| Author | Message | ||
     Toronto_s3 |
Found this on the CNN site. Sort of interesting I thought. http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/26/news/international /greatest_cities_to_live/index.htm NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Vienna, the Austrian capital renowned for its music and architecture, has the best quality of life of any city in the world, according to results of a survey released Wednesday. The Viennese ranked number one among 221 cities surveyed by Mercer, a London-based investment services company owned by Marsh and McLennan Cos. (MMC, Fortune 500) Vienna was followed closely by two Swiss cities: Zurich and Geneva. The survey considered such matters as political stability, crime, economy, personal freedom, health services, sewage, air pollution, schools, public utilities, transportation, housing and climate. It also took into account the cities' restaurants, theaters, sports, availability of consumer goods and record of natural disasters. Vienna lauded the survey results on its official Website, saying "A fact that makes millions of visitors to Vienna so enthusiastic has again been confirmed by a well-known international city survey: Vienna's the best in every way!!!" The U.S. failed to make the list of the top 10 most livable cities, which included the Canadian city of Vancouver, Auckland in New Zealand, the German cities of Dusseldorf, Munich and Frankfurt, the Swiss city of Bern, and also Sydney, the largest city in Australia. Honolulu was the top U.S. city, at number 31, followed by San Francisco at 33 and Boston at 37. At the bottom of the scale was Baghdad, where gun battles, terrorist attacks and kidnappings have become routine since U.S. and coalition troops invaded in 2003. The survey said that a "lack of security and stability" has created unlivable conditions in the Iraqi capital. 0:00 /4:00Haiti's long road to recovery The earthquake-ravaged city of Port-au-Prince in Haiti and poverty-stricken Dhaka in Bangladesh are also among the lowest-ranked cities on the livability list. Mercer also conducted an "eco-city" survey focusing exclusively on water availability and cleanliness, waste removal, sewage, air pollution and traffic congestion. On that list, the U.S. fared much better. Honolulu placed second in the world, bested only by the Canadian city of Calgary. Minneapolis was sixth and Pittsburgh was 13th. The nation's capital, Washington, was 23rd. Otherwise, the eco-list was dominated by cities in Canada, western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. As an eco-city, Baghdad managed to rank above Antananarivo, capital of the African island-nation of Madagascar, which came in dead last. Slagin Parakatil, senior researcher at Mercer, said "the lack of adequate modern infrastructure in some of the African cities combined with relatively high air pollution" is why many African cities fared so poorly on the list. To top of page | ||
| Cityxslicker |
great, look to that as a basis for the new 'climate' adjustment bailout for the poorer countries with crappy environmental conditions. | ||
| 86129squids |
Mur-vil TN!!!! No better roads to ride, youn's...  | ||
| Hambcastle |
All the top cities have lane splitting for motorcycles! It makes sense to me. | ||
| Danger_dave |
>>Mur-vil TN!!!! No better roads to ride, youn's... << Y'all haven't been to NZ huh? :-) | ||
| Dfishman |
No such thing as a "Good City" to live in.Give me small town America anyday! | ||
| Glitch |
No such thing as a "Good City" to live in. Give me the Appalachia Mountains, I don't even need a small town, just peace, quiet, and twisty roads. | ||
| Aesquire |
Vancouver is a great city. May be the best ever. The rest of the list is crap, since the criteria seem to fail to include trivia like speed limits, twisty roads and freedom. ( I hear Aukland is pretty good too. Must visit someday. ) | ||
| Irideabuell |
I've been to all of the top 10 European cities and they all are very enticing. Great people, food, things to do and mountains not too far away with their twisty roads. | ||
| Trojan |
I've been to most of the top European cities and would saye that Vienna isn't as nice as Prague or Rome (although the traffic IS better than Rome!). However all our infinitely better than London or Manchester  | ||
| Paw |
Yes but is it the safest place to live...Is your chances of getting shot in the back low...Or getting shot for swiping a can of spam minimal!!! HA HA HA!!! Sorry had to do it. | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
Honolulu was the top U.S. city, at number 31, followed by San Francisco at 33 and Boston at 37. Seems like their criteria is quite different then mine.  Either a small town or in the country at least 15 minutes from the nearest town for me.} | ||
| Buell2001b |
Vienna has to be at the top becuase that is where all out white collar crooks stick their money in. I would bet all the HD board memeber have a bank account in Vienna!! | ||
| 46champ |
We'll see if those European cities are still rated as high 50 years from now when 1/2 the population is bowing to Mecca. | ||
| Danger_dave |
>>Seems like their criteria is quite different then mine.<< Ain't that the truth! Some are rated on 'Social Services'. All my life I've worked hard and paid my taxes for other people's social services - till the point where the burgeoning welfare class of drug addled, slack jawed yokels stealing from welfare gives me the sh*ts. (Message edited by danger_dave on May 28, 2010) | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Great so Aus it in the welfare shiatter too? Flarg so much for leaving here and escaping to there. | ||
| Danger_dave |
Remember that you are listening to a bloke who thinks the Spartans were on the right track. | ||
| Trojan |
Vienna has to be at the top becuase that is where all out white collar crooks stick their money in. I would bet all the HD board memeber have a bank account in Vienna!! They'd be buggered if they did, coz Vienna is in Austria and all the 'numbered' no tax/no questions bank accounts are in Switzerland However they all wear leather shorts and climb mountains so what's a European border between friends | ||
| Indy_bueller |
Strange they didn't mention tax burden. | ||
| Cowboy |
1 I wonder how many of them want to come here to live? 2 How many Americans want to live there? | ||
| Brumbear |
The Germans got 3 of the top ten anyone else thinking what I'm thinking? | ||
| Garyz28 |
I have a hard time thinking of any city as being a good place to live. | ||
| Pwnzor |
I'm with Garyz28. Cities are bunk. | ||
| Danger_dave |
All of a sudden I feel like I'm in an episode of Green Acres. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
or a bad 80s M J Fox film | ||
| 86129squids |
"Green acres is the place for me Farm livin aww, heck, don't remember the rest, 'cept Zsa Zsa was HAWWWTTT!!! DD, I'm sure Aus/NZ roads are fabu, but in the US Appalachia is the shiznit.   | ||
| Danger_dave |
Aus riding isn't very good compared to to NZ. Proud Aussie I am still, but dats juz da fax Jack. There are some outstanding highlights on the East Coast and in Tasmania, but we accurately call it the 'wide, brown land'. The good bits are indeed good - but they are often great distances apart and generally not much more than one weathered mountain in the ancient landscape at a time. Most of the interior is flat and featureless or an enormous desert. If was back home in country NSW I'd own a Road King. Right tool for the job. Conversely parts of the The South Island of NZ are where the crust of the earth has been rent along a huge fault line - and the roads wind their way through it. 'Amazing' is what everyone who has ridden here in decent weather says. In the end Alpine riding is alpine riding - the best. Regardless of where the mountain is. Advantage with here is the good roads are relatively empty, without vast distances between them, and the are deeeelightfully plentiful.  | ||
| Pwnzor |
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