Located in the heart of England, South Northamptonshire is a mostly rural area with excellent connections and a surprisingly varied character. Within striking distance of tourist hotspots like Stratford and Oxford, the borough has plenty to offer in its own right.
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This is a sleepy, mostly rural area made up of dozens of small villages and towns. It also happens to be home to the British Grand Prix racing track at Silverstone. It makes it onto our chart because employment levels are so high, nearly everybody works!
The thing is they're all so healthy - and there's a very good reason why... it's boring! That's great for granny but if you're not drawing your pension there's always the A5 heading South!
South Northamptonshire's largest town, Brackley, was, like many of its Midlands neighbours, an active player in the wool and lace trade. As a consequence of this, it was built on historical trade routes from London to Birmingham and Oxford to Cambridge. These days, it has links with transport of a rather more glamorous kind: located close to Silverstone, the home of British motorsport, Brackley currently plays host to Jenson Button's Honda F1 team.
Stoke Bruerne offers something for transport aficionados of a different kind. Gongoozlers, the canal-fixated equivalent of trainspotters, descend on the pretty village in the summer months to observe the boats and visit the Canal Museum. The area also benefits from a range of highly regarded restaurants and pubs.
Other local attractions include Capability Brown-designed gardens at Castle Ashby, and with easy access to Blenheim Palace, Warwick Castle and a range of other historic sites, you won't have any trouble keeping yourself busy in the area.
Exam results are above average if unspectacular, but South Northamptonshire's calming rural character seems to have a positive impact on crime figures. The borough has some of the lowest crime rates in the country. Incidents of violence number less than a third of the national average, and figures for robberies are similarly low.
Although the average house price is high for this part of the country, those seeking a flat are in luck: at just under £140,000, a South Northamptonshire flat is almost £70,000 cheaper than the average. And the icing on the cake? Residents typically earn around £100 a week more than the typical East Midlander.
<< Go back to the index to learn about more places in the top and bottom 20
Have your say and see what other people are saying about South Northamptonshire and the other 433 UK boroughs >>
Find out which borough made it to number 17 in 2007>>
Local area info on South Northamptonshire from upmystreet.com >>
South Northamptonshire Council >>
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