Microburbs Analysis Report Ranks Sydney’s Hippest Suburbs

The latest Microburbs hip score rankings reveal Sydney’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.”

What are Sydney’s hippest suburbs? What are the least hip?
Sydney’s hip burbs spread from two sides of the rail corridor – the Inner East: East from Surry Hills to Rushcutters Bay and the Inner West, from Chippendale and Redfern out to Newtown. The Inner East’s hipness is strongest in Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and Kings Cross. It stretches out to Bondi Beach along Oxford Street, but is hemmed by pure affluence at Point Piper, Rose Bay and Dover Heights. The nightspots of Kings Cross and Oxford Street have suffered hard under Sydney’s lockout laws though, and it remains to be seen if the Eastern hip zones can weather the decline.

The Western spread of hipness is bounded by the Airport’s industrial sprawl in the South, and is sharply bordered by the Cooks River in the South-West. This means Tempe is trendy, but Turella is not. The western border is marked by Bernard Salt’s Red Rooster Line – the territory where Red Rooster chicken shops become more popular than trendy cafes.

Sydney does have a couple of breakout hip enclaves on the Northern Beaches at Manly, Narrabeen and Avalon, and up in the Blue Mountains around the bohemian village of Katoomba.

The title of Sydney’s least hip suburb goes to Middleton Grange. This new development in Liverpool has been designed with no bars, pubs, restaurants or cultural amenities whatsoever.

How does it compare to other cities?
Our city hip score for Sydney is 7.6, ranking equal 2nd, just behind Melbourne and tied with Canberra. Microburbs City Hip Scores use an algorithm that tries to balance the score of the whole city, not just which city has the hippest suburb. Sydney has some extremely hip suburbs, but is also a very large and diverse place. Canberra, by contrast, has a better average hipness about its suburbs and easier access to central restaurants and bars.

Sydney Top Suburbs by Hip Score

 
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.