The Economist: Most Livable Cities in the World

[explanade]

https://fortune.com/2022/06/23/most-livable-cities-economist-vienna-copenhagen-zurich/

No American city in the top 10, but 3 Canadian cities.

So this is probably not for retirees, who probably don't care as much about education.

Also not too focused on places with the best weather or weather most attractive to retirees.

Cities like Zurich probably great for people still working, wanting career opportunities.


Also affordability doesn't seem to be a big factor, many of these are high COL places.

 

[Freedom56]

https://fortune.com/2022/06/23/most-livable-cities-economist-vienna-copenhagen-zurich/

No American city in the top 10, but 3 Canadian cities.

So this is probably not for retirees, who probably don't care as much about education.

Also not too focused on places with the best weather or weather most attractive to retirees.

Cities like Zurich probably great for people still working, wanting career opportunities.


Also affordability doesn't seem to be a big factor, many of these are high COL places.

I guess you get what you pay for. If for some reason we left this great country, I would sell our properties and buy a villa in Vevey/Montreux Switzerland.

 

[rodi]

These lists always crack me up.

When my dad was nearing retirement he came up with a list of things he wanted in a retirement locale:
Smallish city with a mid size university
Need to be in location that he could kayak, mountain bike, hike.
Had to have a decent hospital locally.

I was living in Bellingham, WA at the time and he decided that checked all his boxes.

Unfortunately for him, my mom had a completely different list.:
Close to her aging mother,
Close to her friends
Lots of amenities that a larger city offered.

So they stayed put in San Diego.

My point - everyone has different criteria that makes it a "best place to live". These criteria change with stage of life. For some COL is the most important. For others it's the weather... and even that gets split because some don't mind heat/humidity but don't like cold - other can't take heat/humidity, but don't mind cold... and others (raises hand) want the goldilocks weather. And family local is a big driver for many people.

 

[braumeister]

These lists always crack me up.
...
everyone has different criteria that makes it a "best place to live".

Yeah, but I'd be disappointed if a month went by without someone posting one of these best places lists.

 

[MichaelB]

Someone sure likes cold weather and snow. Only one city that doesn’t have a cold snowy winter season.

 

[braumeister]

Someone sure likes cold weather and snow. Only one city that doesn’t have a cold snowy winter season.

They also have a very fat wallet.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Ha Ha, they obviously like rain and snow, I have been to a few of them myself and would not retire there. I know it is not a retire list, I was just sayin'.

 

[explanade]

I guess you get what you pay for. If for some reason we left this great country, I would sell our properties and buy a villa in Vevey/Montreux Switzerland.

I've only visited once. Loved the terraced vineyards overlooking the lake, though that wine seems really overpriced -- like many other things in Switzerland.

When it's clear it's stunning but there was always a haze shrouding the other side of the lake when I was there.

Otherwise, loved the grounds around Chillon -- didn't go in -- and Rochers de Naye.

Have to visit again to see some other attractions nearby like La Gruyere and maybe Pleiades, Emosson, Glacier 3000.

 

[Souschef]

Rodi,
I love your posts.
We were settled in a +55 MHP for about 14 years, and we seemed content with it.
By happenstance, we drove by a new apartment complex at the beach in Ventura. Well, the next thing I know, we have moved in. The place is about 3 miles from where DW grew up and used to walk to the beach.
As I am sitting here, I am looking out at the ocean, and watching a flock of pelicans feeding offshore. I believe this will truly be the last place for us.

 

[NW-Bound]

I have visited 6 of the 10 cities in the article. I was only a visitor, so did not learn much about them.

And I did not visit in the winter.

 

[W2R]

[...]
My point - everyone has different criteria that makes it a "best place to live". These criteria change with stage of life. For some COL is the most important. For others it's the weather... and even that gets split because some don't mind heat/humidity but don't like cold - other can't take heat/humidity, but don't mind cold... and others (raises hand) want the goldilocks weather. And family local is a big driver for many people.

So true!

Somehow I never see one of these articles that places New Orleans or Springfield, Missouri in the #1 position! And yet these are our favorite towns. How could so many people be so mistaken.

