Bristol named best place to live in Britain in 2017
Bristol has topped the list of the "best places to live in Britain" in a new guide for 2017.
The city has been named as the UK's most desirable location in the Sunday Times Best Places to Live Guide. Described as "a small city that feels like a big city", it was praised for being "handily placed for seaside and scenery" but "hardly cut off". Regional winners included Frome in Somerset, Peckham in London and Ballycastle in Northern Ireland. The annual guide, which combines data such as crime rates, house prices and school performance, said the city had faced "stiff competition" from London and other major UK destinations But it said, with lots of "glamorous, creative, hi-tech and professional" jobs on offer and "great" food and drink - the city "crams in all the culture you could wish for". Take the test: Where in Britain would you be happiest? Research shows the better you fit into the personality of your area, the happier you are. Take the test to find the best place in Britain for you Sunday Times home editor Helen Davies, said: "The city is a worthy winner thanks to its ideal combination of extraordinary culture, impressive schools, buzzing culinary scene, exciting redevelopment and community spirit. "We sum the city up as cool, classy and supremely creative." Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, said he was "chuffed" the city had been recognised. "Pinpointing what makes Bristol special isn't easy," he said. "It's a combination of many things from the people to the place itself, but at the heart of it is our cultural diversity and independent spirit." Regional winners: East: Woodbridge in Suffolk London: Peckham Midlands: Shipston-on-Stour in Warwickshire North and North East: Newcastle Quayside in Tyne and Wear Northern Ireland: Ballycastle in County Antrim North West: Knutsford in Cheshire Scotland: North Berwick South East: Wadhurst in East Sussex South West: Frome in Somerset Wales: Cowbridge