Where do you think is the happiest place to live in England is? Apparently, it’s the area around Windsor and Maidenhead, home to the Queen, James Blunt, Elton John – and now Kate and Wills. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are making the move in September when the royal children go back to school.
And clearly they’ve chosen wisely. The area was named the happiest in a study from care firm Guardian Carers which analysed more than 300 local authority areas in England based on key factors that contribute to all-round happiness. These included access to green space, wellbeing levels and income, and were combined to come up with an official ‘happiness score’.
Windsor and Maidenhead came out on top due to the low number of suicides and the 13th lowest unemployment rate (at 3.6 percent). This area also has the highest average combined size of parks, public gardens and playing fields.
Second was Salisbury in Wiltshire, followed by Rutland. The fourth happiest area in the UK is the Hertfordshire town of Broxbourne, just ahead of Runnymede in the county of Surrey, while Tandridge (also in Surrey) came sixth.
Kingston-upon-Thames in London ranks as the seventh happiest area in the England, followed by Rochford in Essex and Wokingham in Berkshire. At the other end of the charts, Boston was named the unhappiest area in the UK, having the fourth lowest median income in England (at £24,655). The area also has the 12th highest number of working hours.
Something to think about next time you’re planning a move (if you can afford it right now).
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