Image SourceKerala is known as ‘Gods own country’ and lies on the southern side of the country’s coast, a slim band of evergreen land sandwiched between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats. With its great climate, abundant greenery and numerous beaches, Kerala is one of the best places in the country to set home base in. In a survey conducted by the Times Group among the five top cities in Kerala, the capital came out tops. While Kozhikode and Cochin are large metropolitan cities brimming with congestion and pollution, Thiruvananthapuram is the state capital and is comparatively smaller than the other two cities. Also known as Trivandrum, the capital city is still in its expanding phase and by virtue of its size, it is easier to manage its facilities and infrastructures.

Though others may have their opinions, the results of a poll conducted throughout the country among 21 Indian cities shows that Trivandrum has come out tops as a place to live in, in the last two consecutive years. The survey was based on a whopping 115 parameters based on the city’s health as related to the quality of life, laws, policies and institutional processes. This survey was carried out by the Annual Survey of India’s City Systems organization.

With the advent of the Technopark in the city, it has now become an IT hub also, attracting thousands of working people from across the country to come live here. The transport facilities actually work in this city with its three railway stations as well as city-run and private-owned bus services. Being the capital city and host to high-placed visiting dignitaries, you can be sure that the roads are well-maintained here and the availability of all goods is up to the mark. Water and electricity supply facilities work at an optimal level as compared to other cities. Numerous malls are coming up in all corners of the city as well to support the growing population’s entertainment needs.

The city is also an educational hub with numerous premier schools and colleges located here. For the last three years, Trivandrum schools have ranked the best in the country according to the CBSE Board; this could be due to the fact that this culture-rich city doesn’t offer too many distractions for students and recreational drug abuse is controlled maximally. The city police actually work here and special women’s cells are available for female safety. Aside from this, the city was the first to offer She-taxis and She-autos for its inhabitants.

The people of the city are a peaceful lot and are conversant in numerous languages including English, Hindi, and Malayalam, thus making any outsider welcome. Due to the rapidly increasing population, builders have gone into overdrive and numerous high-rises are coming up all over the city skyline to accommodate them.

Being a city steeped in heritage and culture with a history that goes back many centuries, Trivandrum has something to offer all age groups. In the evenings, the numerous beaches around the city come alive in rhythm to the beat of the incessant call of the ceaseless waves. Numerous parks and lakes around the city also keep its inhabitants close to Mother Nature at her best.