A pal begged: 'Stop writing about how great it is here'

Folkestone was recently named the South East’s top town but popularity comes at a price, writes resident Helen Coffey

- Helen Coffey

This weekend, I had the strange experience of reading about my town in a national broadsheet. “The very model of modern regeneration for shipshape and stylish living,” they called it,

But while media attention can obviously be a boon, popularity – and particularly overpopularity – often comes at a cost, both literally and metaphorically. Does overexposure risk fawning over the “public art at every turn”, “funky shops”, “colourful old high street” and the accompanying “buzz”.

It provoked a mix of emotions. On the one hand, pride – people are seeing what I see! Finally, my girl has had her She’s All That makeover and is in the running for prom queen! On the other, an unholy dread – because that popularity can only bring one thing: skyrocketing prices.

What has prompted this mild existential crisis is that, for the first time in my life, I live in one of the UK’s most desirable destinations. That’s according to The Times, at any rate, which has just named Folkestone as the best place to live in the South East as part of its recently released annual rankings for 2024.