Campus Life
Edinburgh, one of the most vibrant, cosmopolitan cities in Europe, has been regularly voted one of the most desirable places to live in the world - and the University’s at the heart of it all. Set against a beautiful backdrop of stunning architecture, Edinburgh is a welcoming, cosmopolitan city with a large and diverse student population.
The city offers many attractions for Academy of Government students – including its wide range of national museums and galleries, stunning architecture, music and theatre, and easy access to the lush Scottish countryside and coastline just a few miles away. It is a safe and prosperous city, with an abundance of parks and green spaces for recreation and reflection.
The City of Edinburgh has showered been with recognition and awards. Since 2001, Edinburgh has consistently been voted ‘Favourite UK City’ by Observer, Conde Naste (2010 Award Winner for Best City) and Guardian readers. In 2007 Edinburgh was voted the best place to live in the UK by Channel 4's Location Location Location programme. In 2008 Edinburgh was named as of the world's top ten cities by travel magazine Wanderlust. The quality of life in the city region is endorsed by its residents who registered a 92% satisfaction rate, the highest of any city surveyed in a 2006 MORI poll.
The Academy of Government is located a few minutes away from the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle, at 21 George Square. Originally laid out in 1766 by James Brown, it was the first new development outside the overcrowded Old Town. Many famous individuals lived here; the boyhood home of Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) was at No. 25 and Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) courted Jane Welsh at No. 22. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, lived here, as did Lord Braxfield (1722-99), who was a model for a famous Robert Louis Stevenson book character. Other famous Scots who lived here include Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville (1742-1811), Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, the Countess of Sutherland (1765-1839), and Henry Erskine, Lord Advocate. Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns collectively form a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Finally, if that wasn’t enough, every August, Edinburgh hosts the biggest arts festival in the world. This provides the impetus which sustains the cultural energy of the city throughout the year.
There are lots of details about the City, and a full range of links to other sites, on the University web pages.
This page was published on 24 February 2011
