The survey, which covers April 2016 to March 2017, asked questions designed to estimate “life satisfaction, whether you feel the things you do in life are worthwhile, happiness and anxiety.” British media outlets placed Craven top after crunching the numbers.

Among the happy Skipton residents is Sebastian Fattorini, though his reasons for contentment include the fact that he lives in a medieval fortress. Mr. Fattorini’s grandfather bought and restored Skipton Castle at a time when it might have been turned into a theme park.

On a tour of the fortifications, which are among the best preserved in Britain, Mr. Fattorini pointed to what he calls the “new” or “modern” parts of the structure. They were added in the 16th century.

Mr. Fattorini, who has an official title of Lord of the Honor of Skipton, has to think hard before he can say how many rooms there are in the castle’s private area. He eventually counts 11. But he does know that only a couple are heated, and that to warm the rest, “you’d need a nuclear power station.”

That’s not to say that living in Skipton was easy to start with for Mr. Fattorini, who moved from London in 1998.

“People are a lot straighter, more blunt,” he said. “You’re not quite sure whether they are being friendly, then you realize they are being extremely friendly.” Now he loves the place, noting that people have time for one another, and that “if you died in your flat someone would notice.”