The Best of the Best Places to Live in the UK

The Best of the Best Places to Live in the UK Ever been confused by those "best places to live" lists? Best for who? Based on what criteria? Problem solved: here's a round-up of the 'best' of those "best lists. Read on to see where you should live whether you're looking for a job, planning your retirement, or starting a family, and much more.. The Best for Rural Living st nd Chiltern Buckinghamshire Uttlesford Essex Rutland East Midlands Halifax's Quality of Life Survey placed Rutland in the number one spot on account of more than 96% of residents reporting good or fairly good health, along with one of the country's lowest crime rates, high average earnings, and a population that is 'among the most happy, satisfied and content in Britain'. The Best for Urban Living ste rd Aberdeen Bath Aberdeenshire Somerset Moseley Birmingham The Sunday Times 2015 annual survey rated UK urban hotspots on their culture, nightlife and entertainment, as well as their proximity to good schools and transport links. Birmingham's 'leafy Moseley came out top on account of its abundance of independent restaurants and drinking spots, quality schools, and its proximity to Birmingham's city centre and the stunning Cannon Hill Park. The Best for Job Prospects st 3. nd Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire Cambridge Cambridgeshire London London is the unsurprising winner here - the number of businesses in the city has increased by a third since 2004, while in the same period the number of jobs has increased by 18%. Those deterred by London's cost of living might want to consider a move to Milton Keynes, where the number of jobs has increased by 16% in ten years. The Best for Living in a Big City st rd nd Belfast Bradford Northern Ireland West Yorkshire Cardiff Glamorgan MoneySupermarket analysed the UK's largest cities and Cardiff came out tops thanks to the city's low cost of living, high salaries, and high levels of life satisfaction. The Best for Enjoying Retirement st Tied between.. Buckinghamshire, North Somerset & Vale of Glamorgan Solihull West Midlands Dorset Dorset was rated the best place in the UK for retirees in Prudential's quality of retirement index due to local retired resident's good health and likelihood to own property, amongst other 'quality of life' factors such as their propensity to travel'. The Best for Value for Money st rd Merthyr Tydfil East Ayrshire South Wales Scotland Blaenau Gwent South Wales This data from Halifax is simply based on the cost per square foot of property, the cheapest of which can be found in the Welsh town of Blaenau Gwent where each square foot of home will set you back just £76.80. To put this into perspective, the most expensive square foot can be found in Kensington and Chelsea, where each one will cost you a whopping £1,008.36. The Best for Raising a Family st nd Wokingham Berkshire Faringdon Oxfordshire St Bees Cumbria A study by finance specialist Family Investment deemed Cumbrian village St Bees to be the best place in the UK for raising a family due to its low crime rate, high salaries, affordable property prices, and close knit community feel. The village is also home to a private school that boasts a 100% GCSE and A-Level pass rate for 2013/2014 The Best for Living by the Sea st 3. nd The Witterings Overstrand West Sussex Norfolk Rhossili South Gower The Times placed the Welsh village of Rhossili in their top spot for living by the sea thanks to its stunning three-mile golden beach (voted best in the UK and 9th in the world by TripAdvisor) and accessibility to the amenities of Wales's second largest city, Swansea. The Best for Cheap Properties st nd Southwick Sunderland Ferndale South Glamorgan North Ormesby Middlesbrough Rightmove revealed North Ormesby to be home to Britain's cheapest properties thanks to an average house price of just £57,480, while some properties are available for as little as £30,000. However, the area 'boasts' a decreasing population and unemployment rates that are three times the national average. The Best for Overall Quality of Life nd Elmbridge Surrey Winchester Hampshire Hart Hampshire Halifax's overall 'quality of life' top spot went to Hart in Hampshire as a result of the district boasting the UK's highest life expectancy (that's 83 years for men), alongside low crime rates, high employment rates and average incomes, as well as a very happy, satisfied, and content population. Brought to You By: ASPIRE www.aspire-doors.co.uk Sources: Wikipedia Images: Rutland Water by Kev747; Chilterns England Rolling Countryside by Gamekeeper, Cottages, Castle Street, Saffron Walden by Julian Osley; Aberdeen Harbour from Kirkwall Ferry by Bruce McAdam; Kings College, Chapel West by Andrew Dunn; Milton Keynes, Queen's Court by Cnyborg: Cardiff Harbour by Cardiff Harbour Authority, River Lagan, Belfast by Ardfern; Bradford City Town Hall by BradfordPal1; Durdle Door by Saffron Blaze via Flikr, Solihull Brueton Park by Adrian Bailey; Abertillery by Tylerian3; Hen Neuadd y Dref Merthyr by Robin Drayton; Dean Castle by Fraser Sutherland; St Bees South Head by Doug Sim; Market House, Faringdon by Jonathan Billinger, Rhossili in Autumn by Kevin Walsh; Beach at West Wittering by Peter Facey; Looking towards Cromer from Overstrand by Christine Matthews via geograph.org.uk; Halfway House, Southwick, Sunderland by Malc McDonald via geograph.org.uk; Ferndale, Rhondda Valley by Steve Chapple via geograph.org.uk; Elmbridge Brook, Elmbridge by Philip Halling via geograph.org.uk; The Square after snow, Winchester by Peter Facey via geograph.org.uk.