Smaller towns in Croatia more and more desirable to live in – most popular revealed
- by croatiaweek
- in News
Smaller towns in Croatia more and more desirable to live in
People from the mayor Croatian cities – Zagreb, Rijeka, Split and Osijek – are moving more and more to suburban settlements and smaller surrounding towns.
Zagreb County has the most positive migration balance in Croatia. Last year, it was in the plus with 1,746 people.
The most popular town was Velika Gorica with 2,203 people moving there in 2021 which was 450 more than who left. A total of 717 people moved to Velika Gorica from abroad.
“Because there are a lot of interesting things, a lot of content for young people, a lot of sports content,” Marko Biljan from Velika Gorica told Dnevnik.hr.
The next most popular were Križevci, Samobor, Čakovec, Dugo Selo, Solin, Sveti Ivan Zelina, Zadar, Sveta Nedelja and Duga Resa.
Dugo Selo, a town just outside of Zagreb, is attracting people from the capital with property prices, whilst in Sveti Ivan Zelina, another small town outside of Zagreb, those who moved from the capital say they now felt social control and cohesion, Dnevnik Nova TV reporter Barbara Golja said.
Peaceful and beautiful Samobor however is too peaceful for some. Željko, who has been in Samobor for 12 years, says he is returning to Zagreb after getting bored with the town.
“A young person and a young family feel a void there, and the next step if they don’t find themselves liking it there is to return to the central settlement or leave Croatia,” warns demographer Stjepan Šterc.
Samobor in Zagreb County
Life should be sought in the countryside, advises the demographer. They also agree in Sveta Nedelja, a town near Samobor that does not run away from its rural origins.
According to the data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, from those immigrated to Croatia last year, 29.6 percent were Croatian citizens and 70.4 percent were foreigners. Out of those who left, 64, 2 percent were Croatian citizens and 35.8 percent were foreigners.
