1. It has ties to the Wild West

Sure, the West End of Glasgow has its own cowboy statue in Lobey Dosser on Woodlands Road but Dennistoun has Buffalo Bill.

Colonel William F. Cody aka Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show rolled into Glasgow in November 1891. The troupe included Annie Oakley – of Annie Get Your Gun fame – and a number of Lakota Sioux Indians.

The show took up residency at the former East End Exhibition Buildings just off Duke Street for three months.

Kicking Bear, a first cousin of the legendary Crazy Horse, became a familiar figure in the streets of the city and he had his photograph taken at a studio on Bellgrove Street.

In a small public garden on Whitehill Street, a statue of Buffalo Bill was erected in 2006.

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2. It’s a hothouse for famous bods

Artist and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh grew up at Firpark Terrace adjacent to the Necropolis. Lulu lived on Garfield Street after her family moved there from the Gallowgate.

Comedian Ford Kiernan, actress and singer Dorothy Paul, actor Rikki Fulton, entertainer Jimmy Logan and entrepreneur turned Tory peer Baroness Michelle Mone are all sons and daughters of Dennistoun.

Franz Ferdinand’s hugely successful eponymous debut album was written in the former Dennistoun flat of frontman Alex Kapranos.

Former Celtic centre forward and Lisbon Lion, Stevie Chalmers, lived in a room and kitchen in Viewpark Avenue around 1960.

John Higgins aka the “Wizard of Wishaw” and Alan McManus are both reputed to have honed their craft at the Craigpark Masters Snooker Club.

Partick Thistle right winger Johnny Mackenzie aka the “Firhill Flyer” was born in Dennistoun, as was actor Bill Paterson who has starred in Outlander, Spice World and The Crow Road.

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3. The tenements are sublime

Few things say Glasgow living like tenements: the high ceilings, the period features (as Kirstie Allsopp off Location, Location, Location would call them) and the blonde and red sandstone exteriors that glow like the lost city of Petra on a sunny day.

Dennistoun has streets of gorgeous tenements and some charming townhouses too – all with arguably more bang for your buck than in other areas of the city (although real estate prices have been steadily climbing in recent years).

4. Whitehill Pool had a cameo in a Peter Mullan film

Tollcross may have had the glory of hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games but Dennistoun’s Whitehill Pool appears in the film On a Clear Day in which Peter Mullan stars as a down-on-his-luck Glaswegian who decides to swim the English Channel.

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5. You stare into Stan’s Cafe at your peril

Stan’s Cafe – which is run by artist Sarah Jane Stanley – is Glasgow’s first “pay what you want” cafe. It works on the principle that “humans are intelligent and fair enough to make a reasonable exchange for services or items”.

Sarah has also compiled a series of hilarious Instagram photographs under the hashtag #PeopleWhoStareIntoStans which does exactly what it says on the tin.

Open Wednesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm, Stan’s Cafe on Alexandra Park Street offers freshly ground coffee, home-baking and ginger beer. There is also cool art to look at.

6. Dennistoun boasts two of the best family-run Italian eateries in the city

The people of Dennistoun are spoiled for choice when it comes to authentic Italian cooking with two family-run restaurants and delicatessens right on their doorstep: Coia’s Cafe and Celino’s. People flock from all over the city to eat here.

Coia’s Cafe on Duke Street is great for brunch serving up a fried breakfast of champions as well as excelling on staples such as pasta, pizza and classic Scottish fare including homemade steak pie.

Regulars will know that when you order chips at Coia’s you get the chip shop variety. Remember to save room for the homemade ice-cream and delectable sundaes.

Wednesdays are Tapas night at Celino’s on Alexandra Parade where £15.95 buys you a little slice of culinary utopia with the likes of Scottish mussels, seared scallops, cured meats and aubergine fritters to choose from.

7. It also does rocking burgers

The towering burgers at Dennistoun Bar-B-Que on Duke Street are akin to works of art. The seasoned fries are a must. The pit beef brisket is the bomb. Let us say for the record that this place is king at slaying hangovers. Get in early before the famed ribs sell out.

