Yopa announces this year's Top 10 places to raise a family with its in-depth Happy Family Home Guide.
Friday 20th March is International Happiness Day, and full-service estate agency Yopa has marked the occasion by launching its 2020 Happy Family Home Guide.
Richmond-upon-Thames tops the 2020 list despite having one of the highest average house prices in the country, thanks to its Outstanding schools, low crime rate, high average salary and low levels of drug and alcohol use.
Richmond also has the lowest level of obesity among all 200+ towns and cities analysed by Yopa.
The Happy Family Home Guide is a free tool created by Yopa to help Brits identify the best places to live with children.
The Top 10 is dominated by the South East - predominantly London commuter towns - with Sale in Manchester the only Northern town on the list.
Happy Family Home Guide - Top 10 areas
- Richmond-upon-Thames, Greater London
- Walton-on-Thames, Surrey
- Brentwood, Essex
- Kingston-upon-Thames, Greater London
- Eastleigh, Hampshire
- Sale, Greater Manchester
- Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
- Hounslow, Greater London
- Bexley, Greater London
- St Albans, Hertfordshire
Analysis of a number of economic and quality of life metrics - including proximity to schools rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, average local salaries, pollution levels, crime rates, drug and alcohol use, road safety, obesity levels and job opportunities - determined the rankings.
Yopa's Chief Property Analyst Mike Scott said:
"Our home is typically our most important and expensive purchase, so it's vital we consider a variety of factors before deciding where to base the family. Everyone will have a different set of move motivators when it comes to choosing an area in which to look for a new home; the health-conscious may look for low levels of pollution and access to plenty of green spaces, whilst others prioritise top schools, or low crime rates.
"Deciding where to move can be difficult and time-consuming, so we've decided to take some of the stress and worry out of this with our comprehensive, easy-to-use Happy Family Home Guide. Our tool could even help families find their next home in an area they might not have yet considered."