Like many other towns including Dalkeith, Mayfield and Penicuik, Bonnyrigg is a town which manages to strike an excellent balance between being part of the outskirts of the nearby city of Edinburgh to the northwest, and also maintaining its own identity as a town unto itself. This obviously makes Bonnyrigg into an ideal destination for anybody who wishes to commute into the city for work or study.
It is around eight miles into Edinburgh centre, with Bonnyrigg also handily situated just a couple of miles away from the city of Edinburgh bypass, providing easy access for anyone who frequently needs to travel further north into Scotland, or south into England. There are regular buses into the city too, as Bonnyrigg is part of the Lothian Buses service.
Facilities in Bonnyrigg itself include a number of sports clubs. Junior football is particularly popular, and there is also a rugby club and an 18 hole golf course serving the town. The town has a long history, originally named 'Bannockrigg' until 1854, when maps began to show the town under its now accepted name of Bonnyrigg.