The Happiest Places To Live In The South West Have Been Revealed

So the happiest places to live in Great Britain have been revealed, but there’s not much room for the South West. Right Move’s annual Happy at Home Index surveyed over 35,000 people across Great Britain to find out what they love (and don’t love) about where they live – with Suffolk’s Woodbridge coming out on top.

Elsewhere in the list was Richmond upon Thames (2nd) in Greater London, Hexham (3rd) in the North East, Monmouth (4th) in Wales, and Harrogate (5th) in Yorkshire. The only spot in the South West to crack the top 20, however, was Cirencester – with the Gloucestershire market town, sometimes known as the Capital of the Cotswolds, coming in 9th.

Now in its 13th year, the survey measures how residents feel about their local area across 15 key happiness factors. These range from the sense of togetherness within the community and access to green spaces, to the feeling of belonging that a place fosters and practical things, like nearby schools, doctors, and shops.

“There are some interesting trends revealed by this year’s study, such as how those who live in a rural location are more likely to be happy than urban dwellers, who often live in busy cities,” said property expert, Tim Bannister. “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.”

What about Bristol?

Despite lower rankings for individual locations, surprisingly, people living in the South West of England (along with those in Scotland and Wales) were the happiest overall, according to Right Move. Looking deeper into the happiest places to live in the South West, we can see a mix of market and coastal towns and major cities.

Bristol, the biggest city in the South West, finished only 8th (and 76th nationally). Quite an underwhelming position after being crowned the happiest city in the UK earlier this year. It lost out to Cheltenham in 5th (43rd) and Bath in 8th (76th), but ranked higher than Gloucester in 13th (98th) and Weston-super-Mare in 18th (131st)

The happiest places to live in the South West (national rank):

1. Cirencester (9)
2. St Ives (23)
3. Dorchester (26)
4. Weymouth (33)
5. Cheltenham (43)
6. Poole (57)
7. Truro (73)
8. Bath (76)
9. Exeter (82)
10. Bristol (84)
11. Swindon (92)
12. Barnstaple (97)
13. Gloucester (98)
14. Bournemouth (108)
15. Plymouth (120)
16. Salisbury (126)
17. Falmouth (128)
18. Weston Super Mare (131)
19. Torquay (152)
20. Yeovil (156)
21. Taunton (157)