[Lunatique]

Now that I've been traveling around for some time, I'm wondering where is the best place to live. What do you guys think?

Guess the criteria would be:
1)creatively stimulating
2)low cost of living.
3)clean and organized.
4)friendly, educated people.
5)fair, caring government.
6)good job opportunities.
7)technologically advanced.
8)culturally diverse.

Did I miss anything? Well, maybe these are just my criteria. Yours could be different. I've never been to Europe, but my Europeans friends say their countries match my description.

I think such a place doesnt' exist, and might never exist. Maybe in the future when we build a space city that orbits the sun?

[Steven Stahlberg]

You forgot food, man, but I guess that might fall under 8.

Sweden gets very high marks on 1, 3, 7 and 8, and 'pass' on the others except 2 which it flunks.
Hong Kong: superflunk on 2, slightly low on 3, 4, 5, very high on 6, ok on 7, average on 1 and 8.
USA: average on all except 8, which may be higher than average.
Australia: very similar to USA, mabye less marks on 8, higher on 4.
Singapore: highest marks of all for 8. High on 3, 4, 6, 7, ok on the rest.
Malaysia: similar to Singapore, maybe lower on 3, 6 and 7, and better on 2 (may be cheapest of all here).
I've heard Prague is a very beautiful and creatively stimulating city to live in, but that's all I know about that place.

[Lunatique]

oops, I did forget food. Make that number 9.

Damn, Steven. That's a lot of countries.

I've only been to Phillipines, Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, and the U.S.. I suck.

[Samson & Friends]

Norway is supposedly the country where you'll get the best quality of life.

Regarding Australia, they're very culturally diverse, despite the recent incident with the Tampa.

[Bishop_Six]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lunatique:
5)fair, caring government.

---

Oxymoron

[Lemur-X]

Well, here's one to strike from the list.

Anchorage, Alaska.

[Ahcri]

Vancouver Island. It's not the best place to find employment, but it's a gorgeous place.

Lunatique: I used to live in Taiwan, it's probably the worst place to live in the world. What do you think?

[Pat]

Lemur-X, I used to live in Eagle River. Anchorage is not quite as bad as it might seem. Compared to Minot North Dakota, Anchorage is an exciting cultural fiesta.

Austin, TX isn't too bad though, Lunatique.

-Pat

[cybertoker2001]

Well, I've lived a few places around the world.
And as far as the places I've lived go, here's my view on thangz.

If you like shopping, Singapore is the spot. It's like a really clean giant mall. They even have shopping under ground there, it's crazy. However, if you're a drinker or if you like to party it sucks. Alcohol is really expensive, all thier beer is 0.5% or lower and most drug offences will get you the death sentence.(Side note- chewing gum is illegal there too.)
But the zoo there is really awesome

Thailand was fun but I wouldn't want to live there.
If you do deside to go to Thailand, I would suggest you drink as much Singha beer as you possibly can. It's great stuff.
Stay out of Bangkok, it's one of the hugest filthies cities I ever been to. But you'll have to fly into Bangkok if you're going to Thailand anyways, so you might as well stick around there for a few days to take in the sites. You'll have to go see the Grand Palace. And I would suggest (if you can afford it.) that you treat yourself to at least one night at the Oriental Hotel. It's the finest hotel in the world as far as I'm concerned, they truly treat you like royalty there.
I spent most of time in Thailand on this cool little island by the name of Phuket. It's a great little spot with great food and cool people.
As far as the rest of Asia goes, I went to Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Bali, Malaysia and Taiwan. But, I just visited those places, so I can't really say here or there wether they would be cool spots to live or not. =/

I've lived some cool spots around the country (US), but you can get some travel guids to find out what they're like.
However Seattle's really nice and I would stay out of L.A. if you can help it.

The only other place I've lived outside of the country was Mazatlan Mexico and I liked it so much I stayed there for 2 years.
But that was because I was young and loved to party and Mazatlan is one of Mexico's spring break hot spots.
They also have a great Carnival (Marti Gras), it's the third biggest in the world after Brazil and New Orleans.
But if you like spending most of your time sober....it's a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there.

