They say happiness is a place called home, but according to research by Rightmove you’ll have a happier home if you live in certain destinations.
The online property portal has issued its latest Happy at Home study with the help of 26,000 respondents from across the country.
For the whole of the London borough of Richmond upon Thames was crowned the happiest place to live by those that live there. It’s the first time an area in the capital has taken the top spot. The city of Winchester in Hampshire came second and Monmouth in Wales was third.
Nowhere in the West Midlands ranked in the top ten spots. But Rightmove has also drilled down to list the happiest places across each UK region.
There are 17 ‘happiest’ towns listed for the West Midlands - and our beloved Birmingham only ranks at number 16, which we think is unfair because, as we know, Birmingham is brilliant. We’ve got the youngest population in Europe, we attract some of the biggest businesses in the world and us Brummies are some of the most friendly folk you are ever likely to meet. Surely we should be ranking higher than Telford, Stoke on Trent and others?
Rightmove has explained how they pulled the study together, saying: “The results of this year’s study showed that the most important contributors to happiness were feeling a sense of pride, belonging and community.
“Access to green space and nature is also important to residents, with those living in a rural area near a national park, or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, more likely to feel happy where they live.”
Here’s the full list of the 17 happiest cities and towns in the West Midlands, according to Rightmove from top to bottom:
1. Stourbridge
2. Leamington Spa
3. Worcester
4. Hereford