{"id":850823,"date":"2026-02-26T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=850823"},"modified":"2026-02-26T17:02:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:02:24","slug":"the-small-town-in-south-africa-voted-as-the-best-to-live-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/850823\/the-small-town-in-south-africa-voted-as-the-best-to-live-in\/","title":{"rendered":"The small town in South Africa voted as the best to live in"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Barrydale in the Western Cape has been voted as South Africa\u2019s best small town to live in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December 2025, the Daily Maverick<\/a><\/strong> crowned the town its Small Town of the Year after it achieved an impressive score of 94%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The title followed a months-long selection process that began with readers nominating their favourite towns across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A total of 2,069 nominations were submitted to nine writers\u2014one representing each province\u2014who researched the towns and narrowed them down to a final provincial winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Towns were evaluated across seven categories. These included cleanliness, municipal performance, community spirit, safety, natural environment, family friendliness and connectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the publication stressed that a defining element known as the \u201cM-Factor\u201d\u2014described as the intangible energy that shapes a town\u2019s character\u2014played a decisive role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final stage required writers to visit each shortlisted town personally and compare their experiences before agreeing on the national winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barrydale lies on the border between the Overberg and Klein Karoo regions and sits at the northern entrance of the Tradouw Pass leading toward Swellendam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The town was named after 19th-century merchant Joseph Barry and traces its origins back to early 18th-century farmers who settled in the fertile valley in search of reliable water and farmable land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early residents established a school and formally built a church in 1878 at the junction of two regional roads. Agriculture was a major part of the area\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farmers planted vineyards and orchards, which eventually led to the formation of the Barrydale Ko\u00f6peratiewe Wynkelder in 1940.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This later led to the establishment of a distillery that anchored the town\u2019s wine and brandy industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local production later gained global recognition when Joseph Barry Brandy was named the world\u2019s best brandy in 2003.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, the village expanded steadily, becoming a municipality in 1921 and growing into a close-knit community of roughly 4,200 permanent residents today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Semigration hotspot <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Despite its small size, its popularity has surged as South Africans increasingly seek quieter lifestyles outside major cities like Cape Town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jaco Badenhorst, sales manager for Seeff Country and Karoo, told BusinessTech that the ranking reflects a broader semigration trend drawing buyers away from urban centres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLocated under three hours from Cape Town on the popular Route 62, in the beautiful Cape Overberg on the edge of the Klein Karoo, Barrydale is a popular stopover and somewhat of a semigration hotspot,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It connects to the N2 via the scenic Tradouw Pass, which links Barrydale to the N2 between Swellendam and Heidelberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is particularly scenic and safe with good local governance and services, characterised by rolling farmlands and the dramatic Langeberg Mountains,\u201d Badenhorst added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also said that tourism and agriculture underpin the local economy, while remote workers, retirees and young families are increasingly moving in search of a slower pace of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The property market is dominated by freehold homes averaging around R2.5 million, with larger houses suited to guesthouse conversions reaching about R3.4 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entry-level buyers can still find vacant plots or smaller cottages closer to R1.5 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGiven the ongoing \u2018flight to quality\u2019 and the current shortage of well-priced stock, property demand is expected to remain robust throughout 2026,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Badenhorst explained that as of mid-2025, many landlords were reporting full occupancy, and rental prices are beginning to reflect the increasing demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Val Anderton and Marinda Roux, agents with Seeff Swellendam, explained that they have seen an increase in enquiries from Gauteng and Pretoria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of these are young families looking to relocate due to the excellent schools and a wholesome environment for raising children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Barrydale in photos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A small agricultural town in the Western Cape has been voted as the best place to live in South Africa. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":851499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[24800,11693,853],"class_list":["post-850823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-barrydale","tag-seeff-property-group","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=850823"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":852404,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850823\/revisions\/852404"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/851499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=850823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=850823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=850823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}