[Pilgrim37]

Howdy,
I was thinking about which cities I could actually live in longterm (not just a few months as a novelty),single or with family and what narrows it down quality of life wise, and presuming you're on a reasonable income :

1. For me it's a city I can pretty much walk everywhere..I couldn't live in a place I needed a car to get everywhere.If I have to live in a suburb there has to be Good public transport.Trains and buses.

2.Open spaces and parks...I live in London and pretty spoiled in that regard : beautiful parks and squares all over.It's basic to remaining sane in a metropolis for me.

3.Not total chaos,traffic,utilities,not having the feeling of being completely rammed with people...constant battling just to get somewhere
The travel writer Paul Thereoux wrote in his last book some of the Indian cities he returned to after 30 years were just so rammed he couldn't walk on the pavements...he said if you want a vision of cities in the future he suspected that was it.
Street life is good to a point,but there's a limit where it fails to be entertaining and becomes a a pain if you live there.

4.A cultural hinterland...architecture,museums,theatres,cinemas,cafe life,book shops,pubs,..what's the point of being in the city otherwise.

5.Warm ,open people...the bigger the city the harder it is in my experience..London's bad for this.. eye contact non existent .I met more new people in 2 months in Miami Beach than 2 years in London.I'm sure it wasn't just the holiday spirit...living in a hostel helps though

So...I was surprised how many cities it narrows down to,and how many North American cities are excluded cause of the no walk/need car/bad public transport issue,of course I can only comment on cities I've visited...
North America:NYC,Vancouver,Toronto,San Diego( a bit quiet,good for family I guess),Miami Beach/South Beach(not the mainland..is there a bigger sprawling mess than Miami??.)
Hearsay: San Fran ,Chicago(not in winter),Austin

European:London,Paris,Prague(a bit parochial maybe)...
Hearsay:Munich ,Berlin and Hamburg,Stockholm,Barcelona

South American: I can only comment on Sao Paulo,Recife and Fortaleza...Chaos factor looms large, ..no real walkability in Recife and Fortaleza except on the beach promenade.
Could you live long term 5-10 years in Sao Paulo,Rio,working ,family...where else?

Hearsay:Buenos Aires

Remember... Not just a couple of months checking out the ladies,nightlife,hostel...Living longterm,,say you know a few people,have a job offer :apartment,job,family,social life,leisure.

So,even when I factor in Warm Weather and number of Great Asses per female population I still find myself leaning on the European side for the above requirements and general livability and sanity.
Livability outranking Great Asses...I'm getting old!

The Official 2010 Ranking by some survey outfit:

Vancouver,
Vienna,
Melbourne,
Toronto ,
Calgary,
Helsinki,
Sydney ,
Perth,
Adelaide
Auckland

If I remember 2009 included Zurich,Geneva,Munich,Frankfurt..but the Aussies killed the Swiss/Germans this time.

South American and American cities don't get a look in?

Of course fun factor isn't included

What say you?

Cheers,Pilgrim37

[manilaguy]

What's the question?

[rudebwoy]

This is a good question and one that I ask myself all the time. But I think you have to narrow down the question, if you are single or married. I think the list would be very different, also I think these survey's are always a bit one sided and someone's opinion.

I just got back from living in London myself, no offense but I found the lifestyle there sucks. The place is rundown, overcrowded, unfriendly and to top it off expensive. Toronto on the other hand is a great city with a much higher standard of living but the weather would probably turn you off, although it is only for 3 months(winter) and are summers are warm/nice. Vancouver is a highly rated city but the problem there would be to find a job that pays, it is a expensive city.

Yes, I like Europe but how easy is it to move to Zurich, Geneva and Helsinki, find a job and a decent place to live.?

Stockholm for obvious reasons is one of my fave cities in the world, but jobs there are scarce even for swedes.

[hydrogonian]

What you want exists in a lot of different places. But no place will be perfect. There are always concessions to be made.

If you need warm weather, than that helps narrow it down. Otherwise, the world is your oyster. Stick to medium sized "cities" or smaller. Eliminate all of the big cities on your list, if true livability is a concern.

I find that lesser traveled medium sized places have better quality people, generally. Pick any medium sized town anywhere in Europe, especially toward the east/southeast/south central, and your set.

The official rankings are good if you have an unlimited budget and don't care about work or taxes. If you are restricted in any of these things, than that quality of life list would change.

In North America, I could recommend Portland, OR or Vancouver/Victoria, BC. If you speak french, try Quebec City, Quebec. If you want a very small town vibe, try Nelson, BC. If you want Mediterranean weather but can give up some culture, try San Diego, California. However, you have to be okay with the Californian social vibe.

[maestrobaires]

americas:

portland, OR, US
vancouver, BC, CA
san diego, CA, US
florianopolis, santa catarina, brasil

europe:
pula, croatia
rijeka, croatia
limassol, cyprus
marbella, spain
prague, czech republic

australia:
sydney
perth
brisbane
adelaide

except for prague, portland and vancouver all the cities got a nice weather

buenos aires is nice. but too dangerous.

how difficult is it to get a residence visa depends on your nationality, qualifications, age, economical standing and so on