Why residents love Southampton as city named in top 50 in Europe

The Echo reported that, in an annual league table ranking Europe’s best cities to live in, Southampton placed an impressive 49th.

The rankings, from Resonance Consultancy, evaluate cities in terms of “prosperity, liveability and lovability”.

READ MORE: Southampton ranked among best 50 places to live in Europe

Southampton trumped European heavyweights such as Athens, Marseille and Venice, and outranked local rivals, Bournemouth and Portsmouth, which ranked 77th and 89th respectively.

We spoke to some locals for their thoughts on the recent news, as well as their favourite (and least favourite) things about the city.

Deborah Harris has lived in Southampton all her life, and says the ranking is “fair”.

Deborah Harris said the ranking was fair (Image: Newsquest)

She praises the city for its greenery and parklands, as well as its proximity to the New Forest.

The only thing that frustrates her is the litter – “people just throw rubbish on the floor and don’t use the bins”.

Simone and Tony Barnham were also very positive, saying “we just love it”.

Tony says “the shopping centre is one of the best” and Simone praises the “amazing green spaces…everywhere you go is just green”.

Tony agrees that litter is an irritant, but says that it happens everywhere – and that “it’s the people that do that not the city”.

Callum Riley, 20, takes a slightly less rosy view - he reckons that 49th place is “a bit high”.

Growing up in Shirley, he says about the city: “When I was younger it was good but nowadays its changed a lot”.

Asked what he meant by that, Callum cited a rise in crime, and issues with the council.

He now lives in Eastleigh, and criticised the Eastleigh council for “building houses on top of houses” on areas of greenery and woodland.

As well as enjoying Southampton’s green spaces, Callum praises its diversity: “It’s a very diverse city… it’s definitely increased over the years which is very good.”