Harrogate once again named happiest place to live, with Richmond-upon-Thames London’s highest ranked borough
Harrogate once again named happiest place to live, with Richmond-upon-Thames London’s highest ranked borough
The North Yorkshire town of Harrogate has been named the happiest place to live in the UK for the third year running.
The Rightmove Happy at Home Index also has neighbouring city York in at number 4.
The top 5 happiest places to live are:
1. Harrogate
2. Shrewsbury
3. Ipswich
4. York
5. Chester
From home décor to community life
A survey of 24,000 people asked about everything from friendliness of neighbours to local activities. It also covered home décor, house values and perceived cost of living.
Harrogate scored highly on safety, general tidiness of the area and how proud they feel of their home.
“It doesn’t surprise me that we have taken number one slot again”, says James Wort from Strutt & Parker Harrogate.
“People here take pride in maintaining their homes and gardens, as does the council. Living and working in Harrogate, people here are exceptionally friendly and welcoming. Families feel safe and schools are some of the best in the country - Harrogate Grammar School, St Aidan’s, and St John Fishers to name a few. For people thinking of moving here, Harrogate is a busy and popular town with lots of thriving villages surrounding it giving buyers plenty of choice.”
Meanwhile, Dundonians are the happiest with their interior decorating, while Blackpool locals love how much space they have.
Newport worries the least about the value of its homes, while Luton residents worry the most. This is despite the fact asking prices have gone up 8.6% in Luton over the past year and just 1.8% in Newport.
The beaches of Torquay give locals the most to do.
Falkirk gets best value for money when it comes to the running cost of homes, while Llandrindod Wells in Wales has the best neighbours.
London living
The happiest borough in London is Richmond, which ranks 19th overall, followed by Kingston at 20th.
Commuter favourite Hemel Hempstead is higher up the list at 8th, with a large number of people who feel at home in their property.
On the list of those who worried least about the value of their homes, Westminster came third. This might be because the average price of a flat in Westminster is over £1.2m.
While Westminster also ranks top for community spirit, it is its neighbour, Kensington & Chelsea, unsurprisingly voted number one for local amenities.
Demand for Harrogate to rise
Rightmove’s Housing Expert, Miles Shipside expects demand for Harrogate properties to skyrocket after achieving the title for a third consecutive year.
But he suggests any potential homebuyers look further down the list for better value.
Homes in 2nd and 3rd place Shrewsbury and Ipswich cost below the national average, while Harrogate properties are more expensive than average.