If you’re looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the Birmingham city centre but still want to remain within easy reach of all the work and leisure opportunities it offers, consider a home in the happiest towns and villages in and around the city.
There are a range of options including hip and upcoming suburbs popular with families, quaint rustic villages, luscious locations full of green spaces and areas with thriving independent scenes - so the decision can be a tough one.
That’s where we come in. Barrows and Forrester have helped us to combine house price data around Birmingham with local authority scores in the National Happiness Index compiled by the Office for National Statistics.
The results have revealed a series of postcodes in and around Birmingham that are deemed the happiest and most desirable places to live, based on an overall ‘life satisfaction’ score.
Below are the top ten ranked places to live in and around Birmingham. For anyone thinking of selling up and moving out, we’ve also included how much property is likely to set you back there:
1. Bournville Village Green
Bournville is known as the home of Cadbury chocolates. The Bournville Village Trust still manages the estate. Living in Bournville is like living in a lovely village in the middle of the city and having access to the best of both worlds. The average house price here is £235,865 and the happiness index score is 7.32. | Elliott Brown CC BY 2.0
2. Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield with its huge 2,400 acre park and golf courses is the perfect place to live in if you want peace and access to modern-day pleasures as well. The average price of homes here is £340,760 and it has a happiness index score of 7.32. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) | Getty Images
3. Edgbaston, Birmingham
Edgbaston with its leafy roads, multiple eateries, and amazing homes and schools is a great place to live. Their best kept secret: It “is home to the oldest lawn tennis club in the world, founded in 1860 and known as Edgbaston Archery and Lawn Tennis Society.” The average price here is £256,970 and it has a happiness index score of 7.32. (Photo - Roger Kidd / New winding hole and The Vale Bridge, Edgbaston, Birmingham / CC BY-SA 2.0) | Roger Kidd / New winding hole and The Vale Bridge, Edgbaston, Birmingham / CC BY-SA 2.0
4. Moseley, Birmingham
Moseley has a lively high street, good pubs and cafes, and is near to parks like Cannon Hill - which has its own Arts centre. The average home price here is £230,539 and it has a happiness index score of 7.32. (Photo - Google Maps) | google maps