The happiest places to live in the UK have been found in an annual study ranking towns and cities in the UK.

The report by Rightmove asks over 35,000 of people across the country how they feel about where they live with factors like community spirit, friendliness, and access to essential services playing a key role in the rankings.

At the top is Woodbridge in Suffolk, where residents felt they could be themselves, while at second was Richmond upon Thames - last year’s winner - and in third place was Hexham in the north east.

Swindon ranked 92 nationally, much higher than bottom-ranked town Slough, which hit rock bottom at 220.

Across the south west Swindon was ranked 11 - exactly mid-table. At the bottom was Taunton, with a national rank of 157, while Cirencester was top at 9 nationally.

However, Swindon much cheaper than many of the others on the list, with Rightmove’s rival, Zoopla, naming it as the ninth cheapest place to buy a home in the south west.

The media house value is £276,390. Zoopla wrote in January: “Swindon’s humble roots mean it’s never quite seen as a Cotswolds town, despite sitting just 10 miles from the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“But it’s a town on the rise, offering good schooling, mod-cons and proximity to both major cities and beautiful countryside.

“Swindon’s main appeal lies in its affordability and connectivity, with lower house prices than nearby hotspots like Bristol, Newbury and Reading. It sits just off the M4 with a mainline train station that runs to both Bristol and London Paddington in under an hour.

“For these reasons, many former city dwellers are seeing Swindon as a well-connected compromise where they can afford to get on the property ladder.”

Full south west rankings, with regional and national rank:

  • Cirencester - 1 - 9
  • St Ives - 2 - 23
  • Dorchester - 3 - 26
  • Weymouth - 4 - 33
  • Cheltenham - 5 - 43
  • Poole - 6 - 57
  • Truro - 7 - 73
  • Bath - 8 - 76
  • Exeter - 9 - 82
  • Bristol - 10 - 84
  • Swindon - 11 - 92
  • Barnstaple - 12 - 97
  • Gloucester - 13 - 98
  • Bournemouth - 14 - 108
  • Plymouth - 15 - 120
  • Salisbury - 16 - 126
  • Falmouth - 17 - 128
  • Weston Super Mare - 18 - 131
  • Torquay - 19 - 152
  • Yeovil - 20 - 156
  • Taunton - 21 - 157

Rightmove said its study indicates that, overall, residents in Scotland, Wales and the South West are most happy with where they live, while those in the East and West Midlands are the least happy.

The Gen-Z generation (18 to 24-year-olds) were the most likely to say that they thought they would be happier living in a different area, while those aged 55-plus were the least likely.

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.”

Rightmove’s 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.

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