BEST place to live? (North America only)

[tranquility]

I'm getting a bit tired of Toronto and its lousy climate. What in your opinion is a great place to live w/o the crappy winters? Nice urban centre, relatively safe, has many amenities, etc? Please restrict your answers to cities w/i North America as I prefer English-speaking places. Thx.

[Nkc]

Vancouver...

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Nkc

Vancouver...

I've lived there for a few mths (summer), seems very nice, but does it rain too much in your opinion? Any snow at all? There was one sketchy area w/ lots of vagrants (Robson?), not sure if that has changed. Otherwise, clean city and great outdoor scenery.

[nicknaz]

San Diego CA

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

San Diego CA

Tell me more! Earthquakes? Gang dangers? IIs? No worries, just overhyped? LOL. CA seems like a great place.

[Lackey]

Vancouver USA/Portland, OR

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Lackey

Vancouver USA/Portland, OR

Srsly? Doesn't that area have the most rain in Continental US? /twilight

[Mayhem]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Tell me more! Earthquakes? Gang dangers? IIs? No worries, just overhyped? LOL. CA seems like a great place.

Less worry about gangs if you stay away from El Cajon, Chula Vista, National City, Otay Mesa... Find yourself a nice place in La Jolla, Torrey Pines, or Coronado and you're set. If I had my choice, I'd be living in the Coronado Cays...

[Asbjorn]

My vote goes to San Diego as well... I worked in LA before, but I think the people are just nicer down in San Diego.

I am myself doing this as we speak. Moving towards the south to find a better climate and establish a more outdoorish life-style. Only difference is that I want to learn Chinese, so it HAS to be a Chinese-speaking place haha.

[VailM3]

should move this to off topic section mods.

[Rjscharer]

St Augustine,Fl. Slight mix of seasons,30 min. from Jacksonville that has big city atmosphere. Lots of history in the oldest city in America,college town, lots of beaches and water sports,low crime,low taxes,great roads,50 min. from Daytona Beach. Z's love to run here.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Tell me more! Earthquakes? Gang dangers? IIs? No worries, just overhyped? LOL. CA seems like a great place.

It is a city so there is crime to be found if you go looking for it but overall the data tends to show San Diego as safe.. http://os.cqpress.com/citycrime/2012/CityCrime2013_CityCrimeRankingsFactSheet.pdf

Biggest drawback is smaller size translating into less choices (i.e. Toronto food scene is WAY bigger)

Come visit, maybe time it for a track day in LA area

EDIT: other places to check out.. San Francisco CA, Naples FL, Scottsdale AZ

[hyper1]

Probably Kelowna, BC.
I was born in Hull, next to Ottawa.
Did Montreal and then Toronto for 7 years at both place.

I believe Kelowna, is the one, maybe the best place in Canada.
my opinion anyway.....

[tranquility]

^How's the climate like? Is there a good ethnicity mix? Is it still urban enough w/ sufficient amenities? Thx.

[hyper1]

Originally Posted by tranquility

^How's the climate like? Is there a good ethnicity mix? Is it still urban enough w/ sufficient amenities? Thx.

I think you should check on your own and make an opinion for yourself.
The climate is great compare to Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal.
Kelowna is about 100k populalation, so the ethnicity is not like a big cities.
Yes it is urban with all the amenities.
The best thing is look on-line and maybe plan a trip in Kelowna to check.

Good luck.

[Vintage]

Austin, Texas is pretty darn nice. Almost no winter but a bit warm in the summer, great job opportunities, low taxes, tons of live music, great culture, and tons of outdoor activities. AUSTIN.

[army_men]

i too have just about enough Toronto for now. I'm going to vancouver for work in feb. and if it goes really well there i will ship my car over and set up base there instead.

i loved Toronto but its getting a bit stale in both career and entertainment. I will miss Mosport GP though.

[tranquility]

You know your city sucks when every suggestion here sounds much better. Toronto, what happened?

[nicknaz]

polar vortex + socialist tax policies ?

j/k

I like Toronto. Good food scene. Definitely would NOT be visiting so often though if not for family living there.

[tranquility]

"Polar vortex" LMAO!!

I dunno, I used to think that it was a great place to live but now it has gotten worse w/ everything, even the weather has gotten worse! The drivers are nastier, power outtages and water mains bursting, crack-smoking, overweight-Chris Farley-like, mafia-affiliated mayor. Arrgh, ok, stop venting tranquility. *serenity now, serenity now* LOL.

[nicknaz]

Yea brah, you need to chill. How about doing a track day next time I am there?

[mstevens]

tranquility, just keep in mind there are several non-English-speaking countries in North America. Apart from that language requirement, there are several places in Mexico that meet your criteria (which did not include the ability to work, which is extremely difficult for foreigners in Mexico).

How urban does your urban center need to be, and what amenities do you require? The Bahamas, Bermuda, and several other islands might meet your requirements.

English is the official language in Belize, it has a few nice little cities, and you already share a monarch with them.