Herts &amp; Beds

Codicote! The village has an outstanding primary school, three pubs, a butchers, bakery, two local shops and Welwyn North and Knebworth train stations get you into London Kings Cross from as little as 16 minutes. Wheathampstead is five minutes away, Harpenden ten. Codicote also hosts an annual music festival which is very popular and there is a great community spirit, with lots of activities for families and elderly in particular.

The hanging baskets were primped, the shop windows polished and it was a tooth-and-nail contest among Hertfordshire&#8217;s finest towns and villages. But your votes in the inaugural Muddy &#8216;Best Places to Live&#8217; competition have now been counted and&#8230;*drumroll*&#8230;. we&#8217;re delighted to announce that the worthy winner is: 



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="St Albans! (opens in a new tab)" href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/hertfordshire/st-albans/" target="_blank">St Albans!</a>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="696" src="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/St-Albans-Town-Centre-2-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-63013" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/St-Albans-Town-Centre-2-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/St-Albans-Town-Centre-2-1-300x209.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/St-Albans-Town-Centre-2-1-718x500.jpg 718w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/St-Albans-Town-Centre-2-1-754x525.jpg 754w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Bursting with great pubs, restaurants, independent shops, and a good dose of community spirit, it’s easy to see why St Albans was voted as the most popular place to live. This perfectly proportioned small city (it has a cathedral, don’t you know?) was named as one of&nbsp;The Sunday Times’s ‘Best Places to Live’ in 2020, so its star is flying high right now. The historic centre – all ancient religious buildings and cobbled streets – gives way to cute rows of terraces. And there’s a&nbsp;lot&nbsp;going on, with lovely indie shops, including a great vintage place. You’ll find eateries for all occasions, too – from cool cafes for brunch and cosy pubs to fine-dining restaurants when you want to splash out. All this makes St Albans the perfect choice if you want to get out of (London) town, but still want a super-buzzy scene.



Here, read our full <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Best Places to Live guide to St Albans (opens in a new tab)" href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/hertfordshire/st-albans/" target="_blank">Best Places to Live guide to St Albans</a> to get a 360 on what makes it so special, and check out the final voting results below. 1/ <a href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/hertfordshire/st-albans/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="St Albans (opens in a new tab)">St Albans</a> 2/ <a href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/hertfordshire/hitchin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Hitchin (opens in a new tab)">Hitchin</a> 3/ <a href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/hertfordshire/aldbury/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Aldbury (opens in a new tab)">Aldbury</a> 4/ <a href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/hertfordshire/ware/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Ware (opens in a new tab)">Ware</a> 5/ <a href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/hertfordshire/harpenden/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Harpenden (opens in a new tab)">Harpenden</a> 6/ <a href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/hertfordshire/wheathampstead/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Wheathampstead (opens in a new tab)">Wheathampstead</a> 7/ <a href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/hertfordshire/much-hadham/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Much Hadham (opens in a new tab)">Much Hadham</a> 8/ <a href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/hertfordshire/ashwell/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Ashwell (opens in a new tab)">Ashwell</a>



Want a peek over the border at the best places to live in <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/bedfordshire/" target="_blank">Bedfordshire</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Cambridgeshire (opens in a new tab)" href="https://suffolkcambs.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/cambridgeshire/" target="_blank">Cambridgeshire</a> and <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/buckinghamshire/">Buckinghamshire</a>, or maybe plot the location for your next break or dream holiday home? Check out the<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/" target="_blank"> full list of winners across 25 counties</a>. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="600" height="400" src="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/07/wheathampstead-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-59586" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/07/wheathampstead-2.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/07/wheathampstead-2-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



Don’t agree with the verdict? Let us know in the comments below if you have a gem we’ve missed out and we’ll hotfoot it down there to see if can make the cut for next time.

And the Best Place to Live in Hertfordshire is…

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