This London borough has been named the UK’s happiest place to live

This is the first year that a London neighbourhood has topped the Rightmove Happy at Home index

Life in London can be stressful: we’ve got hectic jobs, booked-up social lives, and we have to travel around underground like mole people. But living in the capital can be pretty joyful too, thanks to our amazing cultural activities, endless places to get delicious grub and abundance of green spaces. To that end, one London borough has just been named the UK’s happiest to live. Take that, St Ives.

All those hipsters in east London might think they’ve got it figured out, with their natural wine bars and artisan coffee shops, but the borough in question is actually in west London. Drumroll, please... Richmond upon Thames has been crowned the happiest place to live in Great Britain in the Rightmove Happy at Home index.

Rightmove surveyed 26,000 people, asking them what makes them happy about their local area, with Winchester in Hampshire and Monmouth in Wales coming second and third, respectively.

The extremely affluent borough of Richmond, where the average house price is just under £1 million, is the first London neighbourhood to top the list. Richmond has consistently ranked well in the survey, but no London area has been able to claim the top spot in the 12 years the index has been running, until now.

The leafy area was lauded for its number of green spaces including two Royal parks, its proximity to Kew Gardens and its arty enclave Eel Pie Island. 

‘I’m delighted for Richmond to win this award,’ Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan told Evening Standard. ‘It has so much of what makes London so special – its access to beautiful green spaces, its real sense of community, and an array of shops, cafes and local culture that makes it stand out.’

Richmond is home to a number of celeb residents too, including David Attenborough, Brad Pitt, Mick Jagger and Holly Willoughby. But it’s also one of London’s least affordable areas to buy property.

Maybe we should all be moving to Richmond, but better get saving up first. 

This is London’s coolest neighbourhood, according to us. 

Plus: these are London’s top 10 secondary schools, according to the Sunday Times.

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