Epsom & Ewell, in Surrey, has a reputation as a quality place to buy a home, and features in our top 20 for the third time, having been at number one in 2005 and last year at number eight.
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At number three, and a staggering seventh entry for smug old Surrey, it's Epsom and Ewell. The residents have every reason to be proud of their borough, with its enviously low crime rate and glowing health record. It's easy to see why Epsom & Ewell made it into the top 20.
The one major drawback of living in Epsom & Ewell is entertainment... or lack there of. The leafy neighbourhoods, excellent schools and low crime rate are offset somewhat by the lack of cultural activity on offer. But with the capital within commuter distance, don't let this deter you from buying in what really is one of the best places to live in the UK.
If you work in the city, but don't want to live within Greater London, Epsom & Ewell would be a sensible and affordable place to buy, particularly if you have a family. Why? Well, you can still pick up detached properties for less than £500,000, but the commute to London Bridge from Epsom Downs usually takes less than 45 minutes.
And there's more good news for families: there's plenty of choice when it comes to schools. While the area's state schools vary from well below to well above the national average, there's a wide selection of independent schools that achieve exam results above the average.
Blenheim High School is a good example of a state school. Centrally-located, it is currently achieving an average 746.5 A-level points per student (UK average: 721.5). The school has recently announced a two-storey extension, set to include nine classrooms, a cafe and music room to accommodate 137 extra pupils, 10 full and two part-time teachers, if plans are approved. Better still, the extension has been designed to utilise solar power and reduce the need for artificial lighting.
Epsom & Ewell is home to contrasting traditions of building. There is a lot of new housing. However, The Epsom Protection Society, an environmental and heritage group founded in 1959, is older than both Greenpeace and Friends of The Earth, and has run some great campaigns, such as tree-planting initiatives.
Lurking a hair's breadth outside Greater London, Epsom & Ewell has half the national average of burglaries, and all major crimes at least a little less than the UK average - not bad given the borough's close proximity to the generally higher crime levels of our capital city.
<< 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 Epsom & Ewell and the other 433 UK boroughs >>
Find out which borough just missed out in 2007 >>
Local area info on Epsom & Ewell from upmystreet.com >>
Epsom & Ewell Borough Council >>
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