It was the highest-ranking location in the North West
Altrincham has been named one of the happiest places to live in the country, according to data from Rightmove(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
A list of the happiest places to live has been released and a market town in Greater Manchester has been included in the top ten. Altrincham ranked sixth in the list published by property website Rightmove.
Located in Trafford and a stone’s throw away from Cheshire, Altrincham has long been a desirable place to live that’s to its surrounding greenery, excellent transport links and walkable town centre. Now it’s been found to be one of the happiest.
Rightmove asked thousands of residents across over 200 areas of Greater Manchester how they feel about their area, from the friendliness of the people to the access to employment opportunities. The study also asked residents to share how happy they feel about where they live.
Skipton in Yorkshire topped the list, while Richmond-upon-Thames in London came in second. Camden in North London came third. Altrincham was the highest-ranking place in the North West in the list, followed by Macclesfield which ranked in seventh place.
The town was the highest to rank in the top ten from the North West (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
However the cost of happiness comes at a price. According to Rightmove the average house asking price for a property in Altrincham is £643,244, while the average asking rent per calendar month is £2,968.
It’s not the first time the town has been recognised for being a great place to live. In both 2020 and 2021 it was named the best place to live in the North West by the Sunday Times’ Best Places to live guide for two years in a row. This year it was also named one of the best places in Greater Manchester to raise a family.
Looking more broadly at the results from Rightmove, on average residents in the South West are the happiest with where they live, and those in the East Midlands are least happy. However, the margins are small, and overall more people across Great Britain are happy than unhappy with where they live.
Altrincham ranked sixth in the top ten (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Of those that think they’d be happier living in a different area, the South West is the most popular destination to want to move to. As well as the various societal factors which make someone feel happy with where they live, trends emerged around the type of location that is most likely to make someone feel happy.
Those who lived in a rural location were more likely to say they felt happy where they lived than urban and suburban dwellers. Riverside, woodland or coastal locations were also more likely to have happy residents. The study also revealed that residents who live close to a national park, or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are happier on average than those who don’t.
The research highlighted how being happy with where you live tends to increase with age. Residents aged 18-24 were the least likely to say they felt happy where they live. Happiness then increases through the age brackets, with those aged 65 and over the most likely to feel happy where they live.
The happiest places to live in Great Britain
- Skipton, Yorkshire and the Humber, £326,093, £1,038
- Richmond upon Thames, London, £942,522, £3,189
- Camden, London, £1,036,768, £3,523
- Harrogate, Yorkshire and the Humber, £394,355, £1,535
- Woodbridge, East of England, £462,734, £1,309
- Altrincham, North West, £643,244, £2,968
- Macclesfield, North West, £344,807, £1,407
- Stirling, Scotland, £226,547, £1,208
- Cirencester, South West, £472,990, £1,975
- Hexham, North East, £331,198, £967
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