Petersfield has outshone Farnham this year, with the Sunday Times ranking the East Hampshire town as the best place to live in the South East.

Petersfield takes the top spot from Folkestone in Kent, which won the title in 2024.

The overall UK winner for 2025 was Saffron Walden in Essex, but Petersfield surpassed Farnham, Amersham, Berkhamsted, Broughton, Hove, Marlow, Reading, Sevenoaks, and Thame to claim the title for the South East—despite not making the top 10 in 2024.

Judges were particularly impressed by Petersfield’s family-friendly credentials.

They said: “It offers excellent schools – several of which are working together to support the Smartphone Free Childhood movement – plenty of sporty and artistic pursuits and a caring community that looks out for all ages.

“From am-dram to events at the excellent museum and art gallery and the busy weekly markets, there’s always something happening in Petersfield’s historic streets, set against the backdrop of the glorious South Downs countryside.”

Farnham was also in the top 10 places to live in the region, with judges stating the town “is charming, it has excellent schools and it’s just an hour from London by train”.

“Tucked into the Surrey Hills, bordered by woods, well-heeled Farnham has the buzzy, thriving feel of a town but the community of a village,” the judges added.

Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, explained the selection process: “The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds and mobile signal to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street.

“It is easy to feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world, but there really is so much to celebrate as we look much closer to home. From small gestures that lift the everyday - like verges blooming with daffodils to volunteer-run dementia cafés, to larger initiatives from repair cafés to new railway stations.”

The chosen locations come in all shapes and sizes, from the Scottish island of Tiree and the remote Welsh village of Maenclochog to vibrant market towns, and suburbs of major cities such as Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and London.

There are more new entries than ever before in this year’s guide and no place for many previous winners including Winchester, York, and Altrincham. As always, the judges looked for thriving locations with a strong sense of community rather than famous names with high house prices.

“What makes our guide unique is that we actually visit all the places we choose and talk to locals to find out what life is really like there,” Ms Davies said.

“That means we can see what people really love about the places they live. That could be anything from exceptional schools and fast trains to beautiful houses and countryside. The health of the high street is important, but more than anything else, what we are looking for are towns, villages and cities with strong communities who work hard to make the best of where they live, and play hard too.

“We also consider affordability. High house prices are no barrier to inclusion - as long as they provide value for money. Different people will be looking for different qualities when they are choosing a place to live. One thing all our chosen locations have in common is that the people who live in them are proud to call them home.”

The annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live Guide, featuring 72 locations across the UK, is released online today (Friday, March 21) and will be featured in the newspaper on Sunday.

The guide is sponsored by the mortgage lender Halifax, which has provided an average house price for each location.

The top 10 in the Sunday Times Best Places to Live Guide for the South East are:

Note: apart from the winner, the towns are not ranked but published in alphabetical order.