Yesterday, Business Week published “The World’s Best Places to Live 2008”. Consultants from Mercer Consulting rated each city on a variety of factors including the level of traffic congestion, air quality, and personal safety reported by expatriates living in more than 600 cities worldwide. I thought the list was pretty interesting, so I thought I would publish the results. Out of the top 20 cities on the list, I’ve only been to one. (How many have you been to?) It looks like I have some sight seeing to do. Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands are all neighbors. I could knock out 12 of the 19 I haven’t been to in one trip. Then, with a trip to Canada and another one to Australia/New Zealand I would be able to see them all. Of course, the best places to live might not be the same as the best places to visit, but oh well. And, if you’re curious, the first US city on the list was Honolulu at No. 28.
No. 1: Zurich, Switzerland
No. 2 (tie): Vienna, Austria
No. 2 (tie): Geneva, Switzerland
No. 4: Vancouver, Canada
No. 5: Auckland, New Zealand
No. 6: Dusseldorf, Germany
No. 7 (tie): Munich, Germany
No. 7 (tie): Frankfurt, Germany
No. 9: Bern, Switzerland
No. 10: Sydney, Australia
No. 11: Copenhagen, Denmark
No. 12: Wellington, New Zealand
No. 13: Amsterdam, Netherlands
No. 14: Brussels, Belgium
No. 15: Toronto, Canada
No. 16: Berlin, Germany
No. 17 (tie): Melbourne, Australia
No. 17 (tie): Luxembourg, Luxembourg
No. 19: Ottawa, Canada
No. 20: Stockholm, Sweden
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4 comments:
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I've been to seven of them. And I must comment that none of them really seemed at all like places I would want to live. I'm especially surprised that Zurich would be on the list and must wonder what the evaluators were smoking when they made up the list. Seriously, Zurich was one of the ickiest places I have ever visited. Some druggie threw a beer bottle at my dad because we were "staring" at him shoot up in the park (fortunately he was stoned so his aim wasn't too good). The whole park was full of people in various states of "highness" and it was pretty disturbing.
Most of the other places are just such big cities that I can't imagine living there - they tend to be dirty, loud, and super expensive.
Bern, Switzerland is the only place I've been to on the list that seems like it might be a nice place to live.
So, for what it's worth, I'd take it with a grain of salt...they might be great places to live as far as business and careers, but not what I would call "family-friendly." Just my two cents worth. :-)
Thanks for the comment Desi. They must have been anti-USA or something. :)
I have actually been to 4. Which is a big suprise because I usually put up a zero when it comes to games like this. I would live in any of the four. My biggest complaint would be the plumming in NZ and AUS. Every sink I saw had a seperate spout for hot and cold water. It was impossible to have warm water to wash your hands. Either you burned them or it was freezing.
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