SOMERSET'S happiest place to live in for 2024 has been revealed - with the top 5 most stylish locations in the county also listed after a recent poll.
Locations were ranked according to the beauty of the surroundings and green spaces, provision of good state schools and affordable housing, as well as access to quality pubs, restaurants, independent shops and cultural attractions
Furniturebox polled 5,000 people, with panels in each big UK city and county - including Somerset.
Taunton was highlighted for its "natural beauty, rich history, excellent education options, vibrant community, and convenient transport links" making it a happy place to live.
The Ring of Bells on St James Street and the Plough Inn on Station Road were highlighted as popular pubs that are a must-visit in Taunton.
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In second place in Somerset was Frome, Bath was third, Langport was fourth and Wells was fifth.
Alongside being named the happiest place to live in Somerset, Taunton has also been ranked in the top 50 happiest places in the UK according to FurnitureBox's Top 70 happiest places in the UK list.
Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire has been named the happiest place in the UK whilst Taunton ranked 48th on the list of 70 places.
The top 50 happiest places to live in the UK:
1 - Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
2 - Harrogate, North Yorkshire
3 - Whitely Bay, Tyne and Wear
4 - Amersham, Buckinghamshire
5 - Chester, Cheshire
6 - Falmouth, Cornwall
7 - Bromsgrove, Worcestershire
8 - Chepstow, Monmouthshire
9 - Woodbridge, Suffolk
10 - Bray, Berkshire
11 - Almondsbury, Bristol
12 - Aboyne, Aberdeenshire
13 - Malmesbury, Wilshire
14 - Eynsham, Oxfordshire
15 - Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire
16 - Bingley, West Yorkshire
17 - Shepperton, Surrey
18 - Folkestone, Kent
19 - Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
20 - Ampthill, Bedfordshire
21 - Morpeth, Northumberland
22- Halifax, West Yorkshire
23 - Tamworth, Staffordshire
24 - Melrose, Roxburghshire
25 - Fulford, York
26 - Nether Edge, Sheffield
27 - Preston, Lancashire
28 - Clapham, Greater London
29 - Bangor, Wales
30 - Newton Mearns, Scotland
31 - Heanor, Derbyshire
32 - Wollaton, Nottingham
33 - Newport, Shropshire
34 - Penarth, West Glamorgan
35 - Chesterton, Cambridge
36 - Rye, East Sussex
37 - Brentwood, Essex
38 - Northampton, Northamptonshire
39 - Findon, West Sussex
40 - Kinross, Perthshire
41 - Devonport, Plymouth
42 - Burnham Market, Norfolk
43 - Dartington, Devon
44 - Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
45 - Meanwood, Leeds
46 - Hove, Brighton
47 - Boscombe, Bournemouth
48 - Taunton, Somerset
49 - Biggar, Lanarkshire
50- Petersfield, Hampshire
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"Taunton is the happiest place to live in Somerset," said someone from FurnitureBox. "All 70 places on the list would have been worthy winners and show why the UK is such a wonderful place to live, loved by visitors from all over the world."
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, with a history going back to at least the 7th century.
It is also home to the Somerset Heritage Centre which is open to the public and houses some amazing local and national artefacts, documents, and records.
The FurnitureBox spokesperson added: "Castle School is an outstanding secondary school, as is Richard Huish College, a sixth-form college.
"Well-regarded primaries include Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary, Bishops Hull Primary, and Blackbrook Primary.
"Most of the locations in the top 70 are not the most affluent in their localities and have access to some affordable housing. The survey shows that the happiest places are not defined by wealth but by the quality of life within them."
