The latest Microburbs hip score rankings reveal Melbourne’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 Melbourne’s hipster suburbs? What are the least hip?
Melbourne’s hip hotspots ring the inner city, with student stalwarts like Fitzroy and Collingwood in the North and St Kilda and Balaclava in the South East. The trendy high streets of Chapel Street, Brunswick Street and Gertrude Street are all within Melbourne’s hip zone. Hipness is not just about distance from the city though, with sharp declines to the west of Footscray and the East of Hawthorn. The decline of cool moving north is more gradual, with quality dining options and a healthy number of young single people out in Coburg.
Melbourne’s least hip suburb is Tynong. This Eastern rail stop features zero bars, cafes or laneways.
How does it compare to other cities?
Melbourne has edged out Sydney and Canberra to take top stop as Australia’s hippest city. To calculate a score for the whole city, we look at how high the strongest areas score, but also what the rest of the city is like, when taken as a whole. The overall city score of 7.8 reflects that Melbourne has quite a lot of hip suburbs, not just a few high scoring hotspots.
Melbourne’s Top 10 Hippest Suburbs
| Rank | Suburb | Hip Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fitzroy | 9.6 |
| 2 | St Kilda | 9.5 |
| 3 | Collingwood | 9.5 |
| 4 | Flemington | 9.5 |
| 5 | Windsor | 9.5 |
| 6 | West Melbourne | 9.5 |
| 7 | Balaclava | 9.5 |
| 8 | North Melbourne | 9.5 |
| 9 | Burnley | 9.5 |
| 10 | South Yarra | 9.5 |
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.