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:
5. Knowle in Solihull
Knowle is a large village in Solihull and is home to some of the most expensive homes near Birmingham. It’s great for those who want to live a quiet life. The average house price here is £515,000 and the happiness index score is 7.37. (Photo - Google Maps) | Google Streetview
6. Hampton-in-Arden, Solihull
This is a village and civil parish located in the Forest of Arden in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. It has beautiful homes, large open spaces, lakes, cafes and some of the best restaurants at the Hampton manor. The average house price here is ££275,900 and the happiness index score is 7.37. (Photo - wikimedia commons/Colin Craig / Estate cottages / CC BY-SA 2.0) | wikimedia commons/Colin Craig / Estate cottages / CC BY-SA 2.0
7. Tanworth-in-Arden, Stratford-on-Avon
It is a parish council within Stratford-on-Avon District Council which has beautiful homes and lots of greenery. It is a small village but also a historically rich area. It has a happiness index score of 7.61 and the average house price is £569,728. (Photo - Wikimedia Commons/Ian Rob) | Ian Rob
8. Henley-in-Arden, Stratford-on-Avon
It is one of the prettiest towns in England with a mile-long High Street with medieval, Victorian, Georgian and Tudor architecture. The average house price here is £408,700 and the happiness index score is 7.61. (Photo - Poliphilo/wikimedia commons) | Poliphilo/wikimedia commons