Mercer's 2012 Quality of Living ranking highlights - Global

[troutman]

http://www.mercer.com/articles/quali...ey-report-2011

• As in previous years, European cities dominate the rankings, snagging 15 of the top 25 slots

• Vienna is ranked #1 in the Quality of Living ranking, followed by Zurich and Auckland

• In our separate ranking of cities based on their infrastructure, Singapore is #1

• Baghdad is in the last (221st) spot for Quality of Living; Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is in the last spot for infrastructure

Calgary at #32:
http://www.mercer.com/qualityoflivingpr#city-rankings

• Vancouver (5th)
• Ottawa (14th)
• Toronto (15th)
• Montreal (23rd)
• Honolulu (28th)

[GoinAllTheWay]

Wow...Calgary not even in the top 50 for infrastructure.

[evman150]

Is this the one where Vancouver got knocked down in a previous study for a crash on the Malahat (on Vancouver Island)?

[Ozy_Flame]

The Economist ranks Calgary much higher (Top 10 I believe).

Different criteria.

I've always wondered why Calgary's economy alone doesn't make us leap frog over every other Canadian city in these rankings. There is a #### ton of money to be had in this city for a very high quality of life.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

The Economist ranks Calgary much higher (Top 10 I believe).

Different criteria.

I've always wondered why Calgary's economy alone doesn't make us leap frog over every other Canadian city in these rankings. There is a #### ton of money to be had in this city for a very high quality of life.

Climate?

Today our parking lot is a muddy swamp. Crazy climate - freezing and thawing all the time.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by troutman

Quality of Living; Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is in the last spot for infrastructure

Ouch, that's sort of a low blow isn't it?

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by troutman

Climate?

Today our parking lot is a muddy swamp. Crazy climate - freezing and thawing all the time.

Those who rank these cities must not mind bone chilling humidity in Central Canada. Good lord, -5 in Toronto feels like -20 here.

[Mr.Coffee]

I would think cost of living is a factor here too... this place is pretty expensive. To park your car downtown you basically get raped, for example.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Those who rank these cities must not mind bone chilling humidity in Central Canada. Good lord, -5 in Toronto feels like -20 here.

Yeah but Toronto will have green grass in March and October as they truly get all four seasons. Calgary has no spring or fall seasons. It's either cold or it's sunny cool/warm, and very occasionally hot. Worst climate of all major Canadian/North American cities save maybe Edmonton and Winnipeg although both of those cities get better summers.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

I would think cost of living is a factor here too... this place is pretty expensive. To park your car downtown you basically get raped, for example.

That and I'm pretty sure this place is really a tale of two tiers of workers. If you work in fields that are not oil and gas related or do not indirectly benefit from oil and gas then the expense of living here is probably crippling.

[troutman]

How is San Fran not #1? Too expensive?

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by troutman

How is San Fran not #1? Too expensive?

Too ghey?

[calgaryrocks]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Yeah but Toronto will have green grass in March and October as they truly get all four seasons. Calgary has no spring or fall seasons. It's either cold or it's sunny cool/warm, and very occasionally hot. Worst climate of all major Canadian/North American cities save maybe Edmonton and Winnipeg although both of those cities get better summers.

not for sun, we get the most sun of the major canadian cities. and we may not get a normal spring or fall, but we get chinooks (like today) that give us a reprieve from winter.

[troutman]

I personally like Chinooks, but they also leave us with Brown Xmas, muddy streets and migraine headaches for many.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by troutman

I personally like Chinooks, but they also leave us with Brown Xmas, muddy streets and migraine headaches for many.

Yep. Another thing to remember is that Calgary puts more gravel on their streets than the rest of North America and during Chinooks or late winter/early spring the city looks like a dump of gravel and brown dust on all streets and parking lots. If you have out of town people visit Calgary in March they would think it's the filthiest city in North America despite the fact it's a clean city for the most part.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by calgaryrocks

not for sun, we get the most sun of the major canadian cities. and we may not get a normal spring or fall, but we get chinooks (like today) that give us a reprieve from winter.

Yeah but it's cold here. I get a lot of customers from around the world visit all the time and they always comment on how cold it is. You get the rare guy from Houston that is happy to be out of the heat and humitidy but otherwise you aren't going to convince many out of towners to settle in a place so cold when they come from more moderate climates.

[calgaryrocks]

^ I thought you were comparing between canadian cities, in which Calgary is not bad. I don't want too many out of towners to settle here, at least not until I have bought my first house

[Locke]

Originally Posted by nik-

Ouch, that's sort of a low blow isn't it?

Thats what I was thinking too, isnt most of their infrastructure still floating in the harbour?

[HelloHockeyFans]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

I would think cost of living is a factor here too... this place is pretty expensive. To park your car downtown you basically get raped, for example.

I don't think it is actually. If it were, Vancouver wouldn't be as high as it is with the cost of living in that city.

[drewboy12]

Originally Posted by HelloHockeyFans

I don't think it is actually. If it were, Vancouver wouldn't be as high as it is with the cost of living in that city.

Parking here (Vancouver) is cheaper though.... and well... Calgary is straight up just boring...