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Best Places to Live 2020

Happiness begins at home. Find your perfect community with our pick of the best towns, villages, cities and suburbs

In association with

In association with Habito
Best Places to Live 2020

Start your search

Did your neighbourhood make the cut?

Expert advice

Find what you’re looking for and make it work for you

Overall winner

Altrincham

Greater Manchester

This thriving town has made a top turnaround, with a market that’s beyond compare

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Regional winners

Whether you're after cutting-edge cool, seaside sophistication or a welcoming pub hearth, these locations are the cream of the crop

    Best in the East

    Norwich

    Norfolk

    A small city that’s bursting with history and ahead of the game on fun, friendliness and creativity

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    Best in London

    Victoria Park

    London

    Our pick in the capital is the friendly face of hip Hackney. A tight-knit community and (almost) affordable houses are a bonus in London, but it’s the park that's the star

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    Best in the Midlands

    Uppingham

    Rutland

    Our Midlands winner is a big-hearted small town with its feet firmly on the fertile Rutland soil

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    Best in the North and Northeast

    Howardian Hills

    North Yorkshire

    Old-fashioned but never boring, the mellow stone villages in this lush, rolling landscape are the pinnacle of smart country living

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    Best in Northern Ireland

    Ballycastle

    Co Antrim

    With unbeatable local produce and a magical market, this friendly, foodie harbour town on the rugged Antrim coast deservedly reclaims its crown

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    Best in the Northwest

    Bollington

    Cheshire

    Raise a glass to Bolly, the modest Cheshire mill town that’s our best in the northwest

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    Best in Scotland

    Edinburgh: Leith

    Edinburgh

    With a start-up in every warehouse and a community space on every corner, this old docklands district puts the rest of the city to shame

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    Best in the Southeast

    St Albans

    Hertfordshire

    Independent shops, bustling markets, a pub culture that’s second to none: just some of the reasons to get the abbey habit in our regional champion

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    Best in the Southwest

    Cheltenham

    Gloucestershire

    You’re never far from a festival in this Cotswold spa town, but it’s the shops, schools and countryside that make it our pick of the southwest

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    Best in Wales

    Narberth

    Pembrokeshire

    The warmest of welcomes and a high-class high street make this Pembrokeshire market town our winning Welsh location

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Regions

Britain is blessed with a wealth of cool cities, thriving market towns, lively villages and charming suburbs — but did your neighbourhood make the cut?

    Southeast

    It’s all about commuter science in affluent towns such as St Albans and Guildford, where impeccable connections and super schools are at the top of the (luxe) shopping list

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    London

    One man’s Mayfair is another man’s Croydon. Our capital picks range from cool hangouts in Hackney and Peckham to family-friendly suburbia in Wimbledon and Muswell Hill

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    Midlands

    It’s city v country in the heart of England, with fast-improving newcomers Nottingham, Coventry and Birmingham competing with traditional market towns and unspoilt villages

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    Southwest

    There’s something for everyone here, from thrilling coast and countryside to buzzing cities and thriving towns — all with a lively independent streak

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    Northern Ireland

    From Ballycastle to Dundrum, we do like to be beside the seaside in a province that’s hard to beat for value, scenery and the warmth of the welcome

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    Scotland

    It’s all about schools, scenery and up-and-coming cities. With no room for central Edinburgh, the cutting edge comes from Leith and Dundee, and the eye candy from everywhere else

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    East

    Hop on the Essex express. There’s both value and charm to be found in the commuter belt — though the top prize goes to Norwich

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    Northwest

    Move over Manc-hattan, hello Levenshulme. We've picked the buzziest city hotspots and the cosiest countryside corners

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    North and Northeast

    Business is booming — and we make no apology for picking the poshest postcodes in the north, from the Howardian Hills and Beverley to Tynemouth and Corbridge

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    Wales

    South trumps north this year, but it’s the coast that’s king in a selection rich with seaside suburbs and salty holiday hideaways

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Best Places to Live 2020In association with Habito