While many Vancouverites consider their city the best in Canada to live in, a prominent financial magazine disagrees.
In its annual "Best Places to Live" survey, MoneySense magazine ranked Ottawa-Gatineau as the best city to live in Canada for the second year in a row, with Vancouver not even cracking the top 25.
Vancouver clinched the 29th spot on the 2011 list, dragged down because of crime and unaffordable housing. The City of Glass ranked 180th – last place – among Canadian cities for affordable housing.
Weather also weighed the city's ranking down considerably. The survey takes away points for the number of wet days in a year.
Victoria, however, fared better, landing in the number two spot for livability – up from eighth place last year.
While Victoria also received low marks on the affordable housing front, top scores were awarded for weather, job prospects, access to health care and ease of walking/biking to work.
The survey data is compiled from 180 cities and towns with more than 10,000 people. The ratings are based on home affordability, climate, prosperity, crime rates, job prospects, access to health care and lifestyle, with subcategories in each area.
Points are also awarded for transit, amenities and culture.
Here's the MoneySense top 10 list:
- Ottawa-Gatineau
- Victoria
- Burlington
- Kingston
- St. Albert
- Fredericton
- Brandon
- Edmonton
- Repentigny
- Winnipeg
Other B.C. city rankings:
- 36 Nanaimo
- 44 Langley
- 46 New Westminster
- 49 Vernon
- 54 Duncan
- 57 Maple Ridge
- 62 Richmond
- 91 Delta
- 98 North Vancouver
- 103 Dawson Creek
- 106 Kamloops
- 111 Fort St John
- 112 Port Coquitlam
- 121 Kelowna
- 124 Coquitlam
- 131 Chilliwack
- 134 Prince George
- 145 Burnaby
- 151 Surrey
- 161 Squamish
- 163 Prince Rupert
- 164 Terrace
- 165 Abbotsford-Mission
- 168 Powell River
- 172 Port Alberni
- 175 Campbell River
- 176 Quesnel
- 177 Williams Lake
This is the publication's sixth year of publishing the list.
Have your say: Is this an accurate list?
