remains of an amphitheatre. The Three Old Arches is the oldest-surviving shopfront in Britain. The Bear and Billet is an outstanding timbered Tudor inn and the Eastgate Clock, erected in 1899, a famous landmark.

What's new

Crown Fields is a development of family houses by Bryant Homes, from £299,995 for a three-bed townhouse to £735,500 for a five-bed detached house (0845 803 7420, www.bryant.co.uk).

Travel

Trains to Liverpool take 45 minutes, fast trains to Manchester just over an hour; London is 2hr 20min away. The M53 is near by, which runs up to the Wirral and industrial Cheshire, while the M56 links to the M6 for Birmingham and the North West. The nearest airports are Manchester (30 miles) and Liverpool (25 miles).

Quality of life

Money talks and shopping is a favourite activity. Eastgate is the main hub, the Rows are unique medieval galleried buildings with first-floor covered walkways. The Cheshire Oaks shopping outlet is just out of town. The racecourse is the place to flaunt it.

Smartest streets

Mollington, about three miles out of the city centre, has the most expensive street in Chester: Townfield Lane. Expect to pay at least half a million pounds for a house there. Desirable villages include Saughall, Hoole, Mickle Trafford, Broxton, Eaton and Malpas. In the city centre, the smartest houses are Georgian and overlook the river or racecourse.

Restaurants

The Olive Tree, in the Green Bough hotel, is loved for its modern European cooking and cosy atmosphere. The Arkle is French gourmet and has had a Michelin star for 18 years. Piccolino is full-on Italian, and The Slow Boat is a popular South-East Asian restaurant.

Nightlife

Plenty of student hang-outs but some classy joints for the older crowd. Telford's Warehouse is a canalside pub/restaurant/venue/ art gallery. There is more music at Alexander's Jazz Theatre Bar and Cruise is the latest nightclub. The Grosvenor Hotel and the new Hotel du Vin are classy hang-outs.

Education

The King's School (mixed) and the Queen's School (girls) are both respected independents. Top-ranking state secondaries include the Bishop's Blue Coat and Christleton High, which specialises in maths and computing. Christleton Primary School, Guilden Sutton and Upton Heath are the highest-achieving primaries.

Working Life

A diverse economy underpins Chester's position as a regional wealth generator. Tourism is a major earner, the other big employers being retail and financial services, including HBOS and Marks & Spencer Money. To the north there is a Shell oil refinery, an ICI chemical factory and manufacturing and food-processing plants.

Upside

A civilised place to put down roots, Chester has good schools and enjoys proximity to coast and countryside. There is lots of established property to choose from, with decent family houses at relatively affordable prices - £184,487 is the current average (Land Registry). There is plenty of culture and the Chester Mystery Plays are on until July 19.

Downside

Chester is fairly conservative, although its air of respectability is being shaken up by students at the university. The £480 million Northgate centre, with up to 60 new shops, a new department store, theatre and library, seen as crucial to the city's economic and cultural future, has stalled with the credit crunch.

At a glance

1% - The increase in property prices in Chester over the past six months

29% - The increase in property prices in Chester over five years

9.6 - The average number of viewings per sale in Chester

92.3% - The percentage of the asking price achieved in Chester

Source: Hometrack

118,210 - The population of Chester

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