Southampton is England’s largest city on the South Coast.
The city was once a Roman seaport now it is the Cruise Capital of Europe with 240 cruise ship movements annually plus it has England’s leading commercial docklands.
In 1838 the docks were rebuilt and the city became known as ‘the Gateway to the Empire’. The RMS Titanic sailed from Southampton and today there are exhibits relating to the ship in the city. 549 sailors from Southampton lost their lives when the Titanic sunk.
The University of Southampton, one of the top ten universities in the UK and Southampton Solent University have a combined student population of around 40,000.
The City has a vibrant nightlife and was voted one of the best places for 18 – 30 year olds to live. It has cheap transport, a low cost of living, many pubs, clubs and casinos. There are good transport links from the bright yellow buses that circle both directions of the city calling at all the important places. A day ticket can be purchased for £2.00.
Motorway links include the M3 to London, M27 to the south coast, M271 linking to the M27.
Southampton Central Rail Station has trains to London, Portsmouth, Bristol, Winchester and the Midlands.
Southampton Airport has flights to UK and European destinations.
From the docks car ferries and catamarans to the Isle of Wight run regularly.
Unlike many other city docks, Southampton has kept most of theirs, as this is a very busy port having only lost one part to redevelopment. This is now The Ocean Village having a marina and an entertainment complex.
Major projects of redevelopment are planned including skyscrapers on the waterfront three 23-storey blocks together with smaller buildings housing offices, shops and apartments. Two large hotels are also planned, one of 15 storeys and the other to have 21 storeys.
Southampton is the only city in the UK with a Geothermal Power Station. This provides hot water to a city centre district-heating scheme.
Southampton is one of the lowest carbon emitting cities in the UK.
Unemployment runs at 0.1% lower than the national average and the average annual wage is £22,267 about £3,500 lower than the average for the southeast.
The city has aircraft, motor and petrochemicals factories plus the industries of grain milling, tobacco processing and the docks all contributing to the economy. Other large employers include the Ordinance Survey, whose head quarters are in the city, and a Ford processing plant to the north of Southampton.
The town is home to several art galleries and the Mayflower Theatre. This theatre is able to seat 2,300 and hosts several West End shows.
Property for rent is always available in the city with average prices of £535pcm for a l bed flat, £730pcm for a 2 bed flat, £670pcm for a 2 bed house and £870pcm for 3 bed house.
Shopping is great in Southampton with both large stores and smaller shops. The West Quay Shopping Centre opened in 2000 and houses many High Street stores. Besides the centre there are several shopping streets and some of the shops that can be found in the city include Pumpkin Patch, Etikett, Magnum, Bee Scene, Maytes, Field Days, Wearabouts, Monstserat Menswear, Envy and Brick Shirt House. Some of the department stores include John Lewis, Woolworths, Primark, Debenhams and Marks and Spencer.
Southampton has many varied sports facilities and these include parks and open green spaces that may be used for exercising. Men’s Fitness Magazine named the city as the fittest in the UK.
Southampton Sports Centre includes many sports with indoor and outdoor facilities. It has an Alpine Centre, a theme park and an athletics centre that is used by professional athletes.
The City is famous for yachting and other water sports. There is also a cricket ground and is home to ‘the Saints’, Southampton’s professional football team.
Southampton is fortunate to have several parks and Southampton Common is used during the summer months for hosting events such as festivals, circuses and funfairs.
v Buy To Let King in Southampton
|
|
|
|
|
|
