I visited UK's 'best town' and can't understand why so many pay £850k to live there

Stepping off the train at Harpenden station, I was immediately struck by the calm that greeted me. Just 40 minutes away from the heart of London, this small Hertfordshire town feels like a world away.

The air is cleaner, the pace slower, and the greenery more abundant. It’s no wonder that for the second year in a row, The Telegraph has named Harpenden one of the best places to live in the UK.

But as I walked through the picturesque High Street, with its charming independent shops, cozy cafés, and traditionally charming British pubs, I couldn’t help but wonder if the town’s growing popularity is beginning to push it beyond reach for many. 

With property prices averaging £863,310 over the last year, has Harpenden’s charm become too expensive for its own good?

I first spoke with Rosie La Roz, a visitor to Harpenden, who told me how she had been immediately won over by the town’s friendliness. 

“People here are so kind, polite...really lovely shops,” she said. Her experience at a local Sainsbury’s, where staff went out of their way to help her, left her eager to return. Harpenden clearly knows how to make a good first impression.

A quick walk through the warm embrace of Rothamstead Park gave me a quick understanding of why you'd want to move here. From the picturesque tree-lined alley, to perfectly groomed sausage dogs and French bulldogs, to couples strolling hand-in-hand in matching beige Burberry outfits, people do seem to live an effortlessly, picture-perfect life. 

But for those who’ve put down roots here, the story is a bit more complicated. 

For Michael, a 50-year-old computer programmer commuting to London, the greenery and the appeal of living in a smaller community made Harpenden a perfect place to live. He paid £1.3 million for his home, a price that reflects both the desirability and exclusivity of the area. 

“It is an expensive place to live,” he admitted, “ because it’s nice and popular". 

Lucy, 37, who moved from St Albans with her family, echoed this sentiment. She and her husband purchased their house for £785,000 four years ago—a decision motivated by the town’s excellent schools and the quieter, more community-focused environment. 

“We got a bit more for our money here,” she said, but acknowledged that the rising prices might soon make it difficult for others to do the same. 

It’s a trade-off that many families are grappling with: the benefits of Harpenden’s lifestyle versus the cost of accessing it. Charlotte Kenton, 36, who used to live in Harpenden but now resides in Milton Keynes, provided a different perspective. 

"I used to rent here, but I couldn't afford to buy," she shared.  "I don't even think I could afford to rent now because the rent's gone up so much."

But for Charlotte, affordability is only part of the issue. 

"I don't think I would move here now because now I've got children and I don't think I would want to bring them up in such an affluent area," she explained. 

Charlotte expressed concerns that the wealth concentrated in this town might create a bubble, where children grow up surrounded by privilege and might not get to see or understand what life is like outside of it. 

"The children of Harpenden have a very narrow worldview. I think they just live around other Harpenden people and they don't really understand what the real world is like," she explained.

It’s a viewpoint that does question the cost of such affluence, not just in monetary terms, but in how it might shape the perspectives of the next generation. As property prices rise, the community becomes increasingly homogeneous, with only the affluent able to afford to live here, creating an elite hub for rich London commuters in the heart of this quintessentially charming British town.

It's certainly something that makes you stop and think. Do you want to invest thousands to live in a posh town surrounded by posh people in the middle of the posh countryside? If you do, then Harpenden's your place. But I find that may become boring over time.

"Proposals for major housing developments are currently expected to provide 40 percent of affordable housing", Carl Cheevers of the Town Council said when asked about affordable living options in the area.

"Affordable housing will be fully integrated within residential developments, other than in exceptional circumstances, and should be provided as both socially rented and intermediate housing in line with the latest assessment of needs undertaken by St Albans City and District Council or a future St Albans Local Plan target."

To understand the broader picture, I spoke with Andy Hancox, a sales agent who’s been working in Harpenden since 1996. 

“Prices have changed, and they’ve gone up an awful lot,” Andy explained. He’s seen the town’s popularity with London buyers drive up prices, especially as many are now able to work from home part-time and only commute into the city a few days a week. 

“We've always relied upon London buyers”, he added. “I mean, it's like moving to the country, you know, and we've got lots of large commons and greens and open spaces.  It's a thriving town with a sort of a villagey atmosphere.”

While Harpenden has “always been on the map”, according to Andy, now, with its blend of urban convenience and rural charm, it’s become even more desirable—and more expensive.

Walking through Harpenden’s well-maintained streets, I could see the appeal—large commons, green spaces, and a thriving town centre that somehow retains a village feel. Yet, as I spoke with more residents, I sensed a quiet concern about the town’s future.

Joan Borr, a 95-year-old who moved to Harpenden from Manchester, exemplifies this tension. She and her husband downsized from a large house to a small apartment, drawn by the proximity to their daughter. But the financial shock was considerable. 

“It’s more expensive to live, but it’s very expensive to buy an apartment,” Joan told me. The couple had to pay far more for their modest new home than they received for their old one in Manchester, and the move required significant sacrifices, including selling much of their furniture. 

“We lived in our last house for 60 years, so it was quite an upheaval”, she shared. “And it was a biggish house with a big garden. And we are now in a tiny apartment. We didn’t get anything like the amount for our house as we had to pay for this little flat,” she lamented, underscoring the financial challenges of living in such a desirable area.

Harpenden’s rising property prices and its growing exclusivity have become inextricable from its identity. As more and more people flock to the town for its high quality of life, there’s a real risk that the very qualities that make it so special—its close-knit community, its charm, its accessibility—could be eroded by its success.

So, has Harpenden lost its charm? Not yet. The town still exudes a warmth and appeal that is hard to find elsewhere. But as prices continue to climb, there’s a growing question of whether this charming town is becoming too exclusive, potentially pushing out the very people who contribute to its vibrant community.

As Harpenden continues to thrive, it must find a way to balance its appeal with its accessibility, ensuring that it remains not just a beautiful place to live, but a place where everyone can feel at home.