It’s official! Ancoats Manchester named UK’s hippest district

Ancoats is the hippest district in the UK, according to the UK HipHang-out Neighbourhood Index published by TravelSupermarket today, with Edinburgh’s Leith taking second spot and Digbeth in Birmingham coming third.

Greater Manchester takes three of the top 20 slots with the Northern Quarter and Monton also making the hip list.

And when it comes to the hippest districts across Europe, Ancoats is only beaten to the title by Berlin’s Kreuzberg district.

The indexes look at the ratio of trend-setting and creative industry indicators such as independent coffee shops, vintage fashion stores, vinyl record shops, vegan cafes, independent bike shops, co-working spaces and art galleries/studios to the number ofresidents.

Penalty points were subtracted for areas that had high numbers of big chain brands such as Starbucks, Costa and Pret a Manger, suggesting they had reached Peak Hipster.

“We scoured the UK and Europe to find the most current, independent-feeling neighbourhoods to explore,” says Emma Coulthurst of TravelSupermarket.

“The destinations on the list are those buzzy areas, unspoiled by commercialism, where localslove to hang out. They offer an eclectic range of food and entertainment away from the tourist throngs.

“We didn’t base the rankings on beard-to-face and pints of craft beer ratios! Instead,we looked at everything from trendy coffee shops and vintage fashion outposts to travellervalue and creative culture – the things that set a hip destination apart from the rest of the pack.

“Anywhere with Peak Hipster status, like London’s Shoreditch, didn’t make the cut. Places like this are now overrun by chains and the masses. Instead, we wanted to find those areas where locals love to hang out, due to the area’s independent creative spirit. But, I promise you won’t have to grow a moustache to go to them!”

According to the index, northerners are hipper than Londoners – something we already knew.

The Top 10 Hippest Places in the UK

1   Ancoats, Manchester
2   Leith, Edinburgh
3   Digbeth, Birmingham
4   Baltic Triangle, Liverpool
5   Peckham, London
6   Finnieston, Glasgow
7   Cliftonville, Margate
8= Kelham Island, Sheffield
8= Dalston, London
10= Northern Quarter, Manchester
10= Stokes Croft, Bristol

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