Where do you live, and would you recommend it?

[Urban Ranger]

Hong Kong, one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. There are a lot of expats live here, but half of the year the weather is bloody hot. Home to seven million people and everybody is rude - or so it seems

We have lots of skyscrappers here, in fact, I believe the density of skyscrappers is highest in the world. We also have nice beaches, some historical sites, and lots of country parks. If you like hiking or observe wildwife this is a good place to be.

We also have one of the fewest social services among developed regions. The medium income is low and there are lots of poor people. However, there are also lots of rich areas where the new and old rich rub elbows.

We have low crime rates and violent crimes are particularly low. The main thing is scamming. Frauds, pyramid schemes, you name it, we got it. We even got some you haven't thought of.

It's a good place to live if you have $ or can find a high paying job (e.g. with expat package). Otherwise it's not that heavenly.

[Spiffor]

Paris :

The good :
Beautiful city. You'll need time to be tired from its architecture, especially if you used to live in another city.
Good cafes, once you find your way and avoid all the overpriced crap for tourists. Great nightlife (same thing : once you find the right place)
Extremely good for shopping, and the most "japanized" western city (if you're into anime, it's the western city to go).
Best city I ever knew for the variety of its food and wines.
Trains are excellent, and allow you to go to other cities (Brussels, London, Cologne, Lyon, Marseille) pretty quickly. Planes are crap and always late though.
Good social security system. You pay much, but you get much in return. However, it's complicated, and a foreigner would have trouble to understand all the administration involved

The bad :
Many tourists, and many crook Frenchmen to profit from them. If you don't know your way around, you'll be constantly cheated into buying overpriced crap. These people really defile the reputation of Paris.
Crowded -10 mio. with the suburbs- especially in the hyper-center (Les Halles). Good mass transit system, but car traffic is very bad. Parisians also drive like crazy and are very rude at the wheel.
People always seem sad and disappointed when in the subway.
Rents are extremely expensive in Paris "intra muros", you'd very probably have to live in the suburbs, and could live pretty far from the center.
More expansive than the rest of France, but it seems to be normal for a capital.

The Ugly
Rising in criminality since the last 10 or so years. Firearms aren't spread, but be careful not to be punched by a group of thugs. You'd be immediately targetted if you look like a tourist, and are at risk if you're a woman.
Police is becoming more and more facsist since a few months. Dunno where they'll stop.

I highly recommand to visit here if you have a Parisian friend who know the good places. Living here is pretty good as well, if you already have a job and a nice place to live.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Rothy
York is a great City to visit, and let's not forget these days, it's still the Capital of the Countries greatest County.


1) Current home , Derby, East Midlands, England

Pros
Quite a green city, with many large parks. Not too big and hence doesnt suffer from bad crime.

Cons
Prospects slightly limited, Nightlife poor.

2) Old home, Rotherham

What a place!! all around is the devestation of an ex-industrial stronghold. Scrapyards and Shut down industrial plants are more common than Grass in Rotherham.

Pros
Suberb Football team, only team in Div 1 with standing remaining too
Very Very Cheap, for England

Cons
Highest Teenage pregnacy rate in EUROPE ( or maybe that a pro for some ) .
Poor Prospects
Dead town centre
Scrapyards get dull and annoying, after so many years...



Cheers
Matt

Derby looked pleasant enough when passing through it, but not particularly exciting. As for Rotherham...I have been through it and it looks like a right sh*thole, just like Sheffield looks like a right sh*thole, or Doncaster, or Barnsley. Is the whole of South Yorkshire just one big sh*thole?

One comes from East Yorkshire, of course

[TheStinger]

The Dearne valley in South Yorkshire actually looks like it has been nuked

[Provost Harrison]

Yeah, Sheffield is one of those cities I would just avoid moving to. I've had friends who've liked it, but it doesn't seem to have half the stuff my home city has, it looks like a dump, and the last time I was there I had my car broken into. I don't intend to go back there unless I can avoid it.

[Sandman]

*Cough* The city-centre. All the homeless beggars and junkies.

After a while even the female beggars don't shock me.

Actually, all those redundant benches on Princes Street are another con. When was the last time they were even 10% full?

[RGBVideo]

Remember yanks, come to a better country, Finland! Bring lots of money with you!

[MRT144]

san francisco bay area...i love it here personally, feels a lot like home to me

The good:
Weather...never really drops below 50 degrees and never goes over 90. When hot its dry heat and not humid. Also the rainy season lasts about 4 months, december to march. There is a lot of fog towards san francisco but down towards san jose and about to redwood city not as bad a marine layer.

Mixed Culture: Lots of really different cultures all in one place. Vietnamese, Mexican, Filipino, Thai, Indian, all represented very well here and we have many very good ethnic restraunts as a result. Although there is a serious lack of greek restraunts.

