Cairngorm Communities

The communities and the people who live and work in them are as important as the wildlife and scenery in making the Cairngorms National Park what it is.

Nestled in the straths and glens, tucked away in the forests or straddling busy thoroughfares, the towns and villages each have their own character and identity. Vibrant and connected, relaxed and secluded, authentic and traditional - each community as unique and individual as the mountains they surround and being a part of them is something many people aspire to. 

The National Park's population is already four to six years older than the Scottish average because death rates are lower, indicating a generally healthier population.

Around 90 per cent of the people who live in the Park work in the Park and what's more, the unemployment rate is extremely low indeed. There are a small percentage of people who commute out to the cities of Inverness and Aberdeen, but around the same number commute in from surrounding rural areas and the cities.

Living in the Cairngorms National Park is clearly attractive and is for many people a long-term commitment. This makes houses in the Cairngorms about a third more expensive, and market turnover normally rather slower than in Scotland as a whole.  This also can make it difficult for people on lower incomes to afford to live in the Park and housing is a key strategic issue addressed within the Park Plan.

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