The World's Best Places To Live 2010

[poiuytrewq0987]

http://www.cnbc.com/id/36938560?slide=1

[nisse]

Yey for #4! :D...although I should prob. move to Australia.

Europe didn't do so well :(

[Grumpy Cat]

:lol: Vancouver #1? You have to sell your soul to get an apartment there.

I'll stick with good ol' Halifax.... which they say is the most violent city in Canada, yet Vancouver has more gangs and stuff.

[la bombe]

A lot of these places sound pretty boring to me.

[Megrez]

Fake.

[Grumpy Cat]

I wonder what factors they used. Because I live in Charlottetown, PEI and as much as I complain about this place (cold and boring in the winter, hot, humid tourist trap in the summer), I'd rather live here than Toronto, Vancouver, or Calgary.

There is so little crime here that I have my doubts that the cops even know what their sirens sound like.

This is considered a "bad neighbourhood" in Charlottetown:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Chtown_houses.jpg/800px-Chtown_houses.jpg

Seriously, in the rare time that a siren is heard and the cops, firemen, or (in most cases) ambulance have to do something, everybody flocks around to see what's up because it's so rare. I, being from Halifax, pay no attention or walk the other way because I don't like talking to the cops, and locals here think I'm weird for it.

And unlike Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, or even Halifax, housing is cheap. Rent in apartments averages around $450/month and a fairly nice house will run you 90 grand.

Charlottetown is also cleaner than all these cities. Way cleaner. There is even less light pollution (you can actually see the stars here).

One bad thing is that public transit really sucks, and because it sucks so much, everybody owns a car so it's IMPOSSIBLE to find a place to park in the downtown core.

[Bloodeagle]

Vancouver is clean and beautiful but there are far to many Asians living there for my tastes.:D

[RoyBatty]

These polls are arbitrary and meaningless imo. What is "best" for one person is hell for another.

I agree with La Bombera regarding "boring". The list is also remarkably Anglo-Centric with particular love shown to cities in the cultural and geographical wastelands. Could it *really* be so wonderful in the Colonial Empire or are the methods used to compile the scores skewed?

[Sahson]

Yey for #4! :D...although I should prob. move to Australia.

Europe didn't do so well :(

I know Perth loves to keep us informed about the world's most livable cities, because they seem obsessed, and i suppose proud they've been in the top 10 for 11 years running.

most often then not only 2 or 3 European countries end int he top 10, but it's all down to which scale of quality of living you are using. Either if you do, come to perth. :P


:lol: Vancouver #1? You have to sell your soul to get an apartment there.

I'll stick with good ol' Halifax.... which they say is the most violent city in Canada, yet Vancouver has more gangs and stuff.

Again its down to what scale they use. Mercer ranks sydney better then Perth, which I personally disagree, there is a lot more crime and issues of that matter in sydney then in Perth. Perth has nearly everything you need for a city, and its a quite nice place to live, our winters are like Britain in spring.

here is the mercer Quality of living (http://www.mercer.com/qualityoflivingpr#City_Ranking_Tables) and Eco-city rankings (http://www.mercer.com/qualityoflivingpr#Ranking_Eco_Cities).

The economist livable cities (http://www.eiu.com/site_info.asp?info_name=The_Global_Liveability_Rep ort&page=noads&rf=0) seems to be the one posted here, which NYtimes has criticised it for being anglocentric because the economist clearly equates livability with the ability to speak English."

[Treffie]

A lot of these places sound pretty boring to me.

Yep, best = most boring :)

[Guapo]

If I had lots of money I'd live here:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_igZV87_JRHs/R6bGxgwM7gI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/ek-4hp3GRz0/s400/honolulu.jpg

[Eldritch]

Considering how our current kakistrocracy's vision of this country's function in the global scheme of things is, apparently, "the 3rd World's welfare office", the only list Helsinki will be on ten years from now is "the world's best places to live, if you are Somali or ME/NA". :coffee:

[Aemma]

The problem with these things are the indices and values used in determining the indices.

I can hardly believe that Vancouver would rank in first place for crying out loud. And Toronto and Calgary in the top 5? Give me a flippin' break. Don't get me wrong. Not that I am not happy to see some great Canadian cities on the list but as AD's been saying, there are nicer, more affordable and less congested places to live--in the end, better balanced (on a number of scales)than these three spots.

