News / Shetland is the place to be
SHETLAND has again come top in a survey rating the quality of life in rural areas in Scotland.
With Orkney coming in at third, the latest Bank of Scotland survey published on Friday, portrays living in the northern isles as cool in more ways than just the climate.
Shetlanders are on average fitter than the rest of the country, have a higher life expectancy and earn more than their Scottish counterparts, according to the bank.
Shetland also has, at almost 84 per cent, the highest employment rate anywhere in Scotland, and house prices at 4.2 times the average gross annual local earnings are below those on the Scottish mainland.
The level of school qualifications are also above the national average.
The latest findings did not come as a surprise to Andy Steven, the manager of local marketing organisation Promote Shetland.
He said: “I’m not surprised that Shetland has come top of this survey. It’s good to see external studies endorse what the folk that live here take for granted.
“Shetland is a very special place – we’re proud of its uniqueness, quality of the produce and beauty of the landscape. We hope the news will encourage more people to consider Shetland as a place to visit, live, work and invest.”
Bank of Scotland economist Nitesh Patel said: “In recent years, Shetland has performed consistently well against a wide range of indicators to demonstrate that its residents have amongst the best quality of life in Scotland.
“The islands scores highly relative to the average for Scotland on several indicators, such as health, life expectancy, employment, average earnings, school results and low crime rates.
“Even average house prices are relatively low in relation to earnings, highlighting that a high standard of living does not always come at a high price.”
The survey coincides with an announcement from Northern Constabulary on Thursday saying the force had achieved its highest ever detection rate with 68.7 per cent in its north division, which includes Shetland and Orkney.
Become a supporter of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.
Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.
Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has over 600 supporters who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.
Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -
- Bring you the headlines as they happen;
- Stay editorially independent;
- Give a voice to the community;
- Grow site traffic further;
- Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.
Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.
Already a supporter? Sign in to hide this message.
