In a landslide victory, York beat off nine other destinations to be voted the most popular choice for a second home in the UK in the poll in new homes portal whathouse.co.uk's monthly digital magazine. Some 66% of readers voted for York as their top choice. The walled Yorkshire city was followed by Devon with 9% and then Scottish Highlands with 7%. Bath and Cornwall tied at 5%, while Brighton bagged 4% of the vote.
The medieval city of York has long been a popular UK holiday destination with its long list of attractions including the award-winning Jorvik centre, York City Walls and York Minster. However the fact that it polled significantly higher than south west favourites Devon and Cornwall was surprising to whathouse.co.uk assistant editor Laurna Robertson.
She says: "While York is a vibrant city with lots to offer residents and holidaymakers, coastal counties like Cornwall and Devon are traditionally considered to be more desirable areas for second homes. I wonder if the popularity of York may have to do with the more affordable homes for sale there in the current climate."
According to BBC figures, the average house price in York is £203,485 which is significantly more affordable than Devon, £233,634, Bath, £281,990, Cornwall, £224,128 and Brighton and Hove, £284,174. The Scottish Highlands is considerably lower than the others with the average price at £152,432.
Steve Woomble, sale director for Linden Homes, said: "It is wonderful to see York doing so well in opinion polls like this. It is a wonderful city that combines the historic so well with the vibrancy and general buzz about the place. Linden Homes recently launched our newest development in York - named 1877 to commemorate the golden age of railway. It is proving hugely popular with homebuyers with a range of budgets and living requirements - further adding evidence that York is a much sought-after location."
Paul Newman, managing director for Barratt David Wilson Yorkshire East, said: "There have been many encouraging signs of continued success in the property sector across this region and York has been a stand out success for some time.
"We have been successfully building in York for more than 40 years now and designed developments which meet and hopefully exceed our buyer's expectations. We have one active site, Derwenthorpe that has achieved near sell-out success in just 18 months with only three of the 64 properties remaining and have several new exciting schemes opening in York in the near futurewhich will be perfect for buyers looking for a first or second home."
Whathouse.co.uk has a range of new-build properties available in York with prices starting at £229,995 for a four-bedroom detached house. Developers working in the area include Barratt Homes, David Wilson Homes and Linden Homes.