York, Glasgow, and Liverpool are consistently ranked among the friendliest cities in the UK, noted for their welcoming,Chatty, and community-focused residents. Data highlights the North East of England as the friendliest region, while York often tops city-specific polls for community spirit.
1. Glasgow, Scotland. Scotland's largest city is often overlooked in favour of Edinburgh. And while you could argue that the capital may be grander and more historic, Glasgow has scooped the top spot, yet again, in Condé Nast's annual list of the UK's friendliest cities.
Cambridge emerges as a beacon of hospitality, boasting the title of the most polite city, alongside its top ranks in safety and cleanliness. Cities like Manchester and London face challenges in these regards.
Where is the nicest safest place to live in the UK?
If you are looking for the safest places to live in the UK right now, recent crime-index data points you towards elegant market and cathedral cities such as Harrogate, Wokingham, Chester, Sevenoaks and Horsham, along with low-crime areas like St Albans, Salisbury, Windsor, Guildford, Lincoln, Norwich and Bath.
Top 10 Best Places To Live In The UK in 2025 (Safe, Family Friendly and Affordable Cities)
What is the least white town in the UK?
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%).
Barking and Dagenham was officially crowned the “unhappiest” place to live in Britain. Many locals saying the ranking doesn't just feel harsh it feels like a wake-up call. The index measures how residents feel about their community, safety, local services, green spaces and overall quality of life.
It turns out that the nation's most miserable region is… a three way tie! The North East, North West and West Midlands all had an average happiness score of 7.3 out of 10. Considering that the region that tops the ranking, the South West, had a score of 7.6, that's not too bad at all.
York revealed as UK's friendliest city. Aviva research finds the nation's community spirit is strong – but millions are without access to pubs and gyms. 24 June 2025, LONDON: The United Kingdom is more united than people may think, according to a new study from Aviva.
In the 2022 list, Bangalore secured first position, followed by Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Surat, Navi Mumbai, Coimbatore, Vadodara, Indore and Greater Mumbai. Cities are judged based on culture and environment, stability, health, infrastructure and education.
Norwich has officially been named the UK's Kindest City, by Benefact Group, an organisation that gives all its available profits to good causes, after locals made more nominations for charities than anywhere else in the country*.
There isn't one single "most run-down" town, as it depends on the metric, but recent reports frequently cite Walsall (West Midlands) as Britain's most deprived for overall quality of life (Good Growth for Cities Index 2025), while Jaywick (Essex) is repeatedly named England's most deprived neighbourhood by government data. Other towns often mentioned for significant decline due to economic hardship, unemployment, and urban decay include areas in Blackpool, Hastings, and Middlesbrough, alongside places like Portsmouth and Aldershot facing specific challenges.
Although less than 10% of the total UK-born population lived in London, the city was home to one-third of the total foreign-born population in the country. Northern Ireland, the North East, and Wales were the least popular destinations for migrants.
