Solihull in the West Midlands is ranked as the most peaceful and calmest place to live in England, frequently praised for its low noise levels and high quality of life, according to late 2025 reports. Other top contenders for a serene, low-crime, and peaceful life include the rural areas of Wiltshire, the historic city of York, and the coastal town of St Ives.
Glasgow. Consistently voted one of the friendliest cities in the world, Glasgow makes Scotland proud with its attitude towards strangers and tourists. Its warm and welcoming community add a real buzz to the city, making it a popular city break destination.
Wales has taken the crown for being home to the quietest place in the whole of the UK: Powys, which is its largest county. With only 26 people per square kilometre, you can be promised a quiet stay in this amazing place, and find a true escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
What are the top 10 cities for crime rate? According to police-recorded crime data by Community Safety Partnership area (year ending December 2024), the top 10 cities for crime rate (excluding fraud) in England are London, Manchester, Bristol, Doncaster, Liverpool, Leeds, Bradford, Birmingham, Wakefield, and Leicester.
Iceland, Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, and Singapore are the top 5 most peaceful countries in the world in 2024. Last year recorded 162,000 conflict related deaths.
Birmingham has been revealed as the noisiest city in the UK, according to a poll. The Midlands city took the top spot, narrowly beating Bradford and Liverpool, which ranked second and third respectively, in a survey of over 2,000 city dwellers. #news #westmidlands #birmingham #birminghamuk #birminghamlife.
There's no single "most beautiful" city, but Bath, Edinburgh, York, and Chester consistently rank high, known for Georgian architecture, historic charm, Roman ruins, medieval walls, and stunning natural settings, respectively. Other contenders include Oxford, Cambridge, and Durham, praised for their universities, canals, and grand cathedrals.
The city with the lowest White British population as a percentage was Leicester (40.9%) – also the only city below 50% – while the lowest for unitary authorities was Slough (34.5%), followed by Luton (44.6%).
He said the friendliness and accessibility of green spaces all contributed to a quality of life that was "hard to match". "It's no surprise Skipton has been named the happiest place to live; it's a town where people look out for each other, and that spirit creates a truly rewarding place to call home," he said.
Irvine, CA and Virginia Beach, VA are the safest U.S. cities with 250,000 or more people in the U.S.
Gilbert, AZ, Plano, TX and Honolulu, HI are large U.S. metros (250,000+ residents) with violent crime rates below the national average (361 per 100,000 people).
The most expensive cities to rent in the UK include London, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, and Brighton. London consistently ranks as the most expensive, with average monthly rents exceeding £1,700. Oxford and Cambridge also have high rents due to their prestigious universities and strong local economies.
Iceland is consistently ranked as the safest country in the world, holding the top spot on the Global Peace Index (GPI) for many years, including 2024 and 2025, due to its low crime, lack of military, political stability, and strong community focus. Other top contenders often include Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, and Denmark, depending on the specific report's criteria, with Singapore also ranking highly for personal safety.
Beaconsfield, in Buckinghamshire was identified as the least affordable town, with an average house price of more than £1 million – costing more than 15 times average household earnings. Postal towns with 5,000 homes or more were analysed.
Where is the cheapest place to buy a house in the UK 2025?
Sunderland is the cheapest city to buy a property in the UK in 2025. It sits along the coastline of the North East, with property in the SR1 postcode on the market for around £56,100.
In the last three years, the rate of homicide in England and Wales has been highest in London, with an average of 13.5 offences per million population each year, followed by the West Midlands (12.5). Rates are lowest in the South East (6.2) and South West (8.6) of England.
Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Hartlepool, Kingston upon Hull and Manchester are the Local Authority Districts with the highest proportions of neighbourhoods among the most deprived in England. Two London boroughs (Tower Hamlets and Hackney) rank as the most deprived regarding income deprivation among children.
The "roughest" areas in the UK, often defined by high crime, deprivation, and social challenges, include Blackpool (high violent crime), Camden & Westminster in London (high overall crime rates), Lambeth & Hackney (deprivation, violence), and cities like Liverpool & Leicester (deprivation, health issues). Specific estates, like London's Aylesbury Estate, are also noted for notoriety, though "rough" can mean different things, from violent crime to economic hardship.
