Sydney: Nice Place To Visit; Wouldn't Want To Live Here
03 March 2008
According to the compilers of the Anholt City Brands Index, Sydney has been named the world's best City, owing to the climate, employment and business opportunites.
A great place to live, you'd think, but not that the compilers of the Index do. They're visitors. Among Sydneysiders themselves, twenty percent want to move to another city, one of whom is me (the percentages are even higher among the young). The reasons cited include traffic, the high cost of living and job opportunities elsewhere.
Having lived here for a year, I'll also add run-down infrastructure, lack of proper planning, and (of course) insane housing costs.
But I'm throwing open the floor here. Please leave your comments - if you live in Sydney, what do you like and dislike? Are you planning on leaving? And if you've chosen to live elsewhere, what's put you off Sydney? I'm keen to see what people think.
Sydney has the best location in the world but makes a real hash of it. This city could be so much better, with not a lot of effort needed. As an outsider it seems Sydney people are too busy making money and investing in property to actually care about the place they live in.
ReplyDeleteHow any city could contemplate the Cahill Expressway, the Blues Point Tower or 90% of the hideously ugly Meriton apartments that now line the Paramatta River west of Woolwich, I just don't know.
Yeah, that's pretty much it. The CBD is blocked off from the harbour for so much of it's length.
ReplyDeleteMy significant other lived in Sydney for two years, (while I've lived it up in... Canberra...) and we both like it, but couldn't contemplate settling down there - we're moving back to Melbourne, where, despite the changeable weather, its just nicer.
ReplyDeleteBetter cafes, a city laid out logically, and cute little bars as standard.
Sydney is nice to visit, but I'm really glad I'm not living there.
I've been told many times i'd like living in Melbourne, and from what I've seen on visits there (albeit not recently) it does seem that way...but the cold puts me off everytime.
ReplyDeleteCons: Dirt. CityRail. Everything in the CBD closes at 5. Trying to be New York; not making it. Expense. Average mortal making under $200k/yr cannot afford CBD living.
ReplyDeletePros: Higher cost of living means higher salaries. Good job opportunities. A lot of concerts, conferences, gallery/museum exhibits, expositions and random happenings only do Sydney. Airport close to city.