[Óttar]

Australia and NZ ranked consistently high. See what happens when you have a practical immigration policy? My dad wants to retire in NZ. :p

[RoyBatty]

Australia and NZ ranked consistently high. See what happens when you have a practical immigration policy? My dad wants to retire in NZ. :p

Come again? Both countries are being overrun by respectively Chinks and Coconuts. Whitey ain't going to last long in either. :thumbs up

[Ibericus]

Hasn't Vancouver very high crime rates ? :confused:

[Aemma]

Hasn't Vancouver very high crime rates ? :confused:

It's a huge city. I think it would be safe to assume as much.

[Lars]

They forgot to mention that big cities are shit to live in compared to rural areas. ;)

[jerney]

Toronto? I've heard Toronto is a shit hole. Vancouver is ok, but is basically the poor man's Seattle.

[Lars]

Toronto? I've heard Toronto is a shit hole. Vancouver is ok, but is basically the poor man's Seattle.

Guess not... if you're black, Asian or a Muhammadan. :coffee:

[Loddfafner]

It appears that distance from anywhere else is one of the factors in their formula. If Perth and Calgary qualify, then I am surprised that St. Helena and Pitcairn do not as well.

[Aemma]

Guess not... if you're black, Asian or a Muhammadan. :coffee:

I think that's hitting the nail right on the head. As I said, presupposed values have a lot to do with determining indices for these types of studies.

You really would have to pay me all the tea in China (and then some) for me to even consider living in anyone of these large Canadian cities. But then again, I could probably say the same for many other huge North American cities.

[Piparskeggr]

Closest city to where I live is Rockford, IL...about 160, 000 population (abt 340,000 in the metro area).

Too big for my taste, too congested and too far gone from its English-German-Scandinavian roots...

[Grumpy Cat]

Yep, best = most boring :)

Yeah. That's what makes Halifax so exciting. Home sweet home. It's like a bad relationship, and we all know bad relationships are exciting ones because the make-up sex after having a huge fight is the best sex. :thumbs up

Oh yeah and any shawarma pit in Halifax could beat the one in Ottawa anonymaus was so scarred by. :D

[Sahson]

Come again? Both countries are being overrun by respectively Chinks and Coconuts. Whitey ain't going to last long in either. :thumbs up

rather have chinks then blacks.

Either way if I had a choice to live anywhere, hmmm I probably would return back to Kuala Lumpur. I have been having alot of Nostalgia about KL recently.

http://i1.trekearth.com/photos/21702/kualalumpur030405eote.jpg

but i'd probably live in Shah Alam at the Golf course residences instead. I miss alot of things there, if only I could get a permanent resident visa. And also what other european person would want to move out and live in Malaysia, and have a 2 full-time maids for as little as RM30,000 a year (US$9,360 or €7,245).

There are a lot of half-cast in Malaysia, infact in high school, one of them that I was best friends with was half british, and half chinese. The thing with malaysia is there laws, they're highly strict, they treat the indigenous with the utmost importance, the chinese-malay, and indian-malay are pretty much treated like scum, even the ones that have been there since the 1300's.

[nisse]

I miss alot of things there, if only I could get a permanent resident visa. And also what other european person would want to move out and live in Malaysia, and have a 2 full-time maids for as little as RM30,000 a year (US$9,360 or €7,245).

Probably none (at least I hope so). Cheap slave labour only appeals to the lazy.

[RoyBatty]

rather have chinks then blacks.


No arguments there. :thumb001:

[Óttar]

but i'd probably live in Shah Alam at the Golf course residences instead. I miss alot of things there, if only I could get a permanent resident visa. And also what other european person would want to move out and live in Malaysia, and have a 2 full-time maids for as little as RM30,000 a year (US$9,360 or €7,245
That's true, in India you can have servants. It's great having your meals prepared and brought to you, but it's really weird when they assist aggressively to do everything including merely getting a soda from the fridge. :mmmm:

[Sahson]

Probably none (at least I hope so). Cheap slave labour only appeals to the lazy.

Well to be frank, its all relative, RM600 a month is a very good wage for someone in Malaysia. MY father when he worked there paid his staff very good wages, to the point, they would not leave him for another job, because no where else would pay as good or look after them as well.

