Hexham may have lost its title as the UK's happiest place to live - but its continued high place in the ranking has delighted the town's mayor.
The Northumberland market town was named as the happiest place in Rightmove's "happy at home" index in both 2019 and 2021, but has fallen to fourth in this year's list.
Despite losing out to St Ives in Cornwall , Hexham remains the happiest place to live in the North East by some distance. The next highest in our region is Cleveland at a distant 41, followed by Newcastle Upon Tyne well back in 114.
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Coun Derek Kennedy, who is Hexham's mayor and represents the Hexham West ward on Northumberland County Council, was delighted despite missing out on a third top spot in four years.
He said: "Fourth place in the happy index is another remarkable result for Hexham. We were the only place in the North East in the top 40.
"Hexham is just a really happy, engaging and vibrant place. We have got an amazing arts and social scene, good education for the children and beautiful rural countryside which makes it such an attractive place to live."
Also coming in ahead of Hexham was Galashields in the Scottish Borders and Woodbridge in Suffolk, while Hexham and St Ives have actually alternated for top spot since 2019.
The annual study is conducted among more than 21,000 people across the nation, asking people how they feel about where they live. It asks residents to rank ten happiness factors, including how much they feel a sense of belonging to their area and whether there is access to green space.
The survey found that a sense of belonging in the area is the most important factor that contributes to residents' happiness, first time buyers are still determined to save for their deposit and get on the ladder despite cost of living challenges, and a garden is the most important thing to people buying a home but renters are more concerned about energy bills.
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