The happiest place to live in Britain: Harrogate takes top spot for second year in a row, but it's grim down south!



The picture sque North Yorkshire spa town of Harro gate has been crowned the 'happ iest place to live in Britain' in a satisfaction study that proves it's actually grim down south.

Northern and Scottish towns and cities dominated a survey of almost 50,000 people by property website Rightmove that asked people how content they are where they live, with Stockport, Preston, Hull, Inverness and Falkirk also featuring highly.

And all ten of the worst scoring locations, fighting it out for the uneviable title of 'unhappiest place to live in Britain', were found in London - with east Londoners the least satisfied with their homes.

Popular: The famous Betty's Tea Room cafe in Harrogate, which has been named the happiest place to live in a Right Move survey.

With its grand hotels, bustling tea rooms and its well-preserved Victorian heritage, Harrogate, which finished top for the second year in a row, scored highly for its safety, sense of neighbourliness, and recreation among residents.

East Londoners meanwhile ranked their area bottom for neighbourliness and were also least satisfied with their home decoration, while Croydon residents voted their area as the least safe place to live.



THE HAPPIEST PLACES TO LIVE

1. Harrogate, Yorkshire and the Humber

2. Inverness, Scotland

3. Taunton, South West

4. Stockport, North West

5. Falkirk, Scotland

6. Norwich, East Anglia

7. Hull, Yorkshire and the Humber

8. Preston, North West

9. Truro, South West

10. Telford, West Midlands

The only Southern places to make it into the top 10 were Truro, in Cornwall, and Taunton, in Somerset, though the commuter belt towns of St Albans and Guildford did finish 12th and 13th respectively.

The top ten was rounded out by Telford, West Midlands, and Norwich, East Anglia.

The survey has thrown up a number of results that turn stereotypes on their head, with Oxford and Cambridge only ranking at 44th and 59th respectively, below Newport in South Wales (42nd) and much-maligned Middlesbrough (39th).

Residents of Glasgow meanwhile are happier with their lot than their fellow Scots in Edinburgh, finishing 53rd compared to the capital's lowly 78th.

The survey asked people how proud they are of their home, whether they are satisfied with how it is decorated, how safe they feel in their community, whether they have enough living space, how friendly the neighbours are and whether they worry about the value of their property.

Unsatisfied: Places like East London (left) and Croydon (right) ranked towards the bottom of the survey.



Happier: Middlesbrough (left) ranked 39th in the RightMove survey, ahead of Cambridge, which finished 59th.



London locations ranked the worst in spite of the rocketing house prices that has seen the average price tag hit £459,000. Harrogate is also no slouch in this department, with its £309,000 average price well above the national average, but residents found overall quality of life to be much better.



Councillor Michael Newby, Mayor of the Borough of Harrogate, welcomed the findings, saying: 'The district has some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK, if not in Europe and beyond.

'There is also a great community feel, which certainly makes life a lot happier for many people.'

THE UNHAPPIEST PLACES TO LIVE

1. East London

2. Ilford, London,

3. Croydon, London

4. East Central London

5. Twickenham, London

6. Enfield, London

7. North London

8. Harrow, London

9. South East London

10. West London

The survey also found that people living in Kirkcaldy in Fife feel they have the most space to live in comfortably, while those living in West Central London feel they have the least.

Rightmove said that someone living in the Kirkcaldy area could buy a six-bedroom house with eight acres of land for less than £800,000, but in West Central London this amount of money would only stretch to buy a one-bedroom flat.

Meanwhile, people living in Preston, Lancashire were found to take the greatest pride in their home. Nottingham home owners were found to be least worried about the value of their property, and people living in Hereford were the most likely to say they are contented with in their current property rather than moving somewhere else.

Residents living in Blackburn, Lancashire were the most likely to say they choose to spend money on their home even if they do not have to.