The coastal resort of Leigh-on-Sea in Essex has been crowned the happiest place to live by property website Rightmove.
The town's residents are the nation’s happiest thanks to a strong community spirit and sense of belonging, good access to sports and art activities as well as opportunities to develop skills, according to Rightmove.
Troon in Scotland was named the second happiest place to live, followed by Harrogate, which had previously topped the poll.
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The happiest places in the UK
With both the winner and runner-up being seaside towns, it's clear that's something we value highly.
“It seems the saying that we do like to ‘be beside the seaside’ is true, whether you’re down in the South East or up in Scotland,” says Abiola Ono, Rightmove’s research manager. .
|
|
Place |
Region |
|
1. |
Leigh-on-Sea |
East of England |
|
2. |
Troon |
Scotland |
|
3. |
Harrogate |
Yorkshire & the Humber |
|
4. |
Hertford |
East of England |
|
5. |
Lytham St Annes |
North West |
|
6. |
Shepperton |
South East |
|
7. |
Stanford-Le-Hope |
East of England |
|
8. |
Shrewsbury |
West Midlands |
|
9. |
Hitchin |
East of England |
|
10. |
Woodbridge |
East of England |
The survey also found that the happiest place in Wales is Swansea and Richmond takes the top spot in London.
What’s makes a place happy?
The Happy at Home Index asked 24,000 people to rate where they live based on 12 happiness factors, and covers all of Great Britain. People where asked to rate their region for community spirit, safety, green spaces and culture amongst other things.
“Obviously, what ‘happy’ means to different people can vary greatly, but when you compare which factors score highest in the happiest areas, it shows just how important having friendly people in the local community area is alongside the services and amenities, which is something buyers often tell us when they are looking in new areas to live,” says Oni.
“Space is also one of the most important things when people are looking for a new home, so it’s not surprising that places with open spaces such as beautiful parks and beaches have featured in the top ten.”
It’s not all happy though – Spalding and Walsall performed quite poorly in Rightmove’s research.
|
Happiness Factors |
Top Town |
Worst Town |
|
Community spirit |
Stanford-Le-Hope |
Walsall |
|
Sense of belonging |
Troon |
Barking & Dagenham |
|
I can be myself |
Troon |
Walsall |
|
I feel safe |
Troon |
Wellington |
|
I earn enough to live comfortably |
Ayr |
Blackpool |
|
The people are friendly and polite |
Shrewsbury |
Barking & Dagenham |
|
Sports and recreational activities |
Leigh-on-Sea |
Spalding |
|
Arts and culture |
Leigh-on-Sea |
St Helens |
|
Opportunities to develop skills |
Leigh-on-Sea |
Spalding |
|
Nature and green spaces |
Harrogate |
Salford |
|
Essential local services eg. doctors, schools |
Wellington |
Grays |
|
Non-essential amenities eg. restaurants, pubs |
Leigh-on-Sea |
Bracknell |
What’s wonderful (or terrible) about where you live? Let us know in the comments below.
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