‘Happiest towns’ are in the West
Pretty Cornish resort is best place to live, says survey – despite deep housing crisis
TWO towns in Cornwall are among the top 20 happiest places to live in Britain, with one of them – St Ives – crowned the most cheerful of all.
Despite the West Cornwall resort’s reputation as a second homes honey pot and the difficulty local people face in buying or renting a place to live, St Ives has snatched the crown from last year’s winner, Hexham, in Northumberland.
Falmouth – which has come in for criticism for the closure of its Ships and Castles leisure centre and the influx of students who have an impact on housing – took 12th spot in the survey. No towns in Devon, Dorset or Somerset feature in the top 20.
St Ives and Hexham have alternated for first place in the survey conducted by Rightmove since 2019. Hexham was placed fourth in this year’s study.
More than 21,000 people responded to Rightmove’s Happy at Home Index, which asks residents how they feel about where they live.
Locations are ranked based on factors such as whether people feel there is a sense of belonging, the proximity to green spaces, local amenities and whether there is a community spirit.
The residents of St Ives scored the area highly for its sense of community spirit, the sense of belonging the residents have, and how comfortable residents feel to be themselves, Rightmove said.
However, the typical house price in St Ives has increased significantly and inquiries to buy a home in Cornwall are 9% higher than 2019, Rightmove found.
The average asking price for a home in St Ives is £523,731, which is 6% higher than last year when it was £492,870. This is significantly higher than the average asking price across Britain of £366,999.
Paul Le Bas, sales business development manager at Millerson sales and letting agents in St Ives said: “The coastal walks are second to none.
“From Porthminster round to Clodgy, the views are stunning as you look out over the turquoise seas.”
Galashiels, in the Scottish Borders, is second in this year’s list, and the market town of Woodbridge, in Suffolk, is third.
Residents of Galashiels scored it particularly highly on the friendliness and politeness of the people – scoring top for this across Britain, Rightmove said.
Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s director of property science, said: “This year’s Happy at Home survey really shows that the things that make people happy to live in their area are not so much the physical aspects of that area but more the personal aspects, such as our sense of belonging, the community and the people.
“The last few months have undoubtedly been difficult for many, and as we learned during another difficult period in 2020, this is often when we look to our local area and community for support and happiness.”