Sandwiched geographically in the middle of two other Surrey boroughs from our top 20, Waverley nestles snugly between Guildford and Mole Valley. Unless you really fancy some middle-of-nowhere country tranquillity, you have four main choices of home in the region.
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Like its other Surrey siblings, Waverley holds this prime spot thanks to its scenic surroundings: there's nearly five times more outdoor space here than the national average. But you pay for the privilege: the cost of living is more than twice the national average. So it's just as well salaries are high!
And the good news is your money's safe. Waverley has one of the lowest crime rates in our countdown. The only rude thing about the people of Waverley is their health. What stops Waverley from climbing higher is its exam results - they're one of the lowest in our top ten. Better pull your socks up!
Choose between the largest 'village' in England, Cranleigh (population 11,241), the modest town of Haslemere (population 10,417), the borough's biggest town, Farnham, or the official borough HQ, Godalming - all are lovely.
A really gorgeous part of the country, Waverley is one of the most tree-covered boroughs in England and home to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the shape of Blackheath Common. Waverley is rich in history too, taking its name from Waverley Abbey, near Farnham. Not all of Waverley's history is so benign: look out for Gibbet Hill near Haslemere, where for centuries robbers terrorising wealthy locals on the dangerous roads around the nearby Devil's Punch Bowl were executed.
These days, Godalming provides a home to latter-day wealthy locals, who brave South West Trains instead of highwaymen on their 50 minute commute to London Waterloo. In doing so, they're following local tradition: Godalming saw commuting begin around 1850 when it was connected to London by rail for the first time.
Within Waverley borough, the "Waverley Hoppa" provides low-priced mini-bus transport around the area with a particular view to helping the elderly get about. This makes sense in a borough where only 59 per cent of the population are of working age - even allowing for children, that's a fair number of OAPs.
Waverley might be a good area to retire, but its working population enjoy high levels of employment, with a tiny 0.7 per cent claiming job seeker's allowance. This kind of stat usually goes hand in hand with economic prosperity, and Waverley doesn't disappoint on that front. The average Waverley worker takes home £130 more per week than UK average - a figure boosted by the high proportion of city workers enjoying London-weighted wages.
Both families and retired people will be pleased to know that Waverley's crime record is also excellent with most types of crime happening around half as much as the national average. So for a safe, picturesque environment with plenty to offer culturally and historically, Waverley is a good bet for both young and old.
<< 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 Waverley and the other 433 UK boroughs >>
Find out which lucky boroughs made the top 3 in 2007 >>
Get local information on Waverley from upmystreet.com >>
Waverley Borough Council >>
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