SO, it's official.

The suburbs are the best place to live.

Forget about the high-rises and the 24-hour Newsbox on the corner, because village living has been declared hot and city dwelling is not.

According to a survey by the Royal Mail, the G78 postcode - Neilston in East Renfrewshire - is the best place to live and work.

It was followed by Torrance, Lenzie, Kirkintilloch and Milngavie - all in East Dunbartonshire - which proves you need to get out of Glasgow for the best quality of life.

The study by the Centre for Economic and Business Research looked at jobs, housing, schools and crime.

But is staying in a village all it's cracked up to be?

I don't think I could ever live in a small town. Growing up in the middle of Aberdeen city was bad enough.

Every time I go home I bump into at least five people I know within the first hour of getting off the bus.

When I moved to Glasgow it was like a breath of fresh of air.

I could leave the house without having to stop for a conversation within minutes of locking my door.

I could travel on public transport without having awkward conversations with people I knew, and instead I could take part in awkward conversations with people I did not know.

I could wear what I wanted without receiving disapproving looks.

A friend I grew up with moved to Edinburgh last year and she feels exactly the same way. It's exciting to buy a hat and be able to wear that hat out and about.

It's hard to explain, but you just can't wear a hat without it being commented on in Aberdeen.

I struggle to imagine what it's like to actually live in a real-life village.

How do you have any anonymity? Do you ever get anything done or do you have to stop and speak to people all the time? Do you ever wear hats?

In Glasgow you get the best of both worlds. Pollok Park is the same as being in the country.

You just have to avert your eyes from the Kennishead high flats poking out above the trees.

In the city you can pub crawl until your heart is content because there's no shortage of drinking holes.

You can eat all types of food, go to 10 different gigs in a night if you fancied and take your pick from hundreds of hairdressers.

Finally, and only when you've done it all and sampled every kebab shop, you can submit to the suburbs and live the rest of your life in other peoples' pockets.