Living in Norway. I could say that even though a lot of things are great, there are plenty of things that could be better. We have a high level of taxes, transportation (roads/railroads are definitely not the best in the world), but at the same time, there is free education up to and including college/university, health care is almost free, and so on, and so forth.

I could go for a more moderate climate, though. Snow in September is not my idea of fun.

I would love to go! My first love was Norwegian, so I have a soft spot for this place. But isn't it coooold?!

komler, my friend magnolia is going to grad school in Oslo and ranked last winter as the "longest season of my life." And she used to live in very Northern Wisconsin, so she's no stranger to cold and snow. I think it was the darkness that really got to her, though.

I think you meant that Norway is the best country to live in, not love.

I am a Canadian living in Norway at the moment and I like it OK. I have lived in three of the top ten countries on this year's list and I am pretty sure that they are all as good countries in which to live. I think what helped Norway get the first place is the extremely low unemployment rate combined with the oil money. And of course if doesn't hurt that the living conditions and social benefits are great.
I still prefer Canada for one simple reason: I miss my lifestyle. From a consumer's point of view, a lot of things are very limited/not very developed in Norway. Grocery shopping here is absolutely depressing. Sometimes I just wish I could drive to Sweden to go buy groceries. It is slowly getting better, but still.
My point is, I think that Canada is sort of in between the USA and Europe. We have a lifestyle that is very similar to the American one AND we have a great, free education system, socialized health care, long maternity leaves,... It's the best of both worlds.

My favorite things about Philadelphia:

1. It's extremely affordable
2. There's always something to do, and there are great restaurants here.
3. We're close to EVERYTHING. 2 hours away from NYC, 2 hours away from DC, an hour from the beach, and 2 hours from the mountains.
4. It's a big city but with a strong sense of community.

My least favorite:

1. The crime rate is pretty high.
2. Our mass transit system sucks. Our "subway" system consists of two trains, one going north and south and one going east and west. And there are plenty of buses but they're unreliable.
3. Our sports fans are incredibly obnoxious

I never put much stock in these lists because there's really no way to measure a lot of the things that make somewhere a great place to live, because the best place to live is different for everyone, and because the benchmarks that they do measure are often politically liberal.

I live in Canada, which is ranked fourth on that list. I also happen to live in Vancouver, which is consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the world, so...I've got things pretty good.

One thing that is a bit of a downer, though, is the cost of living, and these lists and rankings are one of the things that help justify extremely high rents and real estate prices. Still, the list of positives to living here would be almost ridiculously long, so I can't complain too much.

As far as the benchmarks being politically liberal - yes, as unfortunately things like health care, education subsidies, social programming etc are billed as such. These are the things that make life easier/better for the majority of people and help close the rich-poor gap a little. The countries that manage this, even a little, tend to rank higher. It explains why countries like the USA and Britain, with all their amenities, rank lower.

I used to live in a 3rd world country, and it's so funny that Norway was never considered as a place to move to (if you have the money to do it).
US is the likeliest place people dream of moving. I think it has to do with the 'freedom' it offers. That's what I heard about US too when I wasn't living here.

How high is the tax in Norway I wonder, is it right that Oregon has the second place in the highest taxed place in the world? Yeah, right now living in Oregon, oh boy.

nevaeh1978, just checked my last pay check, and I pay about 35% in taxes. I actually paid a higher percentage of taxes as a student worker in Denmark than I do in Norway. Granted, I'm not in the high-income earning bracket either...

FinnLover, I know. It's getting better, but I've become used to grocery shopping in Copenhagen, where the stores have a much better selection of goods than they necessarily do in Norway. Although finding the right store always helps, I miss finding things like white wine vinegar and greek yogurt in everyday stores.

Among the top 3 I would probably go with Australia mostly because of the weather and lifestyle.

I've just spend a year living in Australia and don't want to go back to Ireland!

The weather here is fantastic, the beaches are amazing, cities like Melbourne and Sydney have lots to do and see, the cost of living is good. I'm depressing myself just thinking about it....

I live in Norway of course. Where else could anyone want to live?

This might be a silly question, but I don't know much about Norway. What language(s) is/are spoken there?

Well, if England they speak... English... In France they speak French and in Norway they speak....*gasp* Norwegian!

And no,Norway isn't the north pole. The climate is pretty much like England. Temperate and rainy because of the north atlantic current. When are people going to learn some geography? *sighs*