Newbury, United Kingdom

Capital City

Newbury is a sleepy market town with a population of around 70,000, situated in the verdant hills of West Berkshire. The local economy is heavily skewed towards high-tech companies like Vodafone, which employs over 6,000 people in the area. But beneath the veneer of prosperity, the town's bureaucracy can be a persistent headache - the 1974 local government restructuring saw the municipal borough abolished, replaced by a convoluted hierarchy of town, district and county councils. And while the surrounding North Wessex Downs offer scenic beauty, the damp, chilly climate is a far cry from the sunny retreat that Newbury once provided for wealthy Londoners traveling to Bath. Overall, this is a town best suited for those seeking a quiet, pastoral life within easy reach of tech jobs, rather than urban excitement or Mediterranean weather.