Squashed between Manchester and Stockport’s increasingly trendy centre, there’s a super suburb attracting a lot of attention. The Four Heatons - made up of Heaton Chapel, Heaton Mersey, Heaton Moor and Heaton Norris - are a group of neighbourhoods dotted around Stockport boasting tree-lined streets, Victorian and Edwardian red-brick villas, great schools and a trendy food and drink scene. It ticks a lot of boxes for families and young professionals looking to put down roots, but with its increasing popularity there’s also a rising demand for property in the area. In part, buyers come to The Heatons having initially looked at areas such as Didsbury and Chorlton , and have landed on something more affordable within the confines of the leafy SK4 postcode. Last week, the Stockport suburb was named one of the best places to live in the UK by the Sunday Times , lauded as ‘family friendly but funky’ and as somewhere offering a chance for home buyers to bring up a family alongside ‘like-minded professional, party friendly folk’. North of the River Mersey, The Heatons were historically split, with Heaton Mersey and Heaton Moor in Cheshire, and Heaton Norris and Heaton Chapel in Lancashire. It was the opening of railway stations at Heaton Norris (1840) and Heaton Chapel (1853) that resulted in the suburbanisation of the Four Heatons. No two Heatons are the same though, each has their own distinct character, history and community. House prices between the four vary considerably. While estate agents will offer up different estimates, according to Rightmove, The house price in Heaton Chapel averages at around £345,719, Heaton Mersey around £371,335, Heaton Moor around £361,658 and Heaton Norris around £275,513. Martin Elliot, branch manager at Philip James estate agent in Heaton Moor has lived and worked in the area for over 20 years and says people have different perceptions. “I live here so I sometimes find it hard to describe, but I see it as a salt-of-the-earth type area, whereas others see it as really affluent,” he says. “It’s calmer than Didsbury or Chorlton, there’s the older generation, but also people with children. The former probably have more of a city centre feel than here.” As to why it's garnering so much attention, he puts it down to the range of shops, amenities and facilities on offer. “There is literally everything, whether that’s the pharmacies, doctors, dentist, vets, and we still have a bank. “The schooling is good, especially from a primary school point of view. Heaton Moor is quite a small area, the area was divided a long time ago and created into four areas, with Moor being perhaps the more affluent of the four. “Before Liz Truss we would have first-time buyers buying £450,000 to 500,000 properties but obviously with the change in the economy those buyers seem to have gone to the periphery so people are now buying perhaps better-suited, long-term properties with housing stock in Heaton Mersey and Chapel offering that. “The recent regeneration and investment in Stockport town centre has helped areas such as Heaton Norris and Stockport as a whole too. Whether that’s Edgeley, Davenport, or Bredbury, these sorts of areas have seen a massive uplift in demand due to affordability and investment.” On whether parts of The Heatons are becoming too expensive though, Martin says it's an issue being felt across the country. “It's a family oriented, residential area, people are quite rooted, but the supply of properties is limited so that inflates the demand. “In Heaton Moor you get a Didsbury ripple effect into certain areas, so people might concentrate on Heaton Moor or Didsbury but after a few visits, it’s a question of affordability. “It’s difficult for local people, this story has been told across the country, whether it’s coastal resorts or rural destinations, there’s a lot of people in the area that simply can’t afford it.” Walk around Heaton Moor Road which connects Heaton Moor and Heaton Chapel and you’ll find a plethora of coffee shops, boutiques, bars and restaurants. Stopping to ask residents and businesses about why they think The Heatons have been highlighted, one word keeps coming up - community. Sarah Moss is walking her dog past the Unwins Greengrocers and is positively enthused about the latest accolade. “I think it’s quite overlooked but it’s very liveable, seems to be low crime, very safe, it’s quite boujee to be honest - but not too much,” she laughs. She moved from Brighton up to Heaton Moor 20 years ago and has seen the area come a long way. “It’s been more of an evolution rather than a revolution. Getting the Savoy cinema refurbished, it’s a real asset. “The area has been gradually evolving and lots more cafes and interesting places cropping up. It’s very well served. “It’s a nice, comfortable place to live, with lots of amenities, you can get to Manchester easily, just two stops on the train. Stockport is brilliant now too, it’s really on the up, especially along the Underbanks.” On any potential downsides, or things she would like to see, she adds: “I’ve always wanted a noodle bar that would suit me, and maybe a good artisan bakery, that would do it. "I would also say Heaton Moor is one of the more expensive, I have friends who would like to live here but are looking more at Chapel and Edgeley actually.” Across the road, school friends Mark Christie and Matthew Peoples are on a lunch break and mooching about the precinct area. They grew up in the area and live in Heaton Moor and Mersey respectively. They agree that it has a bit of everything, but the pair, in their mid twenties, and working in financial services, don’t think it’s the most affordable for their age group in terms of buying houses. “Being named one of the best places shocks me but at the same time but locally it’s very good,” says Mark who is referring to the wider UK property market. Explaining the ‘two sides’ to Heaton Moor, referring to the area around Co-op and the cinema, and the other end of Heaton Moor Road towards Heaton Chapel, where you’ll find Cork of the North, hip coffee bar Mouro, and Cassidy’s Irish bar, amongst music shops, pubs and delis, he says it’s good for their age group, but anyone slightly younger might be drawn to Didsbury for a night out. Matthew reckons