Leigh-on-sea named happiest place to live in the UK


Updated on 18 August 2016 | 1 Comment

Rightmove has unveiled the happiest town in the UK, and of course, it's right by the sea.

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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