Location, location, location

"For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us" - John Winthrop

I feel so lucky to live here.

House hunting in Vancouver has given me the chance to literally see the city in a whole new way. The views of the mountians and downtown skyline look spectacular from anywhere with an upper-floor window, of course. But I've also been introduced to a half-dozen neighborhoods I'd never spent much time in at all for the six years I've lived here. There are little communities in Burnaby, Richmond, Marpole and a few tucked-away spots closer to the centre are all scenic, functional places with friendly neighbors where I'd be happy to call home.

Pretty soon, I'll be moving out of one of Vancouver's most comfortable neighborhoods (where I rent on generous terms from my in-laws). I'll miss this place. The gently-sloping streets of green, immaculately landscaped lawns and handsomely-built houses are a treat to walk around, pretty much all year round. There's a big open park and elementary school nearby and a laid-back commercial strip just a five minute walk away.

I'm going to miss it. Hopefully, our new home won't be too far away.

I've been reflecting a lot lately on the confluence of lucky coincidences that has made Vancouver one of the most sought-after places to live not only in the country but around the world.

The expansion of commodity-extraction industries across the hinterland along with the city's natural development as Western Canada's biggest port, and our highly-educated workforce that is building up our brain-powered technology industries have made our local economy strong - and given us the resources to really put Vancouver on the world map. The 2010 Winter Olympics are just the icing on the cake, bringing even more good press to our ongoing success story.

Any one of those economic pillars can crumble in time.

Our big problems are hypothetical. Sale prices on resource commodities might drop with a sudden downturn in the US economy; the port might lose its competitive edge to Seattle or even Halifax; the brain drain to the south may rob us of the potential to fully develop our tech sector; an Al Queda terrorist attack during the Olympics might blow a hole in our tourism sector.

But even a few of those disasters in combination would not likely lead to the city's demise.

Meanwhile, other cities are already suffering from catastrophic challenges that Vancouverites would have some difficulty even comprehending. As you peruse the list of cities below, remind yourself how lucky you are to live here.

Mogadishu, Somalia: A UN-sanctioned peacekeeping force spearheaded by American marines could not put an end to anarchic violence that only worsened conditions for its drought-stricken inhabitants - in 1994. Twelve years on, warlords still wage running gunbattles in the streets.

Vancouver's drug-fuelled violent-crime statistics may be on the rise, but locals opposed to gun violence would not approve of Mogadishu's wild-west warfare. Check out images of Somalia's capital here.

Pyongyang, North Korea: The air is crisp and clean in this show-city for Kim Jong Il's totalitarian dystopia - mainly because of a lack of fuel for transportation, industry or residents. People here live under constant threat of starvation (caused by ruinous government policies), arbitrary arrest and torture.

Even if COPE or Vision Vancouver ever retake Vancouver City Hall, odds are slim that we'll have to declare our undying loyalty to the regime in return for ration cards. Check out images of a Stalinist metropolis here.

Victoria, Canada: British Columbia's picturesque provincial capital hides a dirty secret: 45 billion litres of raw sewage are dumped by municipal pipes into the Pacific Ocean annually. It remains the last major Canadian city without even basic treatment for sewage.

That's just gross.

All in all, I feel pretty lucky to live here.

tags: city upon a hill, heavenly city, metropolis, dystopia, economic pillars, picturesque, Vancouver real estate