What is the best county in the world to live in?

I plan on leaving America within the next couple years and am researching many different countries and cities that are possible locations I would move to. Simply put, I'm looking for the 'best' (subjective, I know) county to live in. What defines my idea of best, would be a stable economy, green living/building, renewable lifestyles on the mind, a good growing season (I'm an avid gardener), fairly affordable to move to and sustain oneself, socialized education & medicine and very low crime rate. Maybe I dreamed this place up, but is there anything out there that meets most if not all requirements? Edit, I would give all of you thumbs... but this system requires me to be level 2, so all very good answers. France and Ireland are both big plus. What happens if global warming happens there?

Public Comments

1. why can you try the u.k
2. France. I saw a documentary on it. Google it!
3. Ireland. Great economy, and it was actually voted as the best place to live in a magazine, can't remember which. Other than that, Iceland has an INCREDIBLY low crime rate, but Icelandic is the world's most difficult language. the upside to Ireland is that they speak English. So I'd go with that. Oh yes, and they have the first ever Dublin Metro!
4. Canada, Ireland, Iceland and Norway are some of the best places to live in according to the United Nations!
5. Denmark
6. u would love Dubai, i have been there and its beutiful, and they speak english as a second language as well so u dont have to worry abt tht....a lot of foreingers live there too.
7. I, in my 16 years of age, am not terribly wordly, but I'm inclined to saw New Zealand. Maybe the Northern Island, because it's closer to the equator, presumably having a better growing season. I know nothing as to housing costs over there, though. Or economy. Or medicine! I think I'm being influenced by my own plans for the future. Your place does sound a bit idyllic, but if a gorgeous landscape makes up for the absence of one or more of those specifications, NZ could work for you. Or the next best thing: Australia. After your edit: Global warming will happen everywhere. That's why we have to fight to slow it down, and ultimately stop it. Do everything you can, and educate as many people as you can on the facts. The Earth is all we've got, we need to take care of it. Seeing as how you're already environmentally-minded, I won't feel guilty for pushing my beliefs on you by asking you to consider sending a little something to your congressperson: https://secure.defenders.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=1025&s_einterest=C3C4&s_Affiliate=act_ and/or http://takeaction.oceana.org/t/6207/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=25056 No one is paying me to share those links, if it seems like that. I just feel really strongly about it. Oh! So there's Finland. They take a out a lot of income tax, but medicare (their equivalent) is basically free, women get paid to stay home with their baby for nine months after the birth, and so does the husband, college is free, and they have very few smokers. At Finland's northernmost point, the sun does not set for 73 consecutive days during summer, and does not rise at all for 51 days during winter. Obviously that's a huge draw... I think you'll find a lot of places that are more open to being "green" than the US. You know, as a whole. I think Canada operates similarly to Finland in the aforementioned ways. It gets pretty darn cold there, though. Very pretty place. Clearly I found your question very engaging.
8. Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, etc. It's very peaceful and it looks cool.
9. I live in Istanbul, Turkey. So many people from US, UK and other western countries moved over here over the years. The country is as modern as US and UK, in big cities like Istanbul or Ankara you can always catch good concerts, film festivals and everything is cheaper. (cheaper than US, UK and most European countries) If I were you, I would give it a try. BUT, if I were you, I would move to a small island. That's what I will do in the future anyway.