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Vancouver: the World’s Greatest City

People tend to think Canadians are just prepped up on nationalistic hype when we speak of Vancouver being the world’s best city to live in. In a way, they’re right. But unlike others, our nationalistic hype is based on truth, on substance, on actual living conditions. With crime rates lower than London and considerably lower New York’s, good healthcare, a solid education system and a reasonable cost of living in connotation to the quality of life, Vancouver is the Promised Land.

Vancouver

If Canada is arguably the best country in the world to take up residence, then Vancouver most certainly played a large part in helping it become so. In fact, in 2010 Vancouver was ranked by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) as the world’s best city to live in. The survey was measured in terms of personal risk, infrastructure and the availability of services and goods. It is now only second to Melbourne and their decline was mainly only due to the riots that hurt the city in 2011.

A beautiful aesthetic setting blessed with snow-capped mountains and fantastic beaches, is a key thing you’ll appreciate with Vancouver.

Vibrancy is also another perk the city has been blessed with. A large Asian community have graced Vancouver with festivals and food for all residents and visitors to enjoy. Speaking of food, the restaurant scene in Vancouver is pretty active and competitive, which is always a great thing for food lovers.

The climate in Vancouver is temperate, which means that it can be enjoyed practically all year round. The summer is fabulous, while springs and falls are mild. Winters are wet; however what’s the harm in a little rain eh?

In fact, this brings me unto one drawback with living in Vancouver. As Canada’s most expensive housing market and according to our own mortgage calculator , Vancouver can be pretty expensive. Thus with Vancouver having the highest mortgage rates Canada has, you may be better off in Toronto or Montreal. The cost of living is also more expensive in Vancouver. However, this is all in comparison to other cities in Canada and when compared with other world cities such as New York or London, the cost of living in Vancouver is actually rather reasonable.

Of the nicest places to live in Vancouver, Kitsilano and Point Grey are beautiful areas, located on the west side of the city. A bit closer to the centre of the city is Shaughnessy, which is also a brilliant place to live in. However, these areas are expensive it must be warned.