The Greater Manchester areas named among the happiest places to live in the UK

What are the happiest places to live in the UK?

Each year Rightmove ask thousands of people across Great Britain how they feel about where they live, and this year’s Happy at Home study was completed by over 26,000 residents.

The survey asks residents how they feel about their area based on 13 happiness factors. These include things like the club-together community spirit of a local area, having green space on the doorstep, or the sense of belonging in a local community.  

Where’s the happiest place to live in Greater Manchester?

We can reveal that nine (yes, 9) areas across Greater Manchester including Altrincham, Bury, Stockport, Salford, City of Manchester, Bolton, Wigan, Rochdale and Oldham were named among the happiest places to live in the UK.

The good news is Bolton, the home of Peter Kay and Paddy McGuinness, is one of the most affordable areas to buy a home. The town of Farnworth is the cheapest part of the metropolitan borough, where you can buy a house somewhere in the region of £151,959.

So, what contributes to making a place happy?

Now in its 12th year, the study helps us understand what really makes the residents of some areas happier than others, as well as the things that make a place feel like home.

While amenities like shops and restaurants, and facilities like doctors and schools are important, they aren’t necessarily the things that contribute the most strongly to people feeling happy about living in an area.

The results of this year’s study showed that the most important contributors to happiness were feeling a sense of pride, belonging and community. A place where people can really be themselves.

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.

You can see the full study here