8. And fine dining

The swish Bilson Eleven – located in a converted 19th-century townhouse on Annfield Place – offers a modern twist on classic dishes, lovingly made using Scottish ingredients by chef Nick Rietz.

9. To be honest, there is cuisine to suit pretty much every palate

There’s Tapa Bakehouse (purveyors of glorious bread); Tibo (friendly atmosphere, home cooking and a great specials board); Redmond’s (the steamed buns are heavenly floating clouds filled with oven fried chicken, pork belly, king prawns or mushrooms); Nakodar (sampling the haggis pakora is a must) and Pizza East (enjoy a delicious Italian-themed feast).

10. Duke Street is the second longest street in Britain

Pipped by only King Street in Aberdeen which is 0.2 miles longer. Darn.

11. Glasgow Necropolis is an oasis of calm

A Victorian cemetery to the east of Glasgow Cathedral, more than 50,000 people have been buried here. The Glasgow Necropolis covers a sprawling 37-acre area laid out as an informal park with stunning views to the south of the city.

There are tombs, sculptures, marble busts and Art Nouveau portrait panels. Some of the monuments have been designed by leading Glaswegian architects including Alexander “Greek” Thomson, John Bryce, David Hamilton and Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

On his 1994 World Tour of Scotland comedian Billy Connolly said: "Glasgow's a bit like Nashville, Tennessee: it doesn't care much for the living, but it really looks after the dead."

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12. Annfield Place is a gem

Cherry blossom in spring, twinkling lights in the festive season. The trees at Annfield Place always look good.

13. You can play a round of golf

There is a nine-hole golf course at Alexandra Park. Part of Glasgow Sport’s facilities, it is a hilly parkland course with some excellent par threes.

Alexandra Park also has a duck pond, children’s play area and the 40-foot cast-iron Saracen Fountain. The highest point of the park gives views north to Ben Lomond and south to the Tinto Hills.

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14. There are wonderful artistic hubs

A former tobacco factory at Hanson Street was redeveloped in 2001 to become Scotland's first purpose-built studio and events complex for up to 200 artists each year.

Wasps – which stands for Workshop and Artist Studio Provisions Scotland – in Dennistoun is home to the Glasgow Ceramics Studio, Glasgow Glass Studio and shop units which house Art Hire Framing and Stained Glass Supplies.

There is a collective called Parade Artists which holds several events each year including open studios and a summer/winter sale.

Tenants include Bruno Gallagher (drawing and illustration, who has worked from the space for close to 20 years), Shona Barr (painting), Clementine Drake (sculpture), Alasdair Wallace (painting and drawing), Ian Marshall (photography), and Hamish Dobbie (silversmithing).

There is also the Market Gallery on Duke Street, a charitable visual arts organisation which hosts contemporary exhibitions and screenings.

15. Not to mention the street art at Wellpark Brewery is awesome

Approaching Dennistoun from the west along Duke Street, I defy anyone not to raise a smile at the brilliant graffiti-style art on the walls outside the Tennent’s Caledonian Wellpark Brewery.

With more than 450 years of brewing tradition and award-winning beers, there is also the option to go on behind-the-scenes tour and tasting session.

Technically it is just outside Dennistoun proper, but the smell of hops still permeates the surrounding streets any time there is a prevailing wind.

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16. There’s a micro-brewery right on the doorstep

Next door to Tennent’s is Drygate, a micro-brewery serving a hearty selection of craft beers and ales, quirky rums and gins.

The Brewhouse Bar and Kitchen has 26 rotating taps, a curated bottle selection and panoramic views of the production brewery. There is also a beerhall and one of the best beer gardens in Glasgow.

Drygate hosts live music events and there’s an urban market on the first and third Sunday of every month.

17. The locals are cultured

18. And sporty …

19. The East End patter is also world class

The humour is a different tempo. Fast-paced, dry and understated wit? Get it here.

Have we missed anything? Drop me a line at susan.swarbrick@eveningtimes.co.uk

In pictures: 10 great things about Kelvinbridge