Stoke and Lichfield are Staffordshire’s two cities, but there are lots of great places to live across the county from market towns to rural villages.

Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Tunstall and Stoke are collectively known as The Potteries as they are home to well-known ceramic brands including Moorcroft, Wedgwood and Emma Bridgewater.

Staffordshire is also home to the centre point of British brewing – Burton.

Where to live in Staffordshire

Kinver is a village that enjoys a tranquil setting although being in easy reach to Kidderminster and Birmingham.

Around 10 minutes from Stafford town centre, Baswich offers a balance between town and country. The area has excellent road links to Stone, Cannock and Walsall via the A34, while the M6 connects to Birmingham or the North.

Located on the Staffordshire/ Shropshire border, the village of Loggerheads is just four miles from Market Drayton. It’s within easy access of Newcastle-under-Lyme and around 30 minutes’ drive from Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Telford.

Schools

St Joseph's College in Stoke-on-Trent school was named the best state-funded secondary school in Staffordshire, in The Real Schools Guide 2019. The same guide named Chancel Primary School in Rugeley as the best primary school in Staffordshire, followed by Parkside Primary School and Hempstalls Primary School.

For higher education students, there’s a choice of universities – Keele University and Staffordshire University. In 2016 Keele was listed by the Times Higher Education magazine as one of the world’s top 100 new universities.

Entertainment and culture

Staffordshire has two theme parks. Alton Towers is one of the UK’s largest theme parks. It comprises a water park, hotel, plus the child-friendly CBeebies Land, along with rides for thrill-seekers.

Drayton Manor Park, in Drayton Bassett is a family-run park with conservation zoo and Europe's only Thomas Land.

Cannock Chase Forest offers opportunities to explore outdoors on foot, bike, Segway or through the trees at Go Ape.

Market Drayton is home to the hugely popular Festival Drayton Centre offering a full programme of films and live shows throughout the year.

For those who want to explore Staffordshire’s rich history, there’s Tamworth Castle, Shugborough Estate and Lichfield Cathedral.

Shopping

In Newcastle-under-Lyme you’ll find the modern Roebuck Shopping Centre with high street favourites and a multiscreen cinema.

Just a journey from Tamworth’s historic old town centre are three retail parks, Ventura, Jolly Sailor and Cardinal Point - all showcasing leading retail brands.

Market Drayton has held a Wednesday street market for over 750 years where you can buy everything from clothes, electrical items to fresh fruit and vegetables.

The Trentham Estate offers a range of activities ranging from shopping and eating out at Trentham Shopping Village to peace and quiet in Trentham Gardens.

Lichfield Market Square hosts three weekly general markets and a monthly farmers’ market.

Just 30 minutes from Birmingham, The McArthur Glen West Midlands Designer Outlet, in Cannock, is now open.