NEWCASTLE’s outer suburb and growing residential retreat of Fletcher has been christened the number one place to live for families, according to a recent publication.

A report released by Aussie Home Loans titled Most Popular Suburbs for Families identified the Top 20 suburbs in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.

Commissioned by Aussie but compiled by CoreLogic, the report used data from the 2016 Census, as well as information about typical suburb house values.

The size of Fletcher is approximately 6.1 square kilometres. It has 2 parks covering nearly 1.3% of total area.

The star attraction of the area is newer homes and a well-known School called Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College for primary and secondary. It is also nearby to great public schools and Catholic schools in nearby suburbs.

The population of Fletcher in 2011 was 2,730 people. By 2016 the population was 5,154 showing a population growth of a massive 88.8% in the area during that time.

The predominant age group in Fletcher is 0-9 years. Households in Fletcher are primarily couples with children and are likely to be repaying $1800 - $2399 per month on mortgage repayments. It is quite a multi-cultural area with people coming from many different backgrounds including Indian, Chinese and others.

In general, people in Fletcher work in a professional occupation. It is only 20 minutes to the Newcastle City centre and only 5 minutes to the Hunter expressway and F3 freeway to access direct north and south.

In 2011, 88.5% of the homes in Fletcher were owner-occupied compared with 77.6% in 2016. Currently the median sales price of houses in the area is $603,750, however you can expect to pay $700k to $800k for a 4 bed home with double lock up garage and two bathrooms under 10 years old.  The highest price paid has been up around the $1.3million mark for a 5 bed/3 bath / 3 car with pool, however you can still pick up a 3 bed villa for $485,000.