Horsham in west Sussex, England, has a population of around 55,600 people and has been voted the second best place to live in the United Kingdom. This accolade was given to town in the year 2006, when it came second to Winchester and beat such eminent destinations as Tunbridge Wells and Epsom.

This recognition certainly gave rise to a great sense of civic pride in the town, and the various people involved in initiatives that contributed to the accolade felt quite rightly that their efforts were being given national recognition.

Horsham's recognition was awarded by the Channel 4 television show called 'The 10 best and worst places to live in the UK'. The aim of the television programme is to highlight different areas of the United Kingdom and to compare and contrast them in terms of attractiveness to live.

Such television programmes can be very entertaining and educational. Sometimes programmes like this can be controversial and give rise to vigorous debate for people with opposing views. A number of different benchmarks were used to judge the towns and cities of the UK.

Low crime was one of the reasons that Horsham got the award, as the town was in the top fifteen percent of the United Kingdom for its lack of crime. Crime, and the fear of crime, can make life unpleasant, and unfortunately there are many areas of the United Kingdom where crime is on people's minds for much of the time.

This could be when they are in their homes, wondering if they will be burgled. Or it could be when they lock their car, wondering if it will still be there when they get back to it. Or it could be when they are walking home late at night from the bus stop or the rail station, wondering if they will be mugged or otherwise accosted by the criminal elements of society.

Academic attainment was a benchmark that enabled Horsham to excel in the judging, as the students of the town are industrious and creative, striving to achieve academic excellence to better their future prosperity. As evidence of this industrious attitude, some seventy percent of the students at academic institutions in the town gained five A to C grades at GCSE.

The workforce of Horsham was another reason that the town did well in the judging, as more than seventy percent of the workforce is engaged in work and not shirking on benefits, sitting at home watching TV all day, as they are in many other towns and cities across the country.

Life expectancy is a good benchmark for regions, with high life expectancy being linked to areas that are prosperous, safe and civilized. The life expectancy in Horsham impressed the judges, as the figures are seventy six years for men, and eighty three years for women.

The number of homeless people is another indicator of whether an area is a good place to live in or not. Horsham romped home in the judging with a figure of zero homeless people.