Hey Thom R. from Germany, I resent your comments about crack houses. They are pretty swell places to grow up. Once, you get past the overdoses, yelling, and occassional shootings.

Husband and I had a sim. notion 5 years ago and ended up in Ridgewood, NJ - with no regrets - a 10 min. train away to NYC - less then 10 minute drive to NY State - 45 minutes to the sea shore -village atmosphre complete with art fairs, community activism, and diversity - come check it out!

Its hard to find a city that meets all of your preferences but I'll try. In total honesty, I would have to say that Montreal, Quebec, Canada would be your best bet. If you can stand the frigid winters and incredibly humid summers, its right for you. In terms of culture and high standards of living, Montreal is perfect. The French influence adds to a cultural diversity that is hard to find anywhere else in North America. Great museums, bars, nightclubs etc... Montreal also has some of the best restaurants in the world because of its mix of diversity. You'll find plenty of great French, Italian, Greek and seafood restaurants to satisfy your pallate. The cost of living in MTL is also very cheap for big city living in comparison to most other US/Canadian cities. It is safe, clean and has an excellent public transit system. In terms of employment opportunities, I have heard from friends that it may be somewhat difficult if you are planning on working with only Quebeckers if you don't speak French, however many people who speak only English can succeed in MTL dealing with the rest of Canada and the USA. I would definately say Montreal, if you can stomach paying the highest taxes in North America!