Revealed: How Harrogate fared in The Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide
The Sunday Times has revealed the best places to live in the North but Harrogate has lost out to a traditional Yorkshire rival.
In total, 72 places across the UK were selected for The Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide to the best of Britain.
Published online today, Friday at https://www.thetimes.com/best-places-to-live with an abridged version appearing as a magazine supplement on Sunday, March 22, the new annual list puts Skipton in the number one spot as the best place to live in the North and Northeast of England.
It’s a blow for Harrogate which has failed to hit the top spot in the The Sunday Times since 2016 when was it judged the town to be the best place to live in Yorkshire and the North East.
Since then it has been recognised elsewhere; in 2022 it was voted the sixth happiest place to live in the UK in a survey conducted by Rightmove.
In the same year, the Sunday Times chose another of Harrogate’s great rivals, Ilkley as the best in the North, though Harrogate did, at least, return to the top ten Best Places To Live in the UK for its region.
This year’s Sunday Times guide includes eight locations in the North and Northeast.
Skipton
Howardian Hills
Leeds city centre
Morpeth
Newcastle: Gosforth
Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire
York
The Sunday Times’ judges visited every location and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street.
They described Skipton as “properly grounded and strongly connected to the spectacular surrounding landscape, a place where traditional businesses thrive and families are drawn by excellent schools and affordable property prices. "
Norfolk was named the UK’s overall winner.
Helen Davies, the Sunday Times Best Places to Live editor, said: “This guide is full of places that show that our village, town and city centres can still be full of life, as well as places bursting with natural beauty, culture and a sense of community.”
All qualities Harrogate might argue it has in abundance.
Information: https://www.thetimes.com/best-places-to-live