A special survey carried out by Bulgarian news agencies Darik Radio and 24 Hours Daily studied the quality of life in 35 Bulgarian cities and towns. The results of the survey were officially announced in the capital Sofia in the presence of the Minister of Regional Development, Gagauzov, the event patron.

According to the polls, Varna received 243 points, leaving behind the other two contestants, Plovdiv, ranking second with 228 points, and Veliko Tarnovo, ranking third with 226 points. The least preferred town to live in is Pernik, with just 135 points. The town`s `popularity` grew once against after the mayoral elections with allegations of the most manipulated vote in the country.

Why Varna? Excellent geolocation (together with Bourgas) according to the "proximity to sea/river/mountain/resorts" criteria. Varna received the max 10 points for its round the clock chemists, shops and ATMs. High quality education facilities, well developed cultural activities - with an opera, theatre, summer theatre, many cinemas, low rate of unemployment and good investment climate are all among the city popularity boosters.

Varna`s worst performance is in the "playgrounds and gardens" category, where it received 1 out of 10 points. Insufficient number of kindergartens, traffic jams, and lack of parking space are other Varna drawbacks. Similar problems, however, face all of the most wanted Bulgarian cities, with traffic at its worst in the capital Sofia, which ranked fourth with 223 points.

Varna will be awarded "The best city to live in, in Bulgaria" signs that are to be placed at the city entrances and exits.