Leigh-on-Sea is a civil parish in Essex. It is a district of Southend-on-Sea, with its own town council, and is at present the only civil parish within the district. The town is located on the northern side of the Thames estuary, being merely a few miles from the open waters of the North Sea and from the Kent coast. Featuring on the town's seaside area is a nature reserve at Two Tree Island and a centrally located beach alongside Bell Wharf. Leigh's foreshore is primarily seen as being an area with significant mud flats and creeks when the water is at low tide. Between the 1870s and the 1920s, Broadway, previously a residential street, was changed into a commercial parade of shopfronts. In the 1930s, London Road and Leigh Road similarly ended up being identified as commercial roads, holding outlets, workshops, commercial properties, and amusement areas. As a result of the prominence of 24 hour grocery stores and online shopping from the 1990s, a lot of the town's independent companies undertook redevelopment, with bars, cafés, restaurants, galleries and gift shops substituting some of the traditional stores. Continuing urban regeneration continues to lure new homeowners to the town, alongside wanting to accommodate for the increase in Southend's increased population. With a population of over 20000, Leigh was ranked by Rightmove's 2016 Happy at Home Index as the happiest area to live in Great Britain, with attention being drawn to the strong community spirit, a sense of belonging, and great access to sports and arts activities. A variety of local activities are well established, such as the Leigh Regatta, occurring over one September weekend, the Leigh Folk Festival and the Leigh Art Trail. For all of your home upgrades, make sure to make use of credible contractors in Leigh-on-Sea to make certain of quality.