St Ives is named as the happiest place to live in Britain – but did YOUR town make the list?

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Cornish town St Ives has been crowned the happiest place to live in Britain, with five of the 20 happiest locations all coastal locations in the South West. 

The idyllic surfing hotspot topped the list of places where Britons are at their most content in a new survey by property website Rightmove.  

Rightmove’s 2020 study, with over 21,000 respondents, found that coastal areas in general are where people feel happiest about where they live.

Five of the top 20 happiest places this year are coastal locations. As well as St Ives, these are Falmouth, Weymouth, Plymouth, and Poole – all places in the South West. 

The survey also found Skipton in North Yorkshire was the second most happy place to live in the country and Leamington Spa in Warwickshire the third.

The top 20 include Skipton, Leamington Spa, Llandrindod Wells, Perth, Kendal, Stratford-upon-Avon, Dorchester, Harrogate, Richmond upon Thames, Falmouth, Hexham, Weymouth, Shrewsbury, Tonbridge, Plymouth, and Poole. 

Richmond upon Thames finished tenth in this year’s national table, whilst also being named London’s happiest place to live for the sixth consecutive year.

Llandrindod Wells was named the happiest place to live in Wales and also returned the highest score across Great Britain for residents feeling able to be themselves.

Perth tops the Scottish list and boasts one of the strongest community spirits, according to the Rightmove study. 

Rightmove’s Director of Property Data Tim Bannister said: ‘Our latest research shows that despite all the challenges that this year has brought, many people have been able to reconnect with their local area and community which has had a positive effect on how they feel about where they live. 

‘Overall, I think lockdown has enabled people to rediscover what’s on their doorstep, and spending more time in their local areas has made people value their surroundings and communities so much more. 

‘This year’s study shows a greater appreciation for green spaces and nature, and a strong correlation between people living in coastal and rural areas and how happy people are where they live. 

‘Since lockdown we’ve since a trend towards more people looking to live in smaller communities, and so it’s very fitting to see that the picturesque town of St Ives has taken the top spot in 2020.’    

The results of this year’s Happy at Home Index show that residents of St Ives are happier than any other community with their local area’s nature and green spaces.

Residents also rated their neighbours as the friendliest in the UK, while demand for property in St Ives has more than doubled compared to this time last year.

The average asking price of a home in the picturesque town is nearly £415,000, which is five per cent up from last year, and 19 per cent higher than five years ago. 

Tony Harris, Mayor of St Ives, added: ‘This news comes as no surprise to me, nor the local residents, as we all know St Ives is a great place to live. 

‘It’s also no surprise that our town is such a popular visitor destination; everyone wants to sample for a short period of time what local residents enjoy every day.’ 

People living in rural and coastal areas were found to be happier with where they live than respondents living in cities and urban areas, which reflects a nationwide trend of people desiring better access to outdoor spaces.

The study also discovered that people living in rural and coastal locations were more likely to have developed a greater affinity with their local area during the initial lockdown period, with the study suggesting that access to green spaces made people more appreciative of where they live.

Jacob Taylor, sales negotiator at Dacre, Son & Hartley in Skipton, the second happiest place to live this year, said: ‘We’re the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales and some of the most spectacular places in the country.’ 

Jessie Wright, senior negotiator at Bradleys Estate Agents in St Ives, said: ‘I think there are a number of reasons why people are so happy living down here, but we’ve all definitely become more appreciative of our hometown over the lockdown period. 

‘Everyone has been looking after one another this year and obviously because tourism is the town’s biggest income, we’ve always been a very welcoming community and tourists have certainly flocked to St Ives over the summer. We’ve worked really hard to keep everyone safe and to make sure local businesses survive.’ 

Of the people who plan to buy or rent in the next 12 months, 56 per cent claimed they now place greater importance on access to nature and green spaces when deciding on the area and home they want to live in.

This trend is most notable amongst younger home-movers in the 18-34 age group.

Overall, the experience of spending more time at home and in their local area this year has positively impacted how much people like where they live.

