Curious to know where some of the best places to live are in the UK? Some towns and villages in North Yorkshire have been revealed by The Sunday Times.

The Sunday Times Best Places to Live 2024 guide sponsored by Halifax crowned Leeds as the winner in the North and North East of England.

But the likes of Skipton and the Yorkshire Wolds were also featured.

The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all the locations 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.

The chosen locations come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny Scottish island of Kerrera and the remote Welsh village of Presteigne to big, lively cities such as Belfast, Liverpool and London.

There are more new entries than ever before in this year’s guide and “no place for previous winners such as York and Bristol” - the judges looked for “improving locations with a strong sense of community rather than famous names with high house prices”.

The Sunday Times reveals best places to live in the North and North East England

As well as Leeds, seven other locations across Yorkshire and the North East have been featured in the comprehensive guide - you can see the full list here.

The full list of locations is as follows:

  • Leeds (winner)
  • Boston Spa, North Yorkshire 
  • Heaton, Newcastle 
  • Nether Edge, Sheffield 
  • Saltaire, West Yorkshire 
  • Skipton, North Yorkshire 
  • Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear 
  • Yorkshire Wolds  
@the.yorkshireman The gateway to the Yorkshire Dales 😍 Skipton 📍 #skipton #yorkshiredales #thingstodoinskipton #yorkshirelife #thingstodoinyorkshire ♬ original sound - T_Sm0ove

What did The Sunday Times say about these North Yorkshire towns and villages?

Boston Spa

“This handsome village on the banks of the River Wharfe may never have made it as a spa resort, but it has more than made up for it now.

“People now clamour to live in one of the beautiful, honey-coloured homes clustered around a thriving high street, which has buzzy restaurants and bars, upmarket shops and even a gin distillery.

“With sports clubs and a scarecrow trail, there’s community spirit aplenty as well as a secondary school that was rated outstanding in all areas when it was inspected last year.”

Skipton

“The 2014 Best Places to Live winner returns to the list, with this friendly market town providing families and active downsizers with everything they need for a happy life on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, including good pubs and restaurants, a smattering of culture and high-achieving schools.

@the.yorkshireman Visit the lesser known Yorkshire Wolds in East Yorkshire #eastyorkshire #yorkshirewolds #yorkshire #foryou #fyp ♬ original sound - The Yorkshireman

Yorkshire Wolds

“All festivals, farm shops and healthy outdoor activities, life in the isolated towns and villages under the big skies of these 400 square miles of prime farming country is like stepping back in time, in the best possible way - even the house prices are relatively affordable.”

Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, commented: “This guide is a celebration of towns, cities and villages that are each a fantastic place to live in 2024, from Dunkeld to Knutsford, Falmouth to Leeds. Wherever you are on the property ladder, there will be somewhere to suit you. 

“These are all places where you can feel grounded as well as upwardly mobile: they have a mature sense of community, lively, supportive high streets and an eye to the future, whether that is eco-friendly measures, transport and regeneration, or imaginative inclusion of new housing.”

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She added: “What makes our guide unique is that we actually visit all the places we choose and talk to locals to find out what life is really like there.

“That means we can see what people really love about the places they live. That might be fast commutes and high-achieving schools but also clean water to swim in, lively town centres with useful shops, the possibility of earning a living and being part of a friendly community. 

“We do consider affordability, though high house prices are no barrier to inclusion - as long as they provide value for money. Different people may be looking for different things, but what all our best places have in common is that people love living in them and are proud to call them home.”

The Sunday Times Best Places to Live 2024 guide is online now and will be available as a magazine supplement on Sunday (March 17).