So is Northamptonshire a good place to live? The most Googled questions revealed

The most frequently searched questions on Google by county

Using Google’s Autocomplete function with the search questions ‘Is’ and ‘Why’ we were able to see what the most searched questions were about each county.

Whether the results are a reflection on the actual counties or the people searching is up for debate. But we have tried to be helpful by answering some of the burning questions according to the Google searches.

In Northamptonshire, the most Googled search questions were ‘Is Northamptonshire a good place to live’ and ‘Why is Northamptonshire called the rose of the shires’.

So is Northamptonshire a good place to live? Well back in December the south of the county was ranked as the seventh most desirable place to live in the UK so we reckon so.

It scored highly in a range of measures, including: residents’ health and life expectancy, overall well-being, employment, a low crime rate, relatively good weather, and good broadband internet access.

And where does the title The Rose of the Shires actually come from? It seems the moniker is based on the county’s very central position in England and its historical importance as a result. It is also landlocked by eight other counties so sits at the heart of many shires.

No-one seems to know who first used the phrase to describe Northamptonshire. But, along with ‘The County of Squires and Spires’ it has become a popular description and source of pride for residents who feel its rolling green countryside and picturesque villages such as Weekley and Gretton are what England is all about.

But what of some of Northamptonshire’s near neighbour counties? The Google Autocomplete search for other counties included:

‘Why is Buckinghamshire postcode HP’ and ‘Is Buckinghamshire posh’.

‘Why is Hertfordshire so expensive’ and ‘Is Hertfordshire a city’.

‘Why is Oxfordshire abbreviated to Oxon’ and ‘Is Oxfordshire going to get snow’.

‘Is Leicestershire ok’ and ‘Why is Leicestershire associated with foxes’.

‘Why is Warwickshire associated with bears’ and ‘Is Warwickshire near Birmingham’.

‘Is Bedford awful’ and ‘Why is Bedford not on Google maps’.

It could be worse, though. The most common search for Essex is ‘Why is Essex so bad’ while the capital city is ‘Why is London so crap’.