The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index has found people living in Wangaratta are 78.57 per cent satisfied with their lives while Albury- Wodonga residents are less content with a score of 75.54 per cent.

The report, which measured Australian’s happiness in seven aspects of their life, including health, safety and community connectedness, also showed Wodonga residents were happier than their Albury counterparts.

People in the Wodonga statistical division were 75.60 per cent content with their lives while those in Albury division were 74.98 per cent satisfied.

But it was Wangaratta residents who were most happy, recording higher satisfaction scores than residents in Albury-Wodonga, Wagga and Shepparton in five out of the seven assessment categories.

People in Wangaratta were most content with their sense of safety which scored a 85.96 per cent satisfaction rate, while relationships scored 84.68 per cent and community connectedness was 79.36 per cent.

Mother of two Kristy Groves moved from Wodonga to Wangaratta with her husband Simon and children Harry, 4, and Lily, 1, in August and said it was “a much better place to be”.

Mrs Groves said Wangaratta offered a better work and family life balance and had a great range of services such as sporting facilities and schools.

“It’s a friendly town,” she said.

“It feels a lot safer too ... you can walk home at night without any drama.

“We wanted to bring our kids up here.”

The report showed Wangaratta, Albury-Wodonga, Shepparton and Wagga residents were happier than people in metropolitan or beachside areas such as Wollongong, inner Melbourne, Illawarra, Newcastle, Western Melbourne, and Campbelltown in Sydney.

Author, Deakin University psychology prof Bob Cummins said areas with a population of about 40,000 or below were generally happier.

“Community connection has a large impact on how people feel about their lives,” he said.

Wodonga’s Tracey Gibson moved to the city from Melbourne in December with her husband, Braithe, and six-month-old daughter, Olivia, and said they “loved the country lifestyle”.

“It’s more relaxed, it’s more friendly,” she said.

Mrs Gibson said Wodonga was much safer than Melbourne, was quieter but still had all the services a family needed.

Albury Mayor Cr Patricia Gould said she was not surprised people in Albury were happier than some metropolitan counterparts.

She said Albury residents had access to good medical, sporting and leisure facilities, good schools and didn’t have to travel far to reach them.

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