The newspaper has released its annual guide of the finest towns, villages, cities and suburbs to live in across the UK
Two areas of Greater Manchester have been named amongst The Sunday Times‘ Best Places to Live in the UK in 2025. The annual guide, which is now in its 13th year running, highlights the best towns, villages, cities and suburbs to reside in each region.
This year’s comprehensive list includes 72 locations, each visited by The Sunday Times’ expert judges, who assessed factors from schools and transport to broadband speeds and culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street.
The Sunday Times has picked seven parts of the north west to feature in its guide this year, including two areas in Greater Manchester, two in Cheshire, one in Lancashire, one in Cumbria and the regional winner in Liverpool.
This year, The Heatons and Mossley have been named as the best places to live in Greater Manchester. Last year, the publication chose Stockport and Prestwich, whilst areas such as Ancoats, Sale, Altrincham and Levenshulme have been picked in previous years.
Here’s what the judges had to say about The Heatons and Mossley:
The Heatons
Nestled between Stockport town centre and south Manchester, the Heatons is a suburban area made up of four neighbourhoods – Heaton Chapel, Heaton Mersey, Heaton Moor and Heaton Norris.
Boasting pretty tree-lined roads, Victorian and Edwardian properties, reputable schools and a neat café scene, the Heatons is a desirable location for families and young professionals alike.
The average house price in the Heatons varies, with homes in Heaton Chapel averaging at around £345,719, Heaton Mersey around £371,335, Heaton Moor averaging around £361,658 and Heaton Norris around £275,513, according to Rightmove.
The Sunday Times’ judges said: “The four Heatons together make one super suburb, squashed between the middle of Manchester and Stockport’s increasingly zeitgeisty centre.
“Family-friendly but funky, the area offers trendy indie stores and enough quirky cafés and cool coffee shops to keep the buzz going whatever the hour. This is a relatively affordable place to bring up a family in a substantial Victorian or Edwardian red-brick villa on a tree-lined street.
Mossley
The former mill town of Mossley, which sits in the foothill of the Pennines, has also been recognised as one of the best places to live in the north west.
Set just nine miles east of Manchester City Centre, whilst also being within close proximity to the Peak District, the Tameside town offers the best of both worlds.
Top Mossley boasts beautiful views, whilst Bottom Mossley is packed with cafés, restaurants and pubs to serve its close-knit community.
There are a range of property types on offer across the town, with houses selling for an average of £209,945 over the last year, according to Rightmove. The majority of properties sold in Mossley were terraced properties, selling for an average price of £181,357.
“Pleasantly out on a limb, this former mill town offers fresh air, awesome scenery, good schools plus fast direct trains to Manchester Piccadilly – with a dash of non-conformist creativity thrown into the mix,” The Sunday Times’ judges said of Mossley.
“It’s divided into Top Mossley, which has the views, and Bottom Mossley, with stores, cafés, restaurants and an incredible number of pubs. Add to that the Vale – where carnival artists learn their trade at the Arts Council-funded Northern Carnival Centre for Excellence – along with theatre, music and art-house cinema and there’s something for everyone here.”
Elsewhere, Woolton in Liverpool has been named the best place to live in the north west in the annual Sunday Times guide.
The Sunday Times judges said: “Everything is within walking distance in the Liverpool suburb where Lennon and McCartney met for the first time.
“Its independent-minded village centre has cool coffee shops, a formidable fromagerie and cocktail bars, as well as a belting neighbourhood boozer in the Elephant Pub and Bakehouse. It’s a gloriously family-friendly place to put down roots, with excellent schools, parks and even a patch of woodland.”
The full list of north west areas featured in The Sunday Times’ Best Places to Live guide:
- Woolton, Liverpool (regional winner)
- The Heatons, Greater Manchester
- Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria
- Knutsford, Cheshire
- Malpas, Cheshire
- Mossley, Greater Manchester
- Parbold, Lancashire