This year's list:
Top Ten
1. Melbourne, Australia
2. Vienna, Austria
3. Vancouver, Canada
4. Toronto, Canada
5. Calgary, Canada
6. Sydney, Australia
7. Helsinki, Finland
8. Perth, Australia
9. Adelaide, Australia
10. Auckland, New Zealand
Top Ten
1. Melbourne, Australia
2. Vienna, Austria
3. Vancouver, Canada
4. Toronto, Canada
5. Calgary, Canada
6. Sydney, Australia
7. Helsinki, Finland
8. Perth, Australia
9. Adelaide, Australia
10. Auckland, New Zealand
Having spent time in eight of them, I must point out that The Economist must use a panel of people that want to sell their houses in Melbourne.
Melbourne cannot be first! I quote two learned authorities:
Ms. Bette Midler to a Sydney Audience: "Melbourne is proof there is life after death"
Ms. Ava Gardner while making the movie "On the Beach" which deals with a post-nuclear war scenario, and was shot in and around Melbourne: "Melbourne is a great place to make a movie about the End of the World"
I rest my case
I was surprised that Barcelona did not rate a mention; looking at their criteria I can see, maybe, why. And, after all the purpose of the exercise is to suggest salary allowances that would need to be paid to make people relocate to those cities.
Another point.
Various correspondents responding to this post have suggested that Australia has a large number of reptiles, mammals, insects, plants and fish all bent on eating any tourist. This is not the case. Australia's fauna and flora is very discerning and will only think of sinking a fang into only the choicest morsels. So you lot are safe.
I would like to point out that apart from some experiences in darkest north-western Tasmania, I have only seen one, very small and very frightened, snake in the nearly forty years I have lived in Australia. Half that time I was a geologist working in the bush, so I got to where the beasties are supposed to be. I do not recommend darkest north-western Tasmania, however. Trying to cross a rocky creek when every exposed rock had a brown or red-bellied black snake sitting on it considering me for lunch was not the best of my life experiences.
*MySmiley* Druid *MySmiley*
Object of Desire (retired)
The Peoples Front For Nebhead Appreciation
I blame Jake
Object of Desire (retired)
The Peoples Front For Nebhead Appreciation
I blame Jake
The world's top ten and worst ten most livable cities
30/08/2011 07:06:50 PM
- 1220 Views
How do you call towns "cities"?
30/08/2011 08:12:27 PM
- 515 Views
I thought you were going to mention Perth. The rest are clearly cities, if you ask me.
30/08/2011 08:23:33 PM
- 496 Views
Perth has 1.7 million people.
30/08/2011 08:30:26 PM
- 646 Views
A million people isn't a city?
30/08/2011 08:28:20 PM
- 666 Views
Not necessarily.
30/08/2011 10:49:08 PM
- 632 Views
Re: Not necessarily.
30/08/2011 11:56:20 PM
- 563 Views
to meet their definition of best it also seems to help if you have mostly white
31/08/2011 01:52:11 PM
- 517 Views
Have you been to Toronto or Vancouver ?
31/08/2011 04:02:01 PM
- 529 Views
no but I have the internet and they meet the ethnic description I gave
31/08/2011 05:25:40 PM
- 646 Views
Yeah, I'm sorry, but you're fairly off with that one.
31/08/2011 04:52:25 PM
- 615 Views
OK you did see where I included Asians didn't you and I would call less than 2% significant
31/08/2011 05:31:45 PM
- 581 Views
As a comparison ...
30/08/2011 08:37:28 PM
- 687 Views
weather is a factor and three Canadian cities made the top ten?
30/08/2011 09:22:32 PM
- 655 Views
Vancouver at least has a nice climate.
30/08/2011 09:40:31 PM
- 772 Views
yeah there are not vey many US cities I would want to raise kids in
30/08/2011 11:16:52 PM
- 492 Views
Quality health care in the US, really?
31/08/2011 12:27:41 AM
- 600 Views
Also,
31/08/2011 12:53:00 PM
- 634 Views
no it works out that nicely for most people
31/08/2011 01:36:13 PM
- 591 Views
Getting care, getting timely care, getting quality care and paying for it are all different things.
31/08/2011 03:39:30 PM
- 744 Views
tha tis becuase the hospital is run by republicans and they were out to get you *NM*
31/08/2011 07:37:47 PM
- 447 Views
Livability obviously doesn't include "Concentration of Venomous Creatures". *NM*
30/08/2011 11:43:43 PM
- 317 Views
or perhaps Australian cities rank so high because they're so much better than the alternative
30/08/2011 11:58:47 PM
- 586 Views
Actually, the reason our cities are so liveable is because they're built to keep said creatures out
31/08/2011 12:59:01 AM
- 511 Views
How?
31/08/2011 08:20:01 AM
- 484 Views
I can't risk putting the answer on a public forum, the venomous creatures may find out
01/09/2011 07:26:52 AM
- 437 Views
Why no Boston? *NM*
31/08/2011 12:16:28 AM
- 310 Views
Annoyingness of local sports fans was also taken into consideration. *NM*
31/08/2011 12:31:21 AM
- 406 Views
Obviously the study group consists of Yankees fans. Poor, unfortunate souls. *NM*
31/08/2011 12:46:17 AM
- 285 Views
A low population density seems to be a key determinant in these rankings
31/08/2011 12:51:45 AM
- 471 Views
There is an obvious mistake
31/08/2011 03:07:31 AM
- 768 Views