Oh! The Places You'll Go!

Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.  - Dr. Suess

There are many reasons for which people migrate to different countries. People move because of unsatisfactory country conditions, hopes of economic opportunity, escape from social turmoil, to gain a higher standard of living or to be with family. 

I recently watched a documentary titled "The Other Side of Immigration" which focused on country conditions in Mexico which cause people to come to the U.S. for short or long periods of time.  The documentary included reasons such as NAFTA suffocating the local farmer's businesses making it impossible to compete with incoming U.S. product, the lack of government subsidies and the ability to make more than four times what they would make at home in the U.S.  However, all the local Mexicans interviewed in the film portrayed sadness and frustration at the prospect of sneaking into the U.S. to provide for their family back home and the inability to stay in Mexico and find decent employment. The documentary led me to wonder which country people in the U.S. move to if they could no longer provide for their family?  

International Living Magazine named the top ten countries in 2010 to live in as:  Italy, Canada, Belgium, United States, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, and #1 as France.  (click here to see list).  France has received the #1 spot on multiple occasions mostly due to its world class health care system (and perhaps its wine as well). 

Would you go to any of the countries on the top ten list?  If not, then where?