Hampshire ranked second best place to live in the country

That is the finding of a nationwide survey that has put Hampshire among the best places to live.

The poll by Country Life magazine focused on all aspects of quality of life, from the number of birds in the trees to the standard of binmen.

Hours of sunshine, the number of village greens and countryside sports were all taken into account – and the results put Hampshire as the second best place to live.

The poll also surveyed the number of famous faces in the county from the Who’s Who guide.

Hampshire was found to be home to myriad stars from stage and screen.

Top TV soccer pundit and new Countdown presenter Jeff Stelling, fellow broadcasters Esther Rantzen and Sir David Frost, rock superstar and Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler, flamboyant film maker Ken Russell and Take That member Howard Donald all have homes here.

And it seems life is improving for Hampshire residents. When the same survey was carried out in 2003 the county was ranked ninth. This year it was only beaten by Devon.

Country Life features editor Rebecca Pearson said: “Hampshire should be very proud of coming second out of 40 counties.

“There was plenty for Hampshire residents to smile about, including the weather for the county was the third sunniest in England.”

Hampshire County Council Leader Ken Thornber said: “For those of us who call Hampshire home this comes as no surprise because the county has so much to offer its residents.

“The combination of beautiful countryside and forests, picturesque villages, seaside scenes, rich heritage and architecture and array of excellent venues for leisure, shopping, and food and drink not only defines the unique nature of the county but makes us a very attractive county for visitors.”

Country Life editor Mark Hedges also lives in Hampshire but the publication said that had nothing to do with the results.