The latest Microburbs hip score rankings reveal which are Brisbane’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 Brisbane’s hippest suburbs? What are the least hip?
Brisbane’s hippest suburbs are Fortitude Valley, followed by Petrie Terrace, West End, New Farm and Milton. These riverside areas all boast great night life, plenty of cultural destinations and vibrant young and diverse populations.
Brisbane’s least hip suburb is Ellen Grove in the South West. With a hip score of 5.3, semi-rural Ellen Grove has no bars or cafes to speak of, let alone a pop-up artisanal single origin deconstructed kale slider bar.
How does it compare to other cities?
Our city hip score for Brisbane is 7.4, making it Australia’s 6th hippest city, by our reckoning. It trails behind Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Newcastle and Perth, but beats out Darwin, Alice Springs and the Sunshine Coast.
BrisbaneTop Suburbs by Hip Score
| Rank | Suburb | Hip Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fortitude Valley | 9.5 |
| 2 | Petrie Terrace | 9.5 |
| 3 | West End | 9.5 |
| 4 | New Farm | 9.5 |
| 5 | Milton | 9.5 |
| 6 | Highgate Hill | 9.3 |
| 7 | Bowen Hills | 9.3 |
| 8 | Newstead | 9.2 |
| 9 | Teneriffe | 9.2 |
| 10 | Kelvin Grove | 9.0 |
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 findyour 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.
About Luke Metcalfe
Luke is the Founder and CEO of Microburbs. Luke has been a data analyst for 15 years, working across many types of data. In 2014, faced with finding the perfect property for his wife and family, he turned to real estate data. Luke’s passion to share and interpret the huge amounts of objective data available to home buyers led to the creation of Microburbs.
