# Where does your city rank? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 4, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927 "2003-03-04T03:44:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/21 "2003-03-04T16:12:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LaurAnge \* > \*\*Toronto won over Montreal? > > We know this survey is flawed. šŸ˜‰ \*\* Damn straight Torontoā€™s better than Montreal. Montreal has its charms, but Iā€™d rather live here, for a lot of reasons. 18th place and just a hair behind Vancouver. Not shabby! However, the list does not include smaller cities at all, like Victoria or Kingston. I agree, though, that the list seemsā€¦ weird. Detroit is better than San Jose? Holy crap, Detroitā€™s a hellhole. San Jose is nice. Iā€™ve been to Detroit; itā€™s horrible. Even people from Detroit admit itā€™s horrible. As one ex-Detroiter put it, ā€œitā€™s a great place to be from.ā€ And Pittsburgh equal to New York City? Ooooookay. ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/22 "2003-03-04T16:20:48Z")
34th my arse. ---
**Author:** ![Snooze35](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Snooze35](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooze35)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/23 "2003-03-04T17:02:33Z")
See, our smog and traffic jams arenā€™t all that bad. Houston #57 score 98.5. ---
**Author:** ![CuriousCanuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@CuriousCanuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CuriousCanuck)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/24 "2003-03-04T17:09:48Z")
#20 here. ---
**Author:** ![Quonk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ed655f/32.png) [@Quonk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quonk)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/25 "2003-03-04T21:04:07Z")
Miami - 96.5, #64 ā€¦Half a point higher than Detroit. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/26 "2003-03-04T21:11:54Z")
34th. Probably not entirely unjustified. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/27 "2003-03-04T21:14:56Z")
The silly thing is that people actually believe the numbers mean something. It is ridiculously easy to manipulate the results, and the choices are always completely arbitrary. You could design a listing like this to many _any_ city rate high. ---
**Author:** ![d12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71c47a/32.png) [@d12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d12)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/28 "2003-03-04T21:47:56Z")
Ottawa isnā€™t up there ā˜¹ ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/29 "2003-03-04T22:22:13Z")
Damn, itā€™s time to move to Australia. ---
**Author:** ![universe.zip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@universe.zip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/universe.zip)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/30 "2003-03-04T23:07:08Z")
Yay! #1! šŸ˜ƒ > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\*I do notice a lot of these ā€œhigh quality of livingā€ cities are boring as all hell, though. I mean, have you ever _been_ to Bern or Zurich? Yikes. \*\* Good point thereā€¦ \ ā€œJust because itĀ“s fun doesnĀ“t mean itĀ“s good for you.ā€ \ - and vice versaā€¦ While my city isnĀ“t quite as boring as those two, IĀ“d change it for Amsterdam, Berlin (102) or Barcelona anytime. Hey, it may only score 97, but I guess the missing 9 points are exactly what makes living there funā€¦ I guess we just donĀ“t use the same parameters as the survey guysā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/31 "2003-03-05T00:00:47Z")
> [@](#): > > See, our smog and traffic jams arenā€™t all that bad. > Houston #57 score 98.5. Our smog is pleasantly addictive. Itā€™s like rich, delicious nicotine in so many ways. ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/32 "2003-03-05T00:59:41Z")
Hmmmph. Each to their own. I wouldnā€™t want to live in a city, no matter what rating it achieved. ---
**Author:** ![c\_carol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@c\_carol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_carol)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/33 "2003-03-05T01:52:23Z")
A fairly respectable 101 here in Winston. Wonder why we weā€™re on the list and the bigger NC cities arenā€™t? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/34 "2003-03-05T02:12:01Z")
ā€œDetroit-- worse than Miami, better than Yokkaichiā€ But then again, I donā€™t actually live in Detroit, so what do I care? Happy ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/35 "2003-03-05T03:37:09Z")
I live in a suburb of Los Angeles, which got a 101. ---
**Author:** ![ProjectOmega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b487fb/32.png) [@ProjectOmega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ProjectOmega)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/36 "2003-03-05T05:51:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \* > \*\*The silly thing is that people actually believe the numbers mean something. It is ridiculously easy to manipulate the results, and the choices are always completely arbitrary. You could design a listing like this to many _any_ city rate high. \*\* Sure, but what would be the point? Are you saying that the mayors of various cities are paying off the survey guys? Or that thereā€™s a tin foil conspiracy brewing, trying to herd everyone into particular cities for mind-stealing microwaves? Everyone knows statistics can be easily manipulated, but unless the organization doing the stats has some under-the-table agenda, why would they fudge the numbers? For fun? Anyway, Iā€™m in Surrey, which used to be part of Vancouver, so I guess weā€™re close to number two. However, Surrey boasts the highest car-theft rate in North America, so I guess you could knock a few points off for that little problem šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![TitoBenito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2acd7d/32.png) [@TitoBenito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitoBenito)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/37 "2003-03-05T07:25:31Z")
Pittsburg but no Philly? Houston but no San Antonio? No Austin but Winston Salem? I dont even know where that is. I say conspiracy. ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/38 "2003-03-05T08:34:59Z")
I thought Vienna had one of the highest suicide rates in the world? Oh, wait, there use to be that whole Cold War spy thing - especially in Vienna. Maybe some of those were not voluntary suicides. I liked Vienna, thatā€™s where Iā€™ve spent the fourth most time in my life. The first three are, yawn, all cities in Florida. Orlando sucks unless you are five years old. I miss by a few decades, and thatā€™s where I live now. Sarasota, my hometown - you may know it as where Bush was when September 11th happened, or where Gore prepped for debates, or the home of the Ringling Bros. Circus, or the Mote Marine Laboratory - is really beautiful. I bet that ranks up there. All those Euros love to visit from their icy ā€˜paradises.ā€™ Many donā€™t go home. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/39 "2003-03-05T10:46:31Z")
Osloā€™s in a six-way tie for 15th place, with Dusseldorf, San Francisco, Perth, Toronto, and Brussels. I notice the survey didnā€™t count the weather or how farginā€™ expensive everything is, though šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2003, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927/40 "2003-03-05T12:04:13Z")
Buenos Aires got 91.5? Doesnā€™t the fact that the economy has collapsed and everybody down there is unemployed figure in at all? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-city-rank/158927.md?page=3)