The 'up-and-coming' Birmingham suburb named one of the best places to live in 2025

There's a Birmingham suburb that's on the up when it comes to des res neighbourhoods in the West Midlands. This is home to one of Brum's most historic music venues and boasts some of the best bakeries in the city.

If you're not sold by that alone, this was the place where Anthony Pratt invented the famous board game Cluedo and the likes of UB40, Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding and Basement Jaxx have played here. It even has its own circus and a 35-acre park that's hosted Gardeners' World. All this, and it's just four-and-a-half miles from the city centre.

We're talking, of course, about Kings Heath - named one of the best places to live in the West Midlands for 2025 by Muddy Stilettos. The lifestyle magazine cited the 'burb's 'vibrant atmosphere, independent shops and restaurants, busy high street and diverse community' as the main reasons why.

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People who live here like to support local and so there are plenty of great independent cafes, shops, pubs and restaurants. There are feel-good vibes too, thanks to a plethora of yoga and wellbeing centres, plus a popular farmers market, and annual festivals celebrating art, street food, comedy and beer.

"Kings Heath is a veritable melting pot of culture, with live music venue The Hare and Hounds at its centre," said a spokesman for Muddy Stilettos. "It plays host to some awesome live bands from Idles to Bonobo. The circus is always in town at CircusMash.

"For some of the best pizza this side of the Med check out Poli or Peacer, which serves by the slice. No shortage of caffeine pitstops, our picks would be Levain and Cherry, The Early Bird Bakery, Pause, for coffee, cake or brunch.

"For a taste of Hong Kong head to Blow Water, or eat at Mon Korea for, you guessed it, Korean. Ramen fans should check out Koba-Ko and keep your eye on The Juke‘s insta for residencies from top Brummy chefs. Residents heavily support local which is why most of the businesses here are great indies. There’s plenty of events from wine tastings to music nights."

Brumwish 2024 - buy a gift for a child in need

BrumWish 2024 is Birmingham Live's festive drive to get thousands of gifts to children and young people across our city - among them the homeless, the vulnerable, kids in care, kids who are poorly or struggling, and kids who have little.

There are THREE simple ways to help.

1. Buy a new gift from the Brumwish 2024 Amazon giftlist. In just a click your donation will be whizzing its way to our volunteers at Edgbaston Stadium.
2. Donate money to the appeal fund hosted by Thrive Together Birmingham - this will help pay for gifts for kids with specialist needs or specific wishes.
3. Buy a gift and, even better, rope in friends, neighbours and workmates to do the same, then drop off your pressies at Edgbaston Stadium, Edgbaston Road, B5 7QU on Friday 6th December, 10am - 3pm; Saturday 7th December, 10am - 1pm; or Monday 9th December, 10am - 1pm. Volunteers will be there to help you. Please don't wrap your gifts. You can also drop off by arrangement until Monday 16th December - contact Louise on 07469 979286.

Thanks to our partnership with #Toys4Birmingham, every single gift will find a good home in the loving care of a child living in B&Bs or hotels, hostels or refuges, children receiving support from specialist organisations and charities, and families being supported by children's centres and charities around the city.

Making up the Brumwish and Toys4Birmingham gang are Thrive Together Birmingham, Birmingham Playcare Network, Warwickshire Cricket Foundation (the charitable arm of Warwickshire County Cricket Club), Birmingham Forward Steps and BirminghamLive/Birmingham Mail.

Thank you to Amazon UK and the amazing team at the Sutton Coldfield depot for their support.

Indie shops include Harvest skincare, Heath Bookshop, How Brave is the Wren bookshop, Enki gifts, Top Banana vintage clothes, Professor Willy's sweet shop and Polar Bear Records. The farmers' market takes place on the first Saturday of each month in the Village Square and there's an artisan market on the second Sunday of the month.

When it comes to schools, Kings Heath Primary is rated good and nearby Moseley Church of England and Bells Farms in Druids Heath are rated outstanding. Thinking of buying a house here? Average prices have been around £262,662 over the last year, according to Muddy Stilettos, with terraced homes fetching £261,260 and semi-detached properties reaching £293,881.

It is possible to reach the city centre in just over 10 minutes when there's no traffic but, during busy times, it's more likely to take you around half an hour. You can also catch a train into the city from Small Heath Station in just seven minutes and London is a couple of hours away.