they take for granted what’s on their doorstep though, and has witnessed Heaton Moor’s independent scene flourish in recent years. “People that come here talk a lot of how all the shops are independent as opposed to brands,” he adds. “There’s more coffee shops and boutique places plus it’s only ten minutes from town by train. In the last five years or so it’s come a long way, if you go back to when we grew up there was one cafe, now there’s like 20.” The pair enjoy living in the area, but say in terms of affordability they aren’t sure when it will be feasible for them to buy here. “I’m early on in my career but maybe long-term I’ll be able to afford to buy here, but it’s like £650,000 so it’s crazy,” says Mark. “It’s probably not affordable in the centre of Heaton Moor, especially down towards the train station.” And as Matthew points out: “Ultimately the whole of south Manchester has become just as expensive as one another. Would I say it’s affordable? I’d say probably not, especially if you’re a bit younger, you need to be earning above average.” Charlie who owns the Easy Fish Co, which has been in Heaton Moor for 13 years, says it’s gotten ‘better and better’ over the years. “It’s great, it’s come on a lot since when we first got here, all the empty shops that did exist years ago have gone and now there’s a nice combination. “You have a butcher, greengrocer, fishmonger all on one road here, which is probably unheard of nowadays. “There’s a real community feel to it, local people using local shops, bars and restaurants, so there’s a good vibe.” Chris McMullen, manager of specialist beer shop Epicurean agrees, and has the unique perspective of also having run the brand’s second site on Burton Road in West Didsbury and living over that way himself. “West Didsbury has a very similar vibe to here, in fact a lot of people move over here from West Didsbury because they get a little more for their money. “It's very family focused here in terms of what we sell compared to Didsbury where it’s lot of young professionals. Over here there's more families and that's reflected in beer we sell too. "You feel like you’re part of the neighbourhood when you’re here. You don’t get that as much in Didsbury where it’s a lot of people that just work in Manchester. “I’ve got lots of regulars here, and they all know each other and there's lots of events like the Nook’s open mic night, and things on at the rugby club too, there's a big community around that. “Didsbury feels like Manchester, and being in the Heatons doesn’t as much. You’re between Stockport and Manchester and its own thing.” “I think it’s overdue to be honest. It’s definitely its own thing. There’s some great new openings though like Hatters Lounge, Kobean and we all kind of know each other. Even though in Lockdown we lost the Traders Association, we all still keep in touch and use each other's shops and businesses." Further down the road, where Heaton Moor intersects with Heaton Chapel there's a row of tiny independent shops including a florist, a take-out coffee shop, a cake store, a vintage shop, and a nail bar, housed inside former coal merchant huts dating back to 1864. The first two huts are the original outbuildings, with wooden facades and bay windows, and the Flower Basket - formerly Mary's Flower Basket - which has a wonky front door and a worn-down post outside that was once used to tie horses to. Sue Cook has owned and run the flower shop for seven years and is extremely proud of the area she was born and raised. "I'm very pleased because I’ve lived in other places and come back to where I was born," she says. "As a little girl, I always wanted my own flower shop, and my dad used to say you’ll have to start somewhere small like Mary’s Flower Basket and a week after he died, it came up for sale and the rest is history. “It’s lovely around here, some very nice people and it's very friendly. I mean you do get a few characters, but you do get that anywhere. "It’s a little quiet down this end sometimes and the businesses next to me have changed a few times, but it’s just a case of finding something people want and can afford. But we do certainly keep ticking over and I’m very grateful. “You have some younger families, but also the elderly come here and have a sit down with me, a chat and a coffee. And the younger generation come in for flowers too. I know a lot of people around here, I love it and I wouldn’t swap it. “I find it is quite expensive in Heaton Moor and as you move out from there it gets a little more affordable, but would say Heaton Chapel and Moor are a little more expensive but you are near the railway station and the A6 and you’re not from hospitals and shopping. "The only issue is some of the youth. It's very different from when we were little, there’s no respect, and we find that more than anything, kids going around on scooters in balaclavas. Touch wood we’ve not had trouble here." As you head further into Heaton Chapel and look through you'll spot a mill on the horizon and you peer through further into Stockport and Reddish in the distance. As Heaton Moor Road blends into School Lane and intersects with the A6 down the Heaton Norris, you'll find another variety of independent businesses dotted around including small plates pros, The 'Burbs, wine shop Vino Buono and Heaton Hops. A little further down at the junction of Manchester Road, well-known spots like the George and Dragon pub come into view, along with The Last Stop and Feed General Store. Tristan Oxford, owner of Feed, opened the shop and kitchen over seven years ago now. He lives in Levenshulme having moved away from Heaton Mersey to buy his first home at a slightly more affordable price. “It’s really easy to get into Manchester, but greener out here, I can tell that just from living in Levenshulme . “It took us a while to find the right area for the business, but we liked the building, and what else was going on around here. Over seven years it’s become busier and more developed into the area. It’s mainly families, couples, but a nice mix of people, some older people too. “Heaton Chapel is maybe a little more laid back then Heaton Moor, but they’re all good because they’ve got a good independent scene. It’s a really good community around here."