Strogino residents have much to be happy about. The area boasts prime views of the Moscow River, large parks, modern sports and recreation facilities, and now the title of Moscow's best place to live.
Vladimir Melnik, head of Strogino's district administration, wasn't surprised that his neighborhood topped the rating of the city's residential areas, which Penny Lane Realty compiled last week.
"It's one of the most beautiful Moscow areas," Melnik said about Strogino, which is located on the right bank of the Moscow River at the northwest side of the city. "It is very clean. We even have beavers in the water."
Penny Lane Realty ranked the areas according to their ecological quality, transport accessibility, infrastructure diversity, safety and potential for future development.
Troparevo-Nikulino, which borders the Skolkovo area on the southwest outskirts of the city, Yasenevo in the south, Krylatskoye in the west and Kurkino on the outside of the MKAD not far from Khimki, followed Strogino in the rating.
Strogino soared to the top of the list because of its large parks and recreational zones, which occupy more than 50 percent of the territory, according to Penny Lane Realty. The agency also credited the area for its wide assortment of schools, malls and sports facilities.
Real estate agencies are forecasting that the area will continue to have good appeal in the future. New residential complexes are replacing the area's aging buildings, said Roman Muradyan, acting director of the Miel-Franchising real estate agency. The area is also next to the new site of the planned international finance center.
Troparevo-Nikulino and Yasenevo also have good growth potential, according to Penny Lane Realty. Troparevo-Nikulino is expected to benefit from the creation of the Skolkovo innovation city and Yasenevo from the proposed expansion of Moscow's boundaries to the southwest.
But predicting the effects of the expansion is still difficult.
"There is no concrete prognosis since the plans of this expansion are still very vague," said Alexander Ziminsky, director of Penny Lane Realty's department of elite property.
But the agencies do agree that these residential areas have become more attractive to buyers. About 60 percent of all deals in Moscow's residential real estate market are now done in these areas, Muradyan said.
"Many residential areas in Moscow now have good conditions for living," Ziminsky said. "Before, the inhabitants of these areas went home only to sleep. Now there is a whole assortment of infrastructure at their service, often even in bigger quantity than what is available in the city center."
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