Posted on 10/05/2005 11:21:59 AM PDT by loreldan
Beaches, ski resorts, mountains, great weather and friendly people are just some of the ingredients of the best place to live in the world.
But where is this heaven on earth, where can you have a great standard of living and healthcare, get your hands on the world's best goods and experience some of the best services?
The answer, according to the United Nations quality of life survey, is Vancouver in British Columbia.
The "City of Glass" - so called because of its mirror-fronted skyscrapers - has topped the poll every year for nearly a decade.
Conde Nast Traveller describes Vancouver as the "perfect Pacific city, shimmering on the edge of a beautiful harbour."
Canada did well in the poll, with two other entries: Toronto at number nine and Calgary in tenth place.
Jon Copestake, editor of the Economist Intelligence Unit, which commissioned the research, said: "There are hardly any problems in Canada and even less in Vancouver."
An impressive five Australian cities made it into the top 10, explaining why so many Brits escape the UK for Down Under.
London failed to impress in the survey and came a dismal 47th out of the 127 cities included.
The worst place to live was named and shamed as Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.
The 10 best cities to live in are:
Vancouver, Canada
Melbourne, Australia
Vienna, Austria
Geneva, Switzerland
Perth, Australia
Adelaide, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Zurich, Switzerland
Toronto, Canada
Calgary, Canada
The 10 worst cities to live in are:
Tehran, Iran
Douala, Cameroon
Harare, Zimbabwe
Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Lagos, Nigeria
Karachi, Pakistan
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Algires, Algeria
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
I agree with your father. I think Edinburgh, in your neck of the woods, should have been considered. It has everything: architecture, history, culture, and it's beautiful.
You must not be hungry or horny.
Scariest town in the US is Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
Go downtown to Hastings at night...Try to get a job in North Van if you don't speak Mandarine or Cantonese...
Looks nice on the outside...just don't look too deep...
But where is this heaven on earth, where can you have a great standard of living and healthcare, get your hands on the world's best goods and experience some of the best services?
Let's comp it to NYC.
Beaches - NYC has more and nicer beaches.
Ski resorts - NYC is close to decent ski resorts but if one is a truly top-notch skier, BC is better. For most people's purposes, NYC is just as good.
Mountains - NYC is located near several nice ranges.
Great weather - NYC isn't as rainy and has much warmer summers.
Friendly people - neither city is really known for friendly people. This category is kind of a joke.
Great standard of living - NYC incomes are much, much higher than Vancouver's and Vancouver still has the highest real estate prices in Canada.
Best goods - there is nothing available for sale in Vancouver that cannot be obtained in NYC, and it's probably cheaper. There are tons of quality goods for sale in NYC that are not available in Vancouver.
Health care - there is no rationing in NYC and the best medical personnel and facilties are there.
Best services - for the discerning consumer there is a level and variety of services available in NYC unimaginable in Vancouver.
Additionally, Vancouver has one of the highest percentages of drug addicts in the Western world, far higher than NYC. Vancouver has a higher crime rate than NYC.
Victoria seemed much nicer...
I miss Troy Hill. We lived there from 1985-1992.
"Mountains - NYC is located near several nice ranges."
The nearest mountain is 1700 miles away...
I like NYC too - at least Manhattan. Some areas of the city are less desirable...as with all cities.
Great weather?????????
Probably. It has better weather than many places in the US, including all of Texas. The weather is actually quite mild, if cool.
Yeah, but there's pretty decent skiing in Vermont.
You mean the world's highest summits aren't in the Poconos, Catskills or Berkshires?
???
The Alleghenies, the Catskills, the Adirondacks, the Berkshires, etc.
If the U.N. weenies are too cool for Pitt, then good for Pitt. The losers probably wouldn't know enough to order up some Yuenglings anyway
"Largest Chinese population on the West Coast."
My understanding is that Canada had a similar law to our 14th amendment which allowed a child born in Canada automatic citizenship. Prior to the hand over of Hong Kong to China in 1999, Vancouver was flooded with Hong Kong chinese women coming over to have their anchor babies.
I also understand that Canada saw what was happening and changed that law. Can anybody verify this?
We CAN dream!!!!!!!!!
The only problem with it is Canadian taxes. I haven't been there in 15 years and it was just as the first influx of Chinese immigrants was entering. How have they handled their immigration surges?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.