Four Greater Manchester towns have been named in an annual list of the top 50 "most desirable" places in Britain. In new research commissioned by The Telegraph, towns were ranked for being the most affluent using census data like the proportion of residents holding managerial jobs, the state of their health and costs of buying a house.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the majority of towns listed are in the South East. But two Greater Manchester towns make the top 20 - both in Trafford - while being likened to posh London boroughs.
Footballer-favourite Hale is placed at number 6 in the list - "the first that is not part of the commuter belt around London," says The Telegraph report. It adds: "This leafy suburb has been likened to Chiswick - fancy and family-friendly."
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Meanwhile Altrincham comes in at number 19 on the list, which the Telegraph describes as a "mini-Dulwich". Jamie Carter of estate Savills, who conducted the research says of Altrincham: "It has it all: Some of the best schools in the North West and a great high street with a bustling food hall".
Locations on the list are described as "aspirational, affluent places that attract incoming wealth with good schools and a good quality of housing stock." That means you're also going to need plenty of money to live in them.
The average house price for Hale is listed as £699,999 in the study. Whereas Altrincham's average house price is said to be £425,250.
The Telegraph has published a full top 50 list which also includes entries for two Stockport towns. Cheadle Hulme is one of the biggest climbers - moving up from 43 last year to now be ranked at 26 while Bramhall follows closely behind at 29.
Meanwhile Cheshire towns have also nabbed a clutch of spots for the north west - with Lymm at 22, Wilmslow at 23, Knutsford at 35 and Poynton just making the list at 46.
The top five towns on the list are all in the South East - with Harpenden in Hertfordshire claiming the top spot and where average house prices are an eye-watering £766,000. The town is 25 miles north of London and is said to attract lots of families thanks to "every club or class imaginable" available in the area.
Britain's 20 most desirable towns list
- Harpenden, Hertfordshire
- Cobham, Surrey
- Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
- Chorleywood, Bukcinghamshire
- Amersham, Buckinghamshire
- Hale, Trafford
- Esher, Surrey
- Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire
- Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
- St Albans, Hertfordshire
- Virginia Water, Surrey
- Sevenoaks, Kent
- West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire
- Ashtead, Surrey
- Farnham, Surrey
- Cambridge,
- Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
- North Ascot, Berkshire
- Altrincham, Greater Manchester
- Weybridge, Surrey