You have to realize that RM4 is a loaf of wholemeal brown bread there, RM6 if you go to delifrance, either way that's CA$1.32 and CA$1.97, and these are your luxuries I suppose. Organic soap from Sukin can be had for RM25(CA$8.22) or you can get about 10 imperial leather for RM11...

RM30 for a legitimate copy of a DVD, RM2 from the market stalls... To be honest alot of full-time maids have it alot better then the part-timers, because they are given accommodation, they aren't stuck to an agent the majority of the time.

Having a full-time maid in Malaysia among the social classes I grew up was very common, and normal. In fact the maid would have been with the family for years, some of my friend's maids had been with the family before they were born.

Personally I don't see how it is considered to be lazy, it gives you more time to go to work, or spend time with your family. In many cases it was the former with my parents.


That's true, in India you can have servants. It's great having your meals prepared and brought to you, but it's really weird when they assist aggressively to do everything including merely getting a soda from the fridge. :mmmm:

It's not that obsessive in Malaysia. Generally one family would have one to 3 depending, and there would always been one to look after the kids. The very rich had their own chauffeur, etc.

I know we had one for 1 year, and she was from the Philippines, very friendly and nice. she did the chores a housewife would do, while my mom worked 50 odd hours as an accountant, pick me up from the bus port (back when i was young there was a high rate of europeans being kidnapped for ransom.) she'd cook about three times a week, and cooked traditional Asian meals, when my father wanted something different. That's about as far as it went. no getting things for you, just being a housewife so to speak.

That's another thing I remember my dads company went out for a chinese meal at one of the best in town, there was about 12 of us, and we all had a meal, plus about several more entrees to go about. Sweet and sour pork, beef in oyster sauce, mein houn noodles, about 8 crabs, and a whole lot more, for no more then RM230(US$71.75 or €55.55)

Again this place to me one of the best places to live, for an expat. cost of living today is still incredibly cheap, the only downside is buying a car there. they have a 300% import tax on german cars, this is so that their malaysian car companies can thrive, which keeps an industry. A Ford Focus will cost you €79,700 there!

Mercedes start at a quarter of a million euros...

[Bloodeagle]

rather have chinks then blacks.

I have lived amongst both groups and I would rather not have either.
Japanese I can tolerate, except for their superiority issues with whites. Many Japanese still think that we are barbarians!
The rest of the Asians that I have witnessed have nasty customs that make me sick.:yuck:
Vancouver is a beautiful city set within an outdoor paradise of ocean, mountain and forest, much like Seattle but cleaner and less repressed IMO.

If I had to live in a large city I would chose Vancouver if the weather wasn't so gloomy and there were fewer chinks!:)

[RoyBatty]

Many Japanese still think that we are barbarians!


I hate to say it but many Japanese are possibly right about some of us!!! :D

PS, if you haven't read James Clavell's "Shogun" saga check it out. It's quite entertaining and amongst other things deals with this very topic.



The rest of the Asians that I have witnessed have nasty customs that make me sick.:yuck:

An ex-housemate of mine worked in property management and she'd always tell me horror stories about apartments rented out to Chinese Corporate tenants that they had to deal with. I'll spare you the details since you already know them. :D

[nisse]

Well to be frank, its all relative, RM600 a month is a very good wage for someone in Malaysia.
IMO it's not about what it is to them, it's what it is to you. You are getting a whole lot of someones time for what is peanuts to you. By paying them a small fraction of what you get you are reaffirming that they are not worth as much as you, are not your equals but your inferiors. Why would you want to live surrounded by your inferiors?


Personally I don't see how it is considered to be lazy, it gives you more time to go to work, or spend time with your family. In many cases it was the former with my parents.
You can do chores as a family. It teaches the children responsibility and teamwork. :cool:

[MagnaLaurentia]

Vancouver and Toronto!!!! Holy ***!!! hahaha

Vancouver = too violent + 4 chinatown
Toronto = A good city for people who would like a preview of the coming years. (2/3 people are not white) + The suburban hyper islamized.

Calgary maybe... but a hamburger is 10$... the cost of living is very high (since the exploitation of oil)

So I prefere to live in east Montreal and go during my weekend in Quebec City! :)