The latest Microburbs hip score rankings reveal Adelaide’s top suburbs for hipness and where to find the trendiest real estate. We talked to Microburbs founder and lead hip score analyst, Luke Metcalfe, about the results.
Why A Hip Score?
Hip scores are about quantifying the trendiness of an area. Microburbs founder and hip score creator Luke Metcalfe told us “In our home search consulting, many clients are interested in living close to the action – somewhere that has that great cultural vibe. Being able to quantify the cool factor of an area helps people find the kind of places they want to live, even if they’re moving from overseas and don’t know their destination city.” “For investors, increasing hipness can also be a leading indicator for price growth.”, said Metcalfe.
What factors influence the hip score?
When asked about how he arrived at the hip score, Luke had this to say: “The Microburbs hip score is a complex algorithm involving a range of data sources to scientifically determine what’s cool, and what’s not. Demographically, hip areas have a lot of single people working in creative roles or studying at university. They tend to be ethnically diverse areas which are easy to commute on foot or bicycle. Hip areas are also rich in cultural destinations like top rating restaurants, cafes and pubs. Art galleries, body modification studios and yoga centres all contribute to the score.”
How often does Microburbs release new data, and why?
“We are always gathering new data on Australian suburbs”, says Luke, “and we will periodically release new insights. If a city has a significant shake-up of the rankings or we spot a new hip suburb on the rise, that’s something we always want to share.”
Where are Adelaide’s hipster suburbs? What are the least hip?
The city is Adelaide’s clear winner for hipness, followed mostly by inner suburbs. Kent Town and Norwood in the East, Parkside, Goodwood and Wayville in the South and Thebarton, Bowden and Hindmarsh in the North West.
The exception to this is New Port. This somewhat unlikely candidate is in close range for the restaurant strips of Port Adelaide and Semaphore, and is ‘demographically hip’, with lots of young singles and ethnic diversity in the area.
The title of least hip Adelaide suburb goes to Stonyfell, on the eastern fringe of the city. It may have Stonyfell winery, but demographically, our algorithm has determined that Stonyfell is neither hip, nor happening.
How does it compare to other cities?
Our city scores consider not just the hippest suburbs in each city, but how cultural destinations are distributed around the city. The bad news for Adelaide is that while the town might be fairly hip, when taken on balance with the outer suburbs, Adelaide’s city hip score is poor. The city as a whole ranks 18th on our cities hipness ranking, being bested not just by many larger state capitals, but even regional towns like Colac, Victoria and Busselton, WA.
Adelaide’s Top 10 Hippest Suburbs
| Rank | Suburb | Hip Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adelaide | 8.3 |
| 2 | Kent Town | 8.2 |
| 3 | Hindmarsh | 8.2 |
| 4 | Wayville | 8.0 |
| 5 | Bowden | 7.9 |
| 6 | Norwood | 7.9 |
| 7 | Thebarton | 7.9 |
| 8 | Parkside | 7.9 |
| 9 | New Port | 7.9 |
| 10 | Goodwood | 7.8 |
The Hip Score panel on all Microburbs reports breaks down the data behind the score. It also maps hip bars and restaurants in the area, with travel time, directions and ratings.
You can find your suburb’s hip score and Microburbs report now, just by searching here.
For press enquiries about this article, please call Microburbs Founder Luke Metcalfe on 0414 183 210.