Top 10 Cities in US & Canada according to Travel & Leisure
Florence tops the list of World’s Best Cities for a second time this year and is joined again by some lovely perennials—Rome, New York, and Sydney. But this year, Travel + Leisure readers prove that they’re also intrepid and curious, giving high marks to far-flung cities like Beirut and Kathmandu.
Top 10 Cities U.S. and Canada
Rank
Last Year
Name
2006Score
1
1
New York
84.75
2
2
San Francisco
84.29
3
4
Chicago
82.52
4
6
Charleston, South Carolina
82.48
5
3
Santa Fe
82.06
6
5
Vancouver
81.45
7
7
Quebec City
80.98
8
9
Victoria, British Columbia
79.92
9
8
Montreal
79.46
10
n/a
Seattle
79.05
http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2006/results.cfm?cat=citiesusca
I’m not sure what you think, but none of the cities other than Victoria inspire me much. But then when you LIVE in the best (Victoria) you KNOW why it is the best!
Monday, August 28, 2006
Victoria - Rated #1 for Retirement!
http://ca.pfinance.yahoo.com/ca_finance_planning/14/theyre-golden-the-best-places-to-retire
They're golden: the best places to retire
Zena Olijnyk
When it comes to determining the top places for living out your golden years, 10 Canadian communities rank with the cream of the crop in the United States, even if you take our colder climate into consideration. That's the somewhat surprising conclusion of Retire in Style: 60 Outstanding Places Across the U.S.A. and Canada, by Warren Bland, professor emeritus of geography at the Northridge campus of California State University.
Victoria tops Bland's list of best retirement spots. London, Ont., scored the second highest, tied with Boulder, Colo., and Portland, Ore. Halifax and the Ontario cities of Stratford and Kingston are among the Top 20 retirement places, while Owen Sound, Ont., Vernon, B.C., Kelowna, B.C., Fredericton and Charlottetown also made the Top 60 list. Says Bland: "Canadian cities are a superior place to live, climate aside, compared to American cities."
Born in Canada and raised in southern Ontario, Bland insists he didn't give his homeland an edge. Instead, he used a set of 12 criteria retirees should consider, including landscape, climate, cost of living, transportation, crime and health care. For each category, he awarded a score (out of five). Still, Bland acknowledges retirees might want to emphasize certain criteria, since "everyone has his own combination of needs and wants."
There are compelling reasons for retirees to stay put, but Bland says there is much to recommend about relocating. Retirement represents "a new phase in your life," so moving offers a chance for different experiences and friends. There's also the opportunity for retirees to sell their home and move to where housing is cheaper. And it's possible to find pleasant, affordable places to live if you think beyond the typical places people retire. Pittsburgh, for example, scores high on Bland's list, but is off the radar as a retirement location. The Georgian Bay town of Owen Sound isn't on the beaten retirement track--with a snowy climate and less-than-ideal transportation links--but it offers a great, affordable quality of life.
Before relocating, Bland says retirees should "visit for a week or two during different times of the year." He recently retired himself, settling in Portland, Ore. "We looked for a house in Ithaca, N.Y., but it's a small town. It was harder than I thought it would be to find a home we liked." So Bland and his wife, Sarah, moved on to Plan B, charmed by the quality of life in his new community, "the best Canadian city in the United States."
City (points are in brackets)
1. Victoria (52)
2. Boulder, Col. (51)
3. London, Ont. (51)
4. Portland, Ore. (51)
5. San Antonio, Texas (50)
6. Asheville, N.C. (49)
7. Austin, Texas (49)
8. Boca Raton, Fla. (49)
9. Chapel Hill, N.C. (48)
10. Colorado Springs, Col. (48)
11. Fort Collins, Col. (48)
12. Halifax (48)
13. Madison, Wis. (48)
14. Pittsburgh (48)
15. Stratford, Ont. (48)
16. Gainesville, Fla. (47)
17. Hendersonville, N.C. (47)
18. Kingston, Ont. (47)
19. Medford-Ashland, Ore. (47)
20. Oxford, Miss. (47)
21. Sarasota, Fla. (47)
http://ca.pfinance.yahoo.com/ca_finance_planning/14/theyre-golden-the-best-places-to-retire
They're golden: the best places to retire
Zena Olijnyk
When it comes to determining the top places for living out your golden years, 10 Canadian communities rank with the cream of the crop in the United States, even if you take our colder climate into consideration. That's the somewhat surprising conclusion of Retire in Style: 60 Outstanding Places Across the U.S.A. and Canada, by Warren Bland, professor emeritus of geography at the Northridge campus of California State University.
Victoria tops Bland's list of best retirement spots. London, Ont., scored the second highest, tied with Boulder, Colo., and Portland, Ore. Halifax and the Ontario cities of Stratford and Kingston are among the Top 20 retirement places, while Owen Sound, Ont., Vernon, B.C., Kelowna, B.C., Fredericton and Charlottetown also made the Top 60 list. Says Bland: "Canadian cities are a superior place to live, climate aside, compared to American cities."
