For many people, where you live depends on basic things like where your family are, where you work and where you can afford to buy or rent. And for younger people, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find somewhere to call home as house prices become ever more unaffordable.
But if you’re one of the lucky ones who can afford to live wherever they choose, Halifax has put together a fascinating new survey on the best places to live in the UK.
The study highlights 20 of the best villages, towns and cities in the country based on things like crime, life expectancy and happiness.
Towns in the South scored very highly due to high employment levels and average earnings while areas in the North had more affordable housing with a low house price to earnings ratio.
And if you think you’re British geography genius, try our fun interactive Shortlist quiz below.
Now flip the flashcards below to find out the top 20 places to live in the UK:
So why did Hart in Hampshire take the top spot?
- Residents feel fit and well with more than nine in 10 (97%) reporting good or fairly good health
- It has the longest average female life expectancy in the UK of 86.7 years, and third longest for males (82.5)
- Hart has one of the highest employment rates with eight in ten (84%) 16-64 year olds in work and weekly average earnings of £844
- The latest ONS figures indicate adults living in Hart are amongst the most happy, satisfied and content in the UK
- Residents enjoy one of the lowest crime rates in the country
- They also have a relatively good climate with more sunshine (32.5 hours per week against the national average of 29.7 hours)
Russell Galley, Managing Director of Halifax – which carried out the study - said: “Hart seems to have been offering residents an unrivalled mix of living standards for five of the last six years, seeing employment rates, average earnings and ONS personal wellbeing rankings bounce back after falling from the top spot last year.
“Along with Hart, many areas in southern England score strongly in categories including the labour markets and health. Northern areas tend to perform well on education and benefit from more affordable properties with lower house prices to earnings.”
How many of these top 20 places have you been to?
And now you’ve found out the best places to live in the UK, why not put your British geography knowledge to the test with this quiz we made earlier.
We challenge you to score at least 15/20!
(Images: iStock)