Surroundings: The beautiful santa cruz mountains to the west, napa to the north, The grassy hills of the eastbay and southbay.

280: I love driving on 280 between 380 and when it turns into 880. its fast, rarely bad traffic, beautiful view.

Media: Very good radio programming, home to the nations only "jazz only" radio station KCSM run by college of san mateo(school im going to). Also good television and newspapers.

Universities: Stanford, Cal berkeley, Santa Clara, USF, and in general good state colleges and community colleges.

People: the people here are great. most are well educated and liberal! I love it!

Average
Night Life: there are quite a few spots to go and theres plenty to do, but im severely jaded by the night life scene.

Traffic, its only really bad when it rains. Unlike L.A. where there is gridlock at 11pm, it only gets bad at rush hour and only on certain parts like 80 across the bay, 680 and 880, 17 when theres an accident, 101 by oracle and 3rd ave and by the dubarton bridge, 880 is probably the worst, but only because its the only freeway running up and down the east bay.

Bad:

cost of living

[Worthingtons]

You have Derby to a tee there, Nice enough but not very exciting.

As for south yorkshire, yes, it is a bit ****hole , but there advantages of living there. For example, the house my parents live in, in thier lush estate most normal folk could not dream of... but because Rotherham as a town is SO SO SO Cheap, they can afford it.

Looking at the Job market in Rotherham, the wages are not much different to here in Derby, but the cost of property is nearly half!!

[Jac de Molay]

Lovely Detroit...

The good:

This is a music town. Everything from Motown to techno is here, including a world-class Orchestra Hall and Opera Hall. Best music scene in the U.S outside of NYC.

Great club scene. We work our asses off, and party in appropriate fashion. Some of the best places to go are in undergrounds in abandoned warehouses and factories.

Great eats. Such a diverse city offers just about everything under the sun.

Sight-seeing. The flourescent toxins in the Detroit River provide great night-viewing for the whole family. And if you're lucky, you just might spot one of the reclusive Sabre-toothed Cyclops Mutant Carp ( Mammothus Pissedoffus Piscaeus ) which occasionally rise to the surface to ram the hulls of passing freighters.

The Bad:

If you can put up with these minor annoyances....

Violent, corrupt police
Corrupt, incompetent city government
Streetlights that occasionally work
Garbage that occasionally gets picked up.
Mass transit that occasionally arrives on time, if at all.
The pleasant bouquet of sulfur dioxide in the morning.
The lovely decorative accent of steel bars on all your doors and windows.
Packs of stray, feral dogs which like to feast on your household pets.

....why, you'll absolutely love it here!

[Provost Harrison]

Yes, I have a good friend who's mother is from Detroit and he said he visits his relatives there...I remembering him describe the place as 'a f**king sh*thole'...or words to that effect, probably more blue however

[Evil Knevil]

St-Andrews(actually just outside).
Pros: Very pretty. Very relaxed. More pubs per square metre than anywhere else in Scotland. Thriving arts and theatre. Very healthy air and environment.

Cons: Too quiet. Pubs close at 1am. Too many students. Very few shops of merit. Too many old people, and there is always a funeral in town, making me late about once every 2 days!

Its a good place to retire, and I feel alot better surrounded by Fife's rolling countryside, but it lacks life

[Zkribbler]

Did anyone else notice that this is a really interesting thread??

[Vandy!]

Summary of what Datajack Franit said:
Milan...
1) Crowded subway system.
2) LOTS of tourists, including bloodthirsty japanese middle-aged women literally jumping on you for infos and photos.
3) So called "modern art" at every corner and extremely vulgar advertising (huge photos of a woman masturbating while sitting on a bidet used to sell jeans ) .
4) Parks invaded by horny gays on day, angry squatters at night.
5) McDonald's builded in front of churchs and art galleries

1) Yes!! When I went, it was PACKED! Didn't help that there were strikes, too.
2) You're right about the Japanese. They were cool, though.
3) I've seen it. =x Took a picture of one. It was a naked man being spanked by a model with her shoe. There was another ad, for I don't know what, in which there was a very young-looking girl wearing a wet shirt or something that showed her entire body!
4) I have not seen this! When I go back, I'll have to look (for the gay guys).
5) Yes, I hate this as well. -.- The Italian McDonalds' are far superior to the American version, but damn they're EVERYWHERE! In certain parts of the city, it's fine, but it does seem a bit disrespectful to have a very fine church on one side of the street and a tacky McDonald's on the other. -.-

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War4Ever: So you'd recommend it, then? I was actually thinking of moving there in the near (within 5 years) future!


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I find it really funny that most people wouldn't recommend their home city/country! Maybe next week, I'll ask what place everyone WOULD want to live.

[Evil Knevil]

I'd say Milan, but thats just me