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 edge of the Thames estuary, being just a few miles from the open waters of the North Sea and from the Kent coast. Featuring on the town's coastal area is a nature reserve at Two Tree Island and a centrally set beach beside Bell Wharf. Leigh's foreshore is primarily viewed as being an area with considerable mud flats and creeks when the water is at low tide. Between the 1870s and the 1920s, Broadway, previously a residential street, was completely transformed into a commercial parade of shopfronts. In the 1930s, London Road and Leigh Road similarly ended up being identified as commercial streets, holding shops, workshops, industrial properties, and entertainment sites. Because of the supremacy of 24 hour grocery stores and online shopping from the 1990s, much of the town's independent small business went through redevelopment, with bars, cafés, eateries, galleries and gift shops replacing most of the traditional shops. On-going city regeneration continues to entice brand-new homeowners to the town, alongside intending to accommodate for the surge in Southend's increased population. With a population of over 20000, Leigh was listed by Rightmove's 2016 Happy at Home Index as the happiest place to live in Great Britain, with attention being drawn to the strong community spirit, a sense of belonging, and good access to sports and arts activities. A variety of community activities are well established, such as the Leigh Regatta, taking place over one September weekend, the Leigh Folk Festival and the Leigh Art Trail. For all your house upgrades, make sure to make use of trustworthy contractors in Leigh-on-Sea to make certain of quality.