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Winchester named among Britain's 'happiest places to live'

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Author: Ryan BurrowsPublished 4th Dec 2024
Last updated 4th Dec 2024

Winchester has been named in the top 20 in an annual list of the happiest places to live in Britain.

The Hampshire city placed 11th in the report by Rightmove, and third in the South East region behind Sevenoaks in Kent and Wokingham in Berkshire.

Woodbridge in Suffolk came top of the poll for the first time, with residents scoring it particularly highly for feeling that they are able to be themselves in the area, the community spirit and friendliness of the people.

The London borough of Richmond upon Thames was ranked second, having been top last year, while Hexham in Northumberland, a previous winner, was ranked third.

The study, now in its 13th year, was completed by more than 35,000 people across Britain, with residents being asked how they feel about their area.

Residents expressed opinions on topics such as how proud they feeI about where they live, their sense of belonging, community spirit, whether they can be themselves, whether they can earn enough to live comfortably in their area, public transport, sports and recreation, green spaces and artistic and cultural activities.

Monmouth was crowned the happiest place to live in Wales, while Stirling came top in Scotland.

Rightmove said its study indicates that, overall, residents in Scotland, Wales and the South West are most happy with where they live, while those in the East and West Midlands are the least happy.

The Gen-Z generation (18 to 24-year-olds) were the most likely to say that they thought they would be happier living in a different area, while those aged 55-plus were the least likely.

Tim Bannister, Rightmove's property expert, said: "It's the younger generation who are most likely to say they would be happier living somewhere else, many of whom have to travel to cities for education or to find their first jobs."

The research also indicated that the type of environment that made residents most happy was a rural location by woodland or a forest, or being near a National Park or National Landscape.

Rightmove's analysis found that feeling proud to live in an area was the biggest driver of overall satisfaction with a home and community out of the factors it looked at, while living near to family and friends was the smallest driver.

The happiest places to live in Great Britain

Here are the happiest places to live in 2024, according to Rightmove, followed by the average asking price for a home and the average asking rent per month:

  1. Woodbridge, East of England, £441,569, £1,478
  1. Richmond upon Thames, London, £939,329, £3,131
  1. Hexham, North East, £313,147, £840
  1. Monmouth, Wales, £320,974, £1,335
  1. Harrogate, Yorkshire and the Humber, £394,312, £1,439
  1. Skipton, Yorkshire and the Humber, £263,479, £1,030
  1. Sevenoaks, South East, £881,061, £2,924
  1. Leigh on Sea, East of England, £465,542, £1,796
  1. Cirencester, South West, £384,013, £1,495
  1. Wokingham, South East, £590,949, £2,120
  1. Winchester, South East, £578,760, £2,069
  1. Stirling, Scotland, £214,441, £1,227
  1. Stratford-upon- Avon, West Midlands, £413,115, £1,604
  1. Horsham, South East, £458,641, £1,983
  1. Kendal, North West, £285,645, £966
  1. Kensington and Chelsea, London, £1,667,573, £5,345
  1. Chorley, North West, £197,199, £883
  1. Hove, South East, £555,193, £1,993
  1. Wandsworth, London, £865,205, £3,159
  1. Hitchin, East of England, £510,612, £1,730

Here are the regional rankings in the study, with the regional position followed by the overall ranking across Britain in brackets:

East Midlands

  1. Chesterfield (63)
  1. Nottingham (130)
  1. Derby (133)
  1. Northampton (142)
  1. Lincoln (145)

East of England

  1. Woodbridge (1)
  1. Leigh on Sea (8)
  1. Hitchin (20)
  1. St Albans (50)
  1. Clacton on Sea (52)

London

  1. Richmond upon Thames (2)
  1. Kensington and Chelsea (16)
  1. Wandsworth (19)
  1. Westminster (24)
  1. Southwark (46)

North East

  1. Hexham (3)
  1. Newcastle upon Tyne (59)
  1. Darlington (90)
  1. Sunderland (143)
  1. Durham (150)

North West

  1. Kendal (15)
  1. Chorley (17)
  1. Altrincham (29)
  1. Chester (34)
  1. Macclesfield (49)

Scotland

  1. Stirling (12)
  1. Dumfries (35)
  1. Perth (39)
  1. Galashiels (45)
  1. Dundee (47)

South East

  1. Sevenoaks (7)
  1. Wokingham (10)
  1. Winchester (11)
  1. Horsham (14)
  1. Hove (18)

South West

  1. Cirencester (9)
  1. St Ives (23)
  1. Dorchester (26)
  1. Weymouth (33)
  1. Cheltenham (43)

Wales

  1. Monmouth (4)
  1. Llandudno (22)
  1. New Quay (28)
  1. Llandrindod Wells (38)
  1. Anglesey (48)

West Midlands

  1. Stratford- upon-Avon (13)
  1. Leamington Spa (21)
  1. Lichfield (27)
  1. Sutton Coldfield (36)
  1. Worcester (58)

Yorkshire and the Humber

  1. Harrogate (5)
  1. Skipton (6)
  1. Whitby (25)
  1. York (30)
  1. Leeds (70)

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