 

[NW-Bound]

So true!

Somehow I never see one of these articles that places New Orleans or Springfield, Missouri in the #1 position! And yet these are our favorite towns. How could so many people be so mistaken.

Right!

Why are they more afraid of hurricanes and high humidity compared to the cold? No comprende.

 

[Freedom56]

I've only visited once. Loved the terraced vineyards overlooking the lake, though that wine seems really overpriced -- like many other things in Switzerland.

When it's clear it's stunning but there was always a haze shrouding the other side of the lake when I was there.

Otherwise, loved the grounds around Chillon -- didn't go in -- and Rochers de Naye.

Have to visit again to see some other attractions nearby like La Gruyere and maybe Pleiades, Emosson, Glacier 3000.

Just over 29 years ago we got married in the oldest church in Switzerland (with foundations dating back to the 5th century) and then drove to Montreux for our reception and dinner at the Eden Palace Hotel (It was called Eden au Lac back then). We return to this hotel just about every year for lunch or dinner on the lake. The Montreux Riviera is an amazing place and relatively mild for Switzerland. My family and friends who flew there for the wedding were awestruck by the scenery. It was a nice sunny day. The terraced vineyards are in the Lavaux region around Montreux. Gruyères is a nice place to visit. We have been there many times and even attended a wedding in the village many years ago.

In four weeks I will be flying out to Switzerland for six weeks and plan to do a grand tour. I'm bringing two cameras (I don't want to swap lenses) to record this trip.

 

[oiseux]

Just over 29 years ago we got married in the oldest church in Switzerland (with foundations dating back to the 5th century) and then drove to Montreux for our reception and dinner at the Eden Palace Hotel (It was called Eden au Lac back then). We return to this hotel just about every year for lunch or dinner on the lake. The Montreux Riviera is an amazing place and relatively mild for Switzerland. My family and friends who flew there for the wedding were awestruck by the scenery. It was a nice sunny day. The terraced vineyards are in the Lavaux region around Montreux. Gruyères is a nice place to visit. We have been there many times and even attended a wedding in the village many years ago.

In four weeks I will be flying out to Switzerland for six weeks and plan to do a grand tour. I'm bringing two cameras (I don't want to swap lenses) to record this trip.

I used to live in Lausanne (expat assignment), just down the road from Vevey and Montreaux. I preferred the larger city for the variety of people, restaurants, and activities. On the "Swiss Riviera", the weather is truly more mild than you would expect. Less snow and less low temperatures at lake level. It was very livable, as long as you got over the sticker shock. The wine actually is mostly inexpensive -- only a few producers are in the premium category. For me, it was whites for eating with/in fondue and with raclette.

I've been to nearly all of the cities on the list, most of the them multiple times. A lot of the places are either really grey, cold and dark in the winter or very cold and snowy. The criteria clearly is tuned to the economically active (and everything, of course, is personal). Vienna is a wonderful city culturally but those winters can be brutal -- and I've been in all seasons. Much prefer Geneva (including over Zurich). Melbourne however, was wonderful, but I've only visited once.

 

[NW-Bound]

I guess you get what you pay for. If for some reason we left this great country, I would sell our properties and buy a villa in Vevey/Montreux Switzerland.

Ah, I remember Vevey. I read that it was the last home and final resting place of Charlie Chaplin, and having seen Vevey on a bottle of wine I had had, decided to jump off the train at a Vevey station to look around. Could not go very far on foot, so hopped back on the train after an hour.

Just now, saw that Charlie's place was in Corsier-sur-Vevey, a different but nearby town.

I've only visited once. Loved the terraced vineyards overlooking the lake, though that wine seems really overpriced -- like many other things in Switzerland.

When it's clear it's stunning but there was always a haze shrouding the other side of the lake when I was there.

Otherwise, loved the grounds around Chillon -- didn't go in -- and Rochers de Naye.

Have to visit again to see some other attractions nearby like La Gruyere and maybe Pleiades, Emosson, Glacier 3000.