Around 36 per cent said they now like their area more, 46 per cent said there’s been no change in how they feel, and 18 per cent said they now like their area less.

The Rightmove study, now in its ninth year, asks residents to say how they feel about where they live, as well as asking them to rank 10 happiness factors.

The factors range from how friendly the neighbours are and how good the local services are, to the sense of belonging and the quality of nature in the area. 

1. St Ives, Cornwall 

St Ives, which lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne, used to be commercially dependent on fishing.

The decline in fishing caused a shift in commercial emphasis and the town became the beloved seaside resort it is today.

It was named Best UK Seaside Town in 2010 and 2011.  

2. Skipton, North Yorkshire 

The name of Skipton, which means ‘sheep-town’ in an old northern dialect, was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. 

It is situated in the Craven district of North Yorkshire on the River Aire, and was an important site during the English Civil War.

The town was also the site of a PoW camp during World War One.  

3. Leamington Spa, Warwickshire 

Leamington Spa grew into a town in the 18th Century following the growing popularity of its water, which was renowned for its medicinal qualities.

The town experienced a rapid expansion during the Industrial Revolution, and is littered with gorgeous Regency architecture. 

The town is named after the River Leam, which flows through the town. 

4. Llandrindod Wells, Powys 

Llandrindod is the fifth largest town in Powys, and developed as a spa town in the 19th Century before booming as a centre of local government in the 20th.

It was the place of the election of the first Archbishop of Wales, and it continues to maintain a profile in the world of motorsport.

Like Skipton, Llandrindod was an important site during the world wars, as soldiers were trained and military hospitals were set up to treat the wounded.

5. Perth, Perthshire

Perth, in central Scotland, has been known as The Fair City since the publication of the story Fair Maid of Perth by Sir Walter Scott in 1828.

During the later medieval period, the city was also known as St John’s Toun or Saint Johnstoun, in reference to its main church, dedicated to St John the Baptist.

The name is preserved by the city’s football club, St Johnstone FC. 

6. Kendal, Cumbria

Kendal is mostly known today as a centre for tourism, the home of Kendal mint cake, and a producer of pipe tobacco and snuff.

It is a chartered market town with the third biggest population in Cumbria (28,586, according to the 2011 census), after Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness.

Kendal is home to several exhibits, including Kendal Museum (one of the oldest in the country), Kendal Castle and Abbot Hall Art Gallery. 

7. Straford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire 

Stratford-upon-Avon originally inhabited by Anglo-Saxons and remained a village before John of Coutances set out plans to develop it into a town in 1196. 

In that same year, Stratford was granted a charter to hold a weekly market in the town, giving it its status as a market town which led to an increase in trade and commerce as well as urban expansion. 

It is a popular tourist destination as the birthplace and gravesite of William Shakespeare, and receives approximately 2.5 million visitors a year. 

8. Dorchester, Dorset 

Dorchester, in Dorset, was first settled in prehistoric times, and a Roman garrison was established there after defeating local tribes.

After the Romans left, the town diminished in importance, but it became a major commercial and political centre during the Middle Ages.  

It was the site of the ‘Bloody Assizes’ presided over by Judge Jeffreys after the Monmouth Rebellion, and later the trial of the Tolpuddle Martyrs.

9. Harrogate, North Yorkshire 

Harrogate, a spa town in North Yorkshire, grew out of two smaller settlements, High Harrogate and Low Harrogate, in the 17th Century.

The town became known as ‘The English Spa’ in the Georgian era, and is renowned for its spa water, which contains iron, sulphur and common salt. 

In the 18th Century its ‘chalybeate’ waters were a popular health treatment, and the influx of wealthy but sickly visitors contributed to its wealth.

10. Richmond-upon-Thames, London 

Richmond in south-west London, was founded following Henry VII’s building of Richmond Palace in the 16th Century. 

It was formerly part of the ancient parish of Kingston upon Thames in Surrey, but became part of London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in 1965. 

Richmond is packed with shops, restaurants and cafes, accommodation for families and offices for companies both local and national.