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HOW IT RATES The county town of Buckinghamshire, Aylesbury lies north of the Chiltern Hills, 41 miles north- west of London. Its population doubled in the 1960s as housing developments were built to ease pressure on the capital. History has its place here, too: Henry VIII reputedly wooed Anne Boleyn at the King's Head and in the cobbled Market Square stands the statue of John Hampden - a local hero and a key figure in the outbreak of the Civil War.

ARCHITECTURAL GEMS The mostly Georgian area around St Mary's Church includes the splendidly refurbished County Museum and the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery. Modern architecture includes the mirrored Blue Leanie office block, home to HBOS. Chequers, the country residence of the Prime Minister, is just five miles away.

WHAT'S NEW Up to 2026 16,800 new homes are planned for the town, and it has just been announced that 9,000 of these will be built on the southern arc of the town. Fairview's Delta apartments, near the Grand Union Canal, have already been built, and two-bedroom apartments are being sold from £194,000.

QUALITY OF LIFE Not bad. There is a good mix of urban and rural living, on the doorstep of the Chilterns. In 2005, Aylesbury became one of six cycling demonstration towns, promoting the use of cycle routes and aiming for a threefold rise in the number of cyclists in three years - which has been achieved.

POPULATION According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town was 65,173. Aylesbury Vale district is home to about 167,400 people, which is expected to grow to 198,000 by 2026 with the new developments.

TRAVEL This is deep in the London commuter belt: trains from Aylesbury into London Marylebone take 50 minutes. Alternatively, you can drive to Amersham, where you can pick up Metropolitan Line Underground trains. The A41 leads to the M25, 30 minutes' drive away, and Heathrow is a 45-minute car journey.

SMARTEST STREETS Fairford Leys is a new village of 1,900 homes in the southwest of the town and is a top choice for young families and professionals in the area. In the more expensive south side of Aylesbury, King Edward Avenue and Wendover Road offer top notch, detached homes with price tags of more than £500,000.

BEST RESTAURANTS Two miles out of town the opulent Hartwell House Hotel - once home to Louis XVIII of France while in exile - has a lovely restaurant. It is less stuffy than you imagine with friendly service and excellent local dishes. The Five Arrows at Waddesdon, 12 miles northwest of the town, is another fine hotel restaurant.

TOP NIGHTLIFE The Civic Centre and the Queens Park Arts Centre offer plays, comedy and music. The King's Head is one of the few public houses in the country owned by the National Trust but still run as a pub.

EDUCATION Aylesbury Grammar School (boys only), Aylesbury High School (girls only) and Sir Henry Floyd (mixed) are all well thought of and people move here to be in their catchment areas.

WORKING LIFE A large proportion of people here work in London. However, a huge regeneration project is on the go and should provide 1,100 new jobs. The unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the country.

UPSIDE Waterside, a £200million redevelopment for the town centre, will include an arts venue, shopping centre and apartments. A facelift for the town's canal basin is also under way with new waterfront homes and restaurants.

DOWNSIDE There are a lot of house building in and around Aylesbury, with little thought going into the aesthetics. The town also lacks affordable and cultural entertainment for the young.

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