But what do I know? I was born in Tucson Arizona and for some reason I keep finding myself coming back to this state. Next year I'm moving to New Orleans, I'll let you know how that turns out.

Take it easy,
CT2001

[empyrios]

I've never lived there, but I really liked Rome when I visited a few years back.

It has to be the most creatively stimulating place I've ever been, and I've traveled quite a bit. The architecture of Rome is extraordinary, and the Vatican is a resource that I could spend every day in for the rest of my life.

The Almafi coast lays to the South toward Naples, and that stretch of water is some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Clear blue waters, mediterranean climate and trees... ahh. I miss it so much. Pompei is nearby, but then, all of Italy has inspiring sections. It's a goldmine as far as that's concerned. Taking a trainride through Italy could fill dozens of sketchbooks.

I don't know what the cost of living is in Rome. The exchange rate was very bad when I went back in the early 90's, but it may have since improved. The city was very clean compared to some of its European counterparts that I've visited. Don't go to Venice in the Summer, though, the water smells very bad.

The people... ahh, the people. Very friendly, very open, very warm people. I had a few different people smile when I told them my name was Rich, and then they hit me with their best stories about their relatives named Ricardo. It was charming and amusing. Rome has its poor and uneducated people, but I've never seen a city that didn't. And I've been to a lot of them.

As far as I know the Italian government scores alright on your requirements, maybe someone else could add to that. Like I said, it's been awhile since I visited. The same goes for job opportunities, although I have seen signs that Italy's entertainment and internet industries have been exploding in recent years, which is always a plus. It's worth checking into.

Technologically advanced, yes, but part of the charm of Europe is how strongly the age and personality of its cities shine through the modern day. I absolutely love the sense of history I get when I walk through cities like Rome and Amsterdam. Rome has everything you could want technologically, I think? Not sure what you're going for there. Italy's certainly not a 3rd world nation.

As far as it being culturally diverse goes, hmm. Yes, I think so. Much of its diversity is made up of visiting tourists during the seasons, but I suspect that Italy may have a more diverse population than many other European countries because of its unique beauty and appeal. No doubt it's attracted many foreign citizens. That's just conjecture, though, and it's very hard to judge those things without living there.

Hope that helped. Of all the places I've been to, Rome is perhaps the only one that I've longed to revisit and, even further, toyed with the idea of moving to. Seeing the painted dome in St. Peter's Basilica was one of the few moments in my life in which I was moved to awe. I found myself experiencing the same sensation all over Italy.

I'd score Rome with a 55 or so on a 1-10 scale for creative inspiration. Maybe that makes up for some of its shortcomings? It does for this artist.

- Rich [ empyrean / iCE ]

[Jock McxSporran]

I'm not worried that I am missing out on anything, I would live anywhere other than Scotland for all the tea in China.

1)Very
2)Absolutely
3)As much as most places. We're not talking Singapore style cleanliness here, but on the other hand we have no polution so I suppose it depends on what you mean by "clean"
4)Naturally
5)Perhaps not (cos we are governed from London mostly, and they are all corrupt)
6)I hope so
7)Yep
8)Admittedly Scotland has very little cultural diversity (smallest non-indigenous population in Europe I think)

And I'd like to add another

9)Climate

I don't like hot weather so it suits me down to the ground, but most people find Scotland's constant drizzly rain and overcast skies depressing.

[Freddio]

Steven I think you are quite right..

but Australia, is very culturally diverse, more than you might think.

as Samson & Friends said..

[ October 06, 2001: Message edited by: Freddio ]

[Denim Atrisun]

hmm..
I don't think there's a country in the world that actually will meet all those standards..
And what about natural disasters, the weather, and such things?
I mean, Japan sounds good, but 5 quakes a day must seriously suck..
Ireland has a few of those points as well, very scenic, nice people (seriously), but they lack #7 most of all.
Netherlands, well.. We have no culture, just borrow stuff from others.

