Black Country residents talk up their 'welcoming' borough with 'great views and friendly people'
The borough of Sandwell has been praised by residents for its friendliness, good housing, community feeling and big, open spaces.
The general good feeling about the borough of six towns has been borne out in a survey which placed Sandwell as one of the most desirable places to live in the UK outside of London.
In a survey conducted by blinds and curtains producers Swift Direct Blinds, the borough came out second on the top 10 list of the best places to live in the country, only coming behind the city of Glasgow.
The survey was carried out based on house price rises over the last 10 years and the number of properties on sale, with a desirability score given afterwards about how desirable the location is.
In Sandwell, house prices were shown to have risen by 85.43 per cent between 2013 and 2023, averaging at £107,560 in 2013 and £199,445 in 2023, before the national average of £288,000, and with 1,744 houses available on housing site Rightmove.
The desirability score of 7.59 has seen Sandwell finish ahead of Wakefield, Leicester, Wigan, Fife, Leeds, Manchester, City of Edinburgh and Liverpool in the top 10.
Although data suggests Sandwell is among the most deprived areas in England, with low income and life expectancy, the borough has easy access to transport links such as trains and trams and shopping centres.