Born in Canada and raised in southern Ontario, Bland insists he didn't give his homeland an edge. Instead, he used a set of 12 criteria retirees should consider, including landscape, climate, cost of living, transportation, crime and health care. For each category, he awarded a score (out of five). Still, Bland acknowledges retirees might want to emphasize certain criteria, since "everyone has his own combination of needs and wants."
There are compelling reasons for retirees to stay put, but Bland says there is much to recommend about relocating. Retirement represents "a new phase in your life," so moving offers a chance for different experiences and friends. There's also the opportunity for retirees to sell their home and move to where housing is cheaper. And it's possible to find pleasant, affordable places to live if you think beyond the typical places people retire. Pittsburgh, for example, scores high on Bland's list, but is off the radar as a retirement location. The Georgian Bay town of Owen Sound isn't on the beaten retirement track--with a snowy climate and less-than-ideal transportation links--but it offers a great, affordable quality of life.
Before relocating, Bland says retirees should "visit for a week or two during different times of the year." He recently retired himself, settling in Portland, Ore. "We looked for a house in Ithaca, N.Y., but it's a small town. It was harder than I thought it would be to find a home we liked." So Bland and his wife, Sarah, moved on to Plan B, charmed by the quality of life in his new community, "the best Canadian city in the United States."
City (points are in brackets)
1. Victoria (52)
2. Boulder, Col. (51)
3. London, Ont. (51)
4. Portland, Ore. (51)
5. San Antonio, Texas (50)
6. Asheville, N.C. (49)
7. Austin, Texas (49)
8. Boca Raton, Fla. (49)
9. Chapel Hill, N.C. (48)
10. Colorado Springs, Col. (48)
11. Fort Collins, Col. (48)
12. Halifax (48)
13. Madison, Wis. (48)
14. Pittsburgh (48)
15. Stratford, Ont. (48)
16. Gainesville, Fla. (47)
17. Hendersonville, N.C. (47)
18. Kingston, Ont. (47)
19. Medford-Ashland, Ore. (47)
20. Oxford, Miss. (47)
21. Sarasota, Fla. (47)
Choices Increase for Buyers
Buyers looking for properties to purchase have increasingly more choices as the number of properties available for sale on the Victoria Real Estate Board’s Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) rose again last month. A total of 3,318 properties of all kinds were available for sale in July - that’s 46% higher than the 2,275 properties available for sale in July of last year.
Victoria Real Estate Board President, Scott Kendrew, notes that while sales have softened slightly, prices have remained relatively stable and are up compared to the beginning of the year. "So far this year there have been 5,125 sales of all property types compared to 5,526 sales in the first seven months of last year. The six-month rolling average price of single family homes in Greater Victoria meantime, has increased from $492,786 in January to $524,437 in July." Over a third of all single family home sales in July were for under $400,000; 14 single family homes sold for over $1 million.
There were 677 sales of properties of all kinds through the MLS® system in July - down from 762 sales in June and 769 sales in July of last year.
The average price for single family homes in Greater Victoria last month was $514,358; the average for the last six-months was $524,437. The median was substantially lower at $438,500. The average price for all condominiums sold in July was $292,639; the average for the last six months was $278,866. The median was again lower at $255,000. The average price for townhomes last month was $381,373; the average for the last six months was $363,636. The median was $348,900.
MLS® sales last month included 379 single family homes, 193 condominiums, 61 townhomes and 18 manufactured homes.
Buyers looking for properties to purchase have increasingly more choices as the number of properties available for sale on the Victoria Real Estate Board’s Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) rose again last month. A total of 3,318 properties of all kinds were available for sale in July - that’s 46% higher than the 2,275 properties available for sale in July of last year.
Victoria Real Estate Board President, Scott Kendrew, notes that while sales have softened slightly, prices have remained relatively stable and are up compared to the beginning of the year. "So far this year there have been 5,125 sales of all property types compared to 5,526 sales in the first seven months of last year. The six-month rolling average price of single family homes in Greater Victoria meantime, has increased from $492,786 in January to $524,437 in July." Over a third of all single family home sales in July were for under $400,000; 14 single family homes sold for over $1 million.
There were 677 sales of properties of all kinds through the MLS® system in July - down from 762 sales in June and 769 sales in July of last year.
The average price for single family homes in Greater Victoria last month was $514,358; the average for the last six-months was $524,437. The median was substantially lower at $438,500. The average price for all condominiums sold in July was $292,639; the average for the last six months was $278,866. The median was again lower at $255,000. The average price for townhomes last month was $381,373; the average for the last six months was $363,636. The median was $348,900.
MLS® sales last month included 379 single family homes, 193 condominiums, 61 townhomes and 18 manufactured homes.
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