A North East market town has ranked among the happiest places to live in Britain for 2024, according to new data from Rightmove.

The study, now in its 13th year, was completed by more than 35,000 people across Britain, with residents being asked how they feel about their area.

Residents expressed opinions on topics such as how proud they feel about where they live, their sense of belonging, community spirit, whether they can be themselves, whether they can earn enough to live comfortably in their area, public transport, sports and recreation, green spaces and artistic and cultural activities.

Woodbridge in Suffolk has topped an annual list of the 20 happiest places to live in Britain for the first time.

Meanwhile, Monmouth was crowned the happiest place to live in Wales, while Stirling came top in Scotland.

But where did one town in the North East rank? Let’s take a look.

North East town among happiest place to live in Britain

It was Hexham in Northumberland which claimed third place in Rightmove’s annual happiest places to live list this year.

The data also revealed the town has an average asking price for a home of £313,147 and an average asking rent per month of £840.

Hexham (a previous winner), was closely followed by Harrogate and Skipton in North Yorkshire, ranked in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

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Happiest places to live in the North East revealed

Elsewhere, the property experts also shared the regional rankings in the study.

The happiest places to live in the North East are:

  1. Hexham (3 - overall ranking across Britain)
  2. Newcastle upon Tyne (59)
  3. Darlington (90)
  4. Sunderland (143)
  5. Durham (150)

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Additionally, Rightmove’s research also indicated that the type of environment that made residents most happy was a rural location by woodland or a forest, or being near a National Park or National Landscape.

The analysis found that feeling proud to live in an area was the biggest driver of overall satisfaction with a home and community out of the factors it looked at, while living near to family and friends was the smallest driver.

Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s property expert, said: “It’s the younger generation who are most likely to say they would be happier living somewhere else, many of whom have to travel to cities for education or to find their first jobs.”