Acclaimed luxury lifestyle site Muddy Stilettos asked its readers to vote for the
best local village, town or city to call home in 2023 using its Top 250 Best Places to
Live guide. The target audience is people seeking a lifestyle change (like many people already in Bude).

In a regional vote across 28 counties, Penzance topped the poll of 10
potential candidates in Cornwall.

From towns to villages, hamlets to commuter favourites, each of the initial 250
locations were independently researched and picked by the highly trusted Muddy
editorial team and then over 25,000 readers went on to vote. The results revealed
the strength of passion for each town or village’s sense of community, quality of
local facilities, and immediate surroundings.

In Cornwall, the quirky, arty town of Penzance won top spot, with its harbour-side
location, cheerful mix of burgeoning foodie scene, lively independents shops and
businesses and celebrated traditional Cornish roots.

About ninth-place Bude, it says:

Bude was Cornwall’s first proper tourist destination, the “Brighton of the West” until the railway line closed in the 1960s. Returning to former glory, the small friendly seaside town has plenty going on, decent schools and beautiful beaches within walking distance of the town centre.

Cornwall’s most northerly coastal town and often overlooked as a potential place to live, despite it going places. If you like the idea of a north coast harbour town like Newquay but want something less obvious, Bude is worth a gander. More off the beaten track, and on a glorious stretch of Cornish coastline (is there any other kind?), Bude was voted ‘Best Coast Resort’ at the 2015 British Travel Awards. First gaining popularity with the Victorians who arrived on the railway, Bude is now popular with creatives and families, along with a smattering of famous residents including Tori Amos (who recorded her 16th album, Ocean to Ocean, during one of the lockdown’s from her studio in Bude).

Poughill on the outskirts of Bude has some beautiful properties with sea views and is commensurately more expensive – Flexbury in Bude itself is an up-and-coming neighbourhood with some bargains still to be had. Slightly inland, Stratton is an old village where you can even find a few thatched cottages.

Average house prices: £295,511. Detached properties sold for an average price of £363,913, terraced for an average of £229,097, with semi-detached properties costing an average of £269,380. ­Estate agents, Strutt & Parker say their:

Housing Futures data found that 57% of those looking to move are happier to travel
further to work now than they were before the pandemic, resulting in an
emergence of new hotspots across the country as the search for more space or a
new lifestyle continues. When it comes to where to live, more than ever people
want a really vibrant and tight-knit community. It’s a trend that deepened during
the pandemic, and is likely to remain a leading factor for those looking to
relocate, alongside the importance of excellent schools, commutability and local
hotspots.

The Top 10 most popular towns and villages in Cornwall were:

1. Penzance
2. Falmouth (2022 winner)
3. Wadebridge
4. St Agnes (2021 winner)
5. Truro
6. Launceston
7. Fowey
8. Nansledan, Newquay
9. Bude
10. Hayle