The first trip to Switzerland, we got to Chateau de Chillon too late to get in. When we came back 15 years later, made sure we got there soon enough, and ended spending most of the day.

We rode the train to Gruyere too. It was a day trip, so only had time to visit the old castle and the surrounding shops.

 

[ls99]

Instead of Fortune, how about the Reader's Digest Senior version of the best places to live?

 

[NW-Bound]

Instead of Fortune, how about the Reader's Digest Senior version of the best places to live?

Ask, and you shall receive.

And not just 10, but 50 places! Just published in June 2022.

See: https://www.rd.com/list/best-places-to-live-in-the-united-states/

Eh, just scanned through the long list, and my city is in there. How 'bout that?

Dang, they say nothing about the heat, other than the 300 days of sunshine/year. Right!

No wonder we keep reading about people getting killed going out for a hike on a summer day.

 

[Chuckanut]

Ask, and you shall receive.

And not just 10, but 50 places! Just published in June 2022.

See: https://www.rd.com/list/best-places-to-live-in-the-united-states/

Eh, just scanned through the long list, and my city is in there. How 'bout that?

Dang, they say nothing about the heat, other than the 300 days of sunshine/year. Right!

No wonder we keep reading about people getting killed going out for a hike on a summer day.

Great list. Neither my home town or any city I may spend time in is on it.

 

[ls99]

Well, it lists Pittsburg. I used to go into it for Tango lessons in Sqirrel hill neighborhood. Other than that had no use for it. Even had an apartment near Regent Square. One good cafe was Biddle's Escape. Sure would not want to live in the the city proper or the nearby areas.
Am about 60 miles SE from there outside a little town of two trafiic lights. Where 4 cars in a row is traffic jam.

So much for the Readers Digest version.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

I love living in Vancouver, #5 on the Economist list.

That's part of why our goal is maintain our home in Vancouver and travel half the year instead of trying to travel year round. I want to make sure we're around to enjoy the events and activities around the city. However, the rain in the late fall and winter does get a bit repetitive so the plan is to try to give ourselves a bit of a respite with some trips during the rainy season.

Housing affordability/prices/costs have gone through the roof but we were lucky to have got in before the run-up in the early 2000's so it doesn't really impact our annual spend (though it does indirectly). I think some other costs like property taxes, sales taxes, car insurance, etc would be surprising to some (not in a good way) but we find we're still able to keep a fairly reasonable spend (pre-travel) while living a pretty great life in Vancouver. However, it's obviously not all rainbows and unicorns as Vancouver has problems like other large cities like homelessness, mental health and addiction issues, petty crime and random assaults, etc.

 

[NW-Bound]

I wonder if there's a place so great, its residents never want to go on vacation elsewhere.

They would all take staycation. Why leave paradise to go visit some lesser place?

 

[Freedom56]

I wonder if there's a place so great, its residents never want to go on vacation elsewhere.

They would all take staycation. Why leave paradise to go visit some lesser place?

Bora Bora.

 

[Gumby]

The best place for me to live is right where I am. If it wasn't, I would move.

 

[target2019]

"The top of the list is typically dominated by cities in North America and western Europe, along with Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. The same is the case this year, although there have been several key shifts. While New Zealand topped the list last year as its closed borders let residents have relatively normal lives, it has since lost its edge as most pandemic-era restrictions have been lifted across the globe.

This year, Vienna returned to number one, a spot it also held in 2018 and 2019, after its cultural and entertainment attractions reopened. "
I can vouch for #1 Vienna and #7 Frankfurt as being very pleasing and interesting.

 

[Badger]

The best place for me to live is right where I am. If it wasn't, I would move.

Six years before I retired I made my own list. All those published list were pretty useless. That also applied to those websites where you listed your preferences and it would make a list according to those. Mine was extensive with all the requirements I could think of while working on it over a few months. I found out I was already here with just about every requirement on my list except for being close to mountains. But I am only a couple minutes walk to the mainly residential beach that I would not want to give up. I guess it paid to have done my homework decades ago.

Cheers!