I first heard of this top 50 list in the mainstream media. We all just love a good list: The Fortune 500, the Top 50 Richest People, the Top 20 Countries In Which to Live, and this one: the Top 50 Cities. Usually, Canada, and Canadian cities, fare pretty well in these types of surveys. So, naturally, our media is all over it like Rita McNeil on a baked ham. Vancouver, city of my birth, is #3 in the world for quality of life. Calgary, my home town, the city my family will bury me in, is #1 in the world for health and cleanliness, #24 for overall quality in the world.
Although we came out pretty good, I did a little digging. Here's some interesting observations...
(1) Mercer, the maker of this list, is a Human Resources firm based in the UK. This list sent ME to their website, which led me to believe that this was an ingenious method of getting their name out there. Would I know the name "Mercer HR" if not for this list?
(2) 9 of the top 10 cities have a cooler winters with snow.
(3) #3 Vancouver and #49 Seattle are just a 150 minute drive apart (ideal driving conditions)
(4) Edmonton, just 3 hours drive away, or province's capital, is not on the list.
(5) In Health and Sanitation, Calgary is #1. Japan, infamous for their obsessive cleanliness, places #9 (Katsuyama, Japan)
(6) Mercer just provides you with a summary list. For detailed info on why a particular city placed where they did, you purchase a report, pricing starts at US $560 per report per city.
(7) Danielle Bushen, from Mercer, notes that the intended audience is corporations looking to relocate offices, factories, and the like.
Generally speaking, this is clearly a marketing campaign. Would I rather live in Zurich, or Auckland? Those two places are way outside my culture-comfort zone. What about Vancouver? Been there, done that. Think I'll stay here. This report shouldn't be taken with a grain of salt, this one requires the whole shaker.
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