A historic coastal town that has captured the hearts of many has earned the title of one of the happiest places to live in the UK. Nestled along the Essex coastline Clacton-on-Sea carries life in abundance, offering a variety of leisurely activities such as a pleasure pier, amusement arcades, theatres, golf course, boardwalks, and water sports.
Renowned for its long golden sandy beach and friendly atmosphere the coastal haven attracts Brits across the country seeking a relief from the hustle and bustle of city life. Clacton-on-Sea placed 13th in 2023’s national RightMove Top 20 ‘Happy At Home’ index, making it one of the happiest places to live. The study’s results highlighted the most important contributors to happiness were feeling a sense of pride, belonging, and community – despite being one of the poorest seaside resorts in the country.
This divisive town has split opinion in recent years. The town earned an award from The World and Then Some in 2021, which recognised it as one of the most scenic places to call home near London.
However, a new Which? survey ranked Clacton among the worst seaside towns in the UK.
Clacton is all about classic seaside fun with the town boasting a pleasure pier which offers arcades, a bowling alley and a seaquarium to visitors. There is also a local eight-mile bike route for outdoor enthusiasts.
For those looking to explore, there’s the option of an open-top bus tour offering a hop-on, hop-off experience at various appealing stops.
With that in mind you may suspect that house prices are expensive, however Clacton is home to some of the county’s cheapest homes.
Those wishing to live by the seaside don’t necessarily have to give up on their big city life with this Essex town having excellent rail and road links into London with the journey only taking just over an hour.
House prices in Clacton-On-Sea have an overall average of £251,112 over the last year, reports Rightmove, this is below the average UK house price which is around £282,779. Meanwhile, the average house price in Essex is around £422,578.
The majority of properties sold in Clacton-On-Sea during the last year were detached properties, selling for an average price of £297,141.
Overall, the historical sold prices in Clacton-On-Sea over the last year were similar to the previous year and 6% down on the 2022 peak of £267,083.