#4 is an oxymoron

If you find Utopia, please let me know..

[ October 06, 2001: Message edited by: Denim Atrisun ]

[daz199]

it's Vancouver BC, Canada EH!
a major newspaper actually did this thing
and the #1 spot to live in the world based on a lotta stuff was Vancouver
and i live in Vancouver

i think #2 was somewhere in Sweden, or somewhere in Europe..

[Freddio]

It must be if the newspaper said so

[xXxPZxXx]

I would actually back you up on Vancouver. But I would actually say go north about 90 minutes to Whistler and you have hit utopia. I can't imagine any place better than it. A small pedestrian village with cobble stone streets sitting all by its lonesome. people from all around the world who are there because they love it. Anyone else been there?

[Ian]

holland.

[KrassOtti]

I have been thinking about this a lot lately as well, since I don't want to be stuck in a big city forever [Chicago right now]. My priorities are probably a little different than yours, but I'll still give my opinion:

So far I have lived in 2 places in Germany, 1 in Spain, 1 in MA, and now Chicago...

Germany is nice, but not ideal. Probably most advanced country in Europe, good job opportunities and if you live a little in the country side the air is also pretty fresh. It's not that beautiful, especially since it is raining a lot and cold, which I hate. So overall for your points:
1)average
2)average
3)good
4)average [Educated: Yes, but people are not so nice most of the time...]
5)very good
6)good
7)very good
8)average

Than there is Spain. I lived in Mallorca, which is an island. Awesome place. I loved it. It's fairly advanced and there is a lot of money, since a lot of tourism is going on there [as long as you are staying out of the tourist resorts it does not affect you so much]. Scenery, especially in the mountains is very nice. Weather is also always nice, barely any rain, but at the highest mountain it actually snows sometimes! Overall:
1)Very good
2)Good [just stay out of the tourist places]
3)Good
4)Good [Educated average, but people very friendly]
5)Good
6)Good [Some guy I know there is doing wall paintings for a living and tourism opens up a lot of jobs]
7)Good
8)Good

Now MA in the US. I lived in a little village. Also tourist attraction a little, but it's pretty nice. Too lazy to go in depth, but it was comparable to germany.

Chicago right now is cool... hmm, it's a big city, so you get jobs and all that stuff, but quality of life isn't all that great. Expensive, the air sucks, the weather sucks even more, but there is a shitload of stuff to do and very diverse. Some of the scenery is quite inspiring. Some beautifull places here near the downtown area, but as soon as you go a little further than chinatown it's all just a montonous huge ghetto... Studying here: Yes, but living, hell no!


I am personally thinking about checking out Puerto Rico sometimes. It sounds really cool, only downside I could find so far is that there are hurricanes sometimes, but they seem to be rather only on the east coast, so anyone on the west should be fine The place has a near tropical climate, so you can grow coconut palm trees in your backyard :P And it is warm all year round. As soon as I have some money saved up I'm gonna go there and check the place out for a week or two

[[Lifter]]

Well I'd have to say New Zealand ... perhaps a bit bias but well, living here all my life and I still don't want to move has gotta account for something..

NZ fits to all descriptions of the first post to a degree but it'd have to excell in the "creatively stimulating" catagory.

:D?

[a_sh]

there's no place like home, and my home is where my heart is!

(maybe not relevant here but it's still a very comforting thought)

[Steven Stahlberg]

It is relevant, in a way, because I know many people feel that way, perhaps most people - and the place where the heart is for most people, is usually the place they grew up. I used to feel that way, but not now. I've travelled too much. Have I lost something or gained something? I don't know, a matter of opinion perhaps.

But some people I talk to act like it's inconceivable for them to ever live Anywhere Else, many don't even want to visit Anywhere Else. I don't think that's the best attitude to have to this incredible planet. The best place on earth is hardly likely to be where we happen to grow up, statistically speaking, right? So the emotional attachments we form there could be called a form of prejudice, that hampers our objectivity.
I have relatives that behave like those horses with blinkers on, so they can only see a small part of the world. "How can you stand to live in America, it's such a horrible place!" "Well... have you ever lived there?" "Never!" And then I meet Americans who say the same thing about everywhere else. Sigh.

