The city of Stirling is known as the southern gateway to the Highlands because of its location between the Lowlands and Highlands. It's one of the most accessible locations in Scotland - 55% of Scotland's population lives within an hour's drive of Stirling.

Nearly 3 million people visit the area every year – the city is within easy reach of the international airports in Edinburgh and Glasgow. And it's a sought-after place to live because it's ideally suited for commuting to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee. In fact it has one of the highest qualified workforces in Scotland, with a particular concentration of administrative skills in the public, private and financial sectors.

Stirling was voted 11th out of 189 UK cities and town for its quality of life by people aged between 21 and 44. Not surprisingly, it's predicted that Stirling's population will increase by 10.4% between 2002 and 2016, and employment will rise by 4.5% between 2001 and 2006. Stirling is a modern, compact city with a good range of competitively priced housing to suit families, couples and single people.

There is good primary and secondary education in the city and Stirling University is one of the country's most modern places to study for a degree.

Stirling clearly has a bright future but it has a rich history too. Stirling Castle sits dramatically above the city and Wallace Monument celebrates national hero William Wallace whose story was the inspiration for the Oscar-winning film, Braveheart. Beneath the castle, Stirling's Old Town is a pretty series of cobbled streets and medieval alleyways and outside the city are the Trossachs National Park and beautiful Loch Lomond.

www.scotlandistheplace.co.uk