Altrincham and The Heatons named ‘best places to live’

Market House Altrincham
Altrincham Market

Altrincham and The Heatons have been named among the best places to live in the north west.

Altrincham comes out on top in the Sunday Times Best Places to Live 2018 survey, while The Heatons in Stockport is in third spot.

Knutsford (6th), Castlefield in Manchester city centre (8th) and Chorlton in south Manchester (9th) also make the annual list.

The Sunday Time says of Altrincham: “WA14 is jumping. The changing cast of stalls at Alty Market, centrepiece of a £6m regeneration, offer up a feast.

“The big draw is the food hall in the Grade II listed market building, where you can linger over coffee and cake, a full meal, a craft ale or a glass of wine. It’s always buzzing: dogs, mums, buggies and retired couples during the day, revellers by night.”

Alex McCann, owner of social media management and training company Altrincham HQ, has lived in Altrincham for nearly 40 years.

He said: “At the heart of what makes the town great is the people of Altrincham

“We’re seen as an attractive place to live so the town is a nice mix of people whose families have lived here for generations and people who moved to the town more recently.

“When you’re in Altrincham what you get is a real sense of community – people want the town to prosper and be the best place to live.”

The Heatons – made up of Heaton Moor, Heaton Chapel, Heaton Norris and Heaton Mersey – has displaced Didsbury from the list.

It has seen an influx of new bars and restaurants over recent years and has great train and motorway links, as well as being less then a mile from Stockport town centre.

The area has seen a number of ’boutique pubs’ pop up, including Bottle and Heaton Hops, as well as the revamped Savoy cinema.

The Sunday Times says: “This loose collection of four neighbourhoods — Moor, Mersey, Chapel and Norris — has banished Didsbury, Manchester’s most expensive suburb, from our list this year.

“It has the family fundamentals: decent schools (Priestnall is an outstanding secondary), red-brick Victorian houses, easy access to green space and a 10-minute train ride to Piccadilly from Heaton Chapel station — kept pretty by a team of volunteers.”

The overall winner, however, is York.

Sunday Times Best Places to Live 2018 – north west

  1. Altrincham
  2. Chester
  3. The Heatons, Stockport
  4. Heswall
  5. Kirkby Lonsdale
  6. Knutsford
  7. Georgian Quarter, Liverpool
  8. Castlefield, Manchester
  9. Chorlton
  10. Ramsbottom

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