So - my advice - travel as much as you can! Especially when you're young. And especially, if you get the chance to live for an extended period in a foreign country, jump at it, no matter where it is! Because you DON'T know what it's like until you've done it.

Two people can see the same place and have totally opposite opinions about it. Don't listen to someone else's opinion too much, go see for yourself.

[Matt Elder]

Depends what you like. I grew up in the country and can't stand city living (too fast, too inpersonal, no space). Having said that and done a little travel, I prefer the cold to heat. I lived in some small towns in northern canada and loved that.

Otherwise, like Steven Stahlberg suggested, I'm biased towards Australia. Sydney is generally good on all accounts. Although Brisbane has great weather all year 'round (15-25 degress in winter, and some warm 40 deg days in summer).

As for culturely diverse, I would have to say one of the most. As for the Tampa incident, all I'm going to say is that Australia has one of the most 'liberal' immigration policies in the world, 2nd only to Canada. I think other countries need to examine themselves before they critise us.

[Lunatique]

Hahahaha. We have preferences in what CITY we want to live in within a 100 mile radius, let alone the whole planet. The thing that sucks is that most people can't afford to travel. All of the traveling I've done have been accidental. Not a single one was truely planned by myself with the sole intention of seeing a new place, except traveling to see art shows and conventions. The only place I've actually wanted to visit is Europe. I've been told over and over by friends who are either from Europe or have been to Europe that I(creative, sensual people in general)belong in Europe(especially Paris), not in America.

What do you guys think of their comment? Are creative/sensual people better off in Europe?

[Lukiaz]

New Zealand!

Clean, isolated, *up on the play* so to speak.
Multi cultural as you can get and artsy places abound.

Bias because I'm from there.....no..of course not(its the truth I tell you!).

[Ragnarok]

I think Spain is a rather interesting place to live. I'm learning the history of Spain in the last 3 centuries, and we've been quite bizarre. It's a very diverse country, people from the south are very different from people from the north. This little country has a lot to offer to an artist.

Lunatique, Paris is the artists' city. I've been there and I've fallen in love with it.

[Mezoic]

Spain is really nice. I lived there during my early childhood, and it's beauty captures a lot of what makes Europe what it is.

[Duracel]

Im german, im 20, i lived in a too little village near netherlands, born in Berlin, one week in the Provence(south france), one week in the dolomites(alps, north italy), a day in Amsterdam, a day in Cologne, thats all i think!

So, the week i was in the provence, i saw, that Germany is really cold, i dont mean just the �Celsius, i mean all, the colors .. ..just the feeling.
So if you have just the land, it can be beautiful, but the houses, the cities, they arent really beautiful. They are comfortable, but not beautiful. If you compare a church in germany and on near to the mediterranean sea, the german-church, perhaps the cologne cathedral, its a gradios church, but every mediterrean-church has a warmer feeling.

I have the firm intention to visit New York next Year(refrain from the happenings), i will see, how this metropolis is pulsing. It musst be a great town, cause there is so much live in it. I hope so.

Also, the german-bureaucracy is fair, but the prise you haver to pay for this "fairness" is time! Tooooo much time!

1) creatively stimulation
not enough for me
2) low cost of livin
ah, good enough, but not the best i think
3) clean and organized
yep, but i think toooooo organized!
4) friendly educated people
they could be more friendly but friendly enough - educated, many, but i think people are different in the same country.
5) fair, caring government
just look above, fairness is too expensiv for me
6) good job opportunities
I think so!
7)technological advanced
not as perfekt as USA but very good
8)culturally diverse
many turkey, some others, it could be more!
also germans have the problem, that they could not have any pride in their nation, so sometimes thats missing, i think you should be proud of where you born in and where you live in.

PS: i hope, my english is not as bad as i suppose so its 2:30am and im tired gn8