It’s not all beaches and surfers, though. Cornwall is home to thriving towns, the Cathedral City of Truro, and plenty of lush green countryside too. As a would-be buyer, you might need to be close to work, looking for great schools, or hankering after the beach life. As nowhere in Cornwall is really that far from the beach, homebuyers flock to Cornwall in search of work life balance and outdoor lifestyles. If that sounds ideal to you, here is a flavour of your Cornish options.
Seaside towns
There are some beautiful towns in Cornwall you might like to explore. Newquay, St Ives, Falmouth and Penzance all offer great views of the sea, with the convenience of town facilities.
Penzance offers historic pubs, independent shops and a great farmer’s market. It was once a rather downtrodden region, but with the widespread growth in Cornwall’s popularity, it has a new lease of life!
Seen as a doorway to the western region of Cornwall, Penzance is making a great name for itself and has lots to offer locals. One of the most notable offerings is excellent properties. Penzance is one of the last locations in the county that buyers can purchase period Georgian and Victorian homes at a ‘decent’ price.
The town is also teeming with culture. There are a number of local art galleries displaying local works as well as several theatres showing a range of productions.
Penzance is ideal for those who love shopping, and Chapel Street offers locals a range of independent shops. You can find everything from bookstores to antique shops, crafts and much more.
For more common big name brands head to Penzance high street. Here you will find all your retail favourites as well as a choice of eating options for when you have shopped up an appetite. You can also catch a ferry to the Isles of Scilly from the busy harbour.
Those moving home with a family won’t be disappointed. Mounts Bay Academy Secondary school in Penzance achieved the coveted ‘Outstanding’ status, and the region is also home to numerous good rated state primaries and secondaries. If you are thinking of moving to Cornwall there is a great school for your kids in Penzance.
You can find the historic seaside town of St Ives located the north bank of the River Great Ouse in southeast Cornwall. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing but these days it is almost entirely a tourist destination achieving the title of Best UK Seaside Town from the British Travel Awards several times.
As would be expected from such a popular tourist hot spot, the town is also well known for its many attractions. A cultural centre, the town is known for playing host to the Tate Gallery and for its contrasting landscape of lush greenery and sandy beaches.
St Ives benefits from a wide variety of shops, services, clubs, and societies which cater for almost every sport, hobby and interest. Porthminster beach is a prominent surfing location. The surf here is well known to be some of the best to be found in the UK and consequently frequented by hundreds of surfing enthusiasts. It’s a great place to visit and watch them riding the waves.
If you are looking at St Ives from a relocation point of view, you will find it is a great place to bring up a family, with lots to do, good schools and a safer environment than many places. To make the transition into local life, there are a huge number of community groups, arts organisations and other things going on if you want to get involved.
There are also some very reasonably priced homes to be found here. The average cost of a home is currently £369,236, but prices start from £74,000. For this, you can purchase a two bedroom semi located around half a mile from the town centre.
Falmouth is home to lots of students from the new university. With a busy harbour, sandy beaches, cafés, bars and pubs, maybe lively Falmouth is the place for you if you don’t want to totally escape the urban life, though with population of just 23,000 it’s certainly not going to overwhelm those looking for a quieter life. Falmouth is considered a good bet for job hunters, as it has a strong local economy.
The town and port of Falmouth sits on the River Fal and has a rich maritime heritage due to its strategic location. King Henry VIII constructed Pendennis Castle here, a mighty fortress to defend the country against invasion. It still stands and is now a tourist attraction.
In its heyday, the port received all sorts of interesting cargo, sourced from around the globe including exotic animals, gold, and botanical specimens.Charles Darwin sailed to and from Falmouth during his travels around the world.
Those who call the town home would likely agree with the Sunday Times Poll of 2017 which voted it the UK’s best town in which to live. With a busy calendar of year-round events, Falmouth is not just known for its golden sands and inviting waters, but also for its many glorious parks and green spaces, some of which have won accolades in the Britain In Bloom awards over the years.
The characterful town centre plays host to a number of charming shops, well-known stores and is full of artisan retailers that combined cater to most needs.
Falmouth has good road links to the rest of Cornwall. The A39 heading north towards Truro and the A394 heading towards Helston, Land’s End and Penzance.
With regard to housing costs, the majority of sales in Falmouth during the last year were terraced properties, selling for an average price of £304,844. Detached properties sold for an average of £430,576, with flats fetching £265,076.
If you are totally beach-crazy, consider Newquay your dream home town. With no fewer than four beautiful sheltered beaches close to the town, and the exciting Fistral beach that hosts international surfing contests, you’ll be in seventh heaven. If you finally tire of beach life, Newquay has exciting nightlife, beautiful views, and a local zoo.
Cornwall’s only city, Truro, dates back to at least the Norman times. A castle was built here in the 12th century by Richard de Luci, Chief Justice of England in the reign of Henry II.
A wonderful mix of Regency and Victorian architecture, seaside living and a huge dose of spectacular countryside can be found here.
The UK’s most Southerly city is now a vibrant centre of shopping and culture. A spider’s web of narrow little streets lined with impressive independent boutiques and gift shops makes shopping a delight.
Summer months see numbers swell and the local bistros and cafes spill onto the pavements so diners can enjoy their Cornish seafood “al fresco” style.
Of course, not everyone shopping is a holidaymaker. Close to 20,000 people call Truro home. Many elegant Georgian and Victorian townhouses line Truro’s streets and they attract a lot of attention. Mostly located in the centre of the city, they often sell for well over £1million.
Thankfully, not all homes are that expensive. The average price paid in January 2021 is £351,393. In terms of property types, flats in Truro sold for an average of £226,660 and terraced houses for £257,868.
Inland towns
Bodmin is old enough to feature in the Doomsday book and used to be the county town of Cornwall. It has a railway station, so could be good for commuting, and is set in an area of outstanding natural beauty. There are green areas nearby that look as though they haven’t changed in thousands of years. For keen environmentalists, the Eden project is close at hand and as nowhere in Cornwall is too far from the coast, your nearest beach is less than 9 miles away!
St Austell is a quiet market town close to the Eden Project, and only a few miles from the coast known as the ‘Cornish Riviera’. St Austell Brewery is a popular local employer.
