Reasons why North Americans do not want to live in Europe (pay, driving)

[Mac15]

Originally Posted by OneLess

How would having few skyscrapers ruin a beauty? You could have both old and new buildings (Montreal an example). Few cities like Frankfurt do have skyscrapers, and I'm pretty sure it doesn't ruin the beauty.

Europe does not have as many stores and options like the U.S.
In America there is something for the very poor to the very rich. Lots of stores and lots of options.
Europe does not have TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Kohl's as an example. Yes, H&M, Zara, etc. but not a cheap store that sell brand names.

Outside stores are common in cities and many downtown areas, as well as strip "malls" in America too.

You are wrong. There is a tkmaxx 9 miles from my house..

[Mac15]

Originally Posted by OneLess

* No chain restaurants like Cheesecake Factory, Olive Gardens, Friday's, etc. (besides American fast food chains like McDonald's and Burger King).

We have tgi fridays here..

And taco bell and all of that. I suggest americans actually research...

[theunbrainwashed]

Originally Posted by owenc

1. Wrong. My house is 4000feet. It is only in large cities were we have small houses. My car is massive and alot of farmers have those pickup trucks that you all claim that we dont have.
2. True.
3. Depends.
4. Depends. Iphone is same price.
5. True
6. True
7. I find less freedom in america.
8. Yes
9. True for england not in northern ireland. Our houses in towns are like your suburbs.
10. Middle east is 3500 miles away. Maine is 2600 miles away newfoundland is 1900 miles away so you are wrong!
11. True
12. True
13. Hmm not really
14. Wrong.
15. Complete bull**** we have 3 cars used to have 4.
16. True dont need it... But in spain they have it.
17. Not really. My town is only 400 years old.

1. I can safely say you are more an outlier than the norm in the UK in this regard. You even lay claim that your dad owns an airplane, something no one else claims on this forum that is from Europe.
7. US is not more or less free than the EU. I find that both regions have different opinions on what freedom is. We value more the spoken word than technological freedom, for example, whereas in the EU the opposite is true. You can't speak your mind openly in the EU without incurring possible arrest, but you have more internet freedom than we do (except in the UK)
15. Eh, I can believe that. Europeans own and drive more cars than Americans believe. Most of my German relatives that are of driving age own their own cars since local public transport is non existent where they all live.
17. Oh, only 400 years old, I see That is pretty modern by European standards

Originally Posted by owenc

We have tgi fridays here..

And taco bell and all of that. I suggest americans actually research...

Come on, owen, let Americans have a romanticized view of Europe that everyone eats at restaurants that serve their national cuisine(s) and that American influence is only limited to the movie theater, everyone rides the bus or train to get around everywhere, everyone lives a "green" lifestyle, lives in a quaint little stone country cottage, etc.


Now, as for why I don't want to live in Europe, my reasons are as follows:

1. Too expensive to live where the jobs are at
2. Crowded where the jobs are at
3. Too much political correctness
4. Too many questionable Muslim youth in all the countries I'd live in except possibly one (Spain)

The other stuff the OP mentioned is all backburner stuff that has no bearing on me, personally.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by OneLess

* Everything is smaller (houses/apartments, roads, food portions, buildings, stores, etc.)
* High unemployment rate (Esp. in Eastern and Southern Europe)
* High youth unemployment rate in Western and Northern Europe
* Very high taxes
* Basically everything is more expensive
* Confusing road system and signs
* Less demographic diversity (but too high Islamic immigration)
* Less freedom
* Lack of skyscrapers in most cities
* No real and true suburban area like in the U.S./Canada
* Close to the Middle East (generally bad region)
* Less climate and landscape diversity (No tropical or desert climate in mainland Europe, and most of Europe have much less sunshine than most of U.S. and even Canada)
* Too many national languages
* Way less shopping stores and shopping opportunity (No wonder why Europeans go crazy when shopping in America)
* Big houses (McMansions) are rare
* Having own individual car is relatively uncommon
* Central Air and Heat is rare and something luxury
* Everything is too old

Feel free to add

This list makes no sense. "Everything is more expensive". So? People get paid more, it balances out. Youth unemployment is no higher than in the US. Checked US unemployment rates, lately? Germany is way lower than the US, at least, in West Germany. Lack of skyscrapers is a plus. Why do you view it as a minus? "Lack of suburban areas"? You mean, "No urban sprawl"? That's a good thing. "Too many national languages"--that's funny! Only an American would see that as a minus! McMansions are a scourge in America, most people view them as a bad thing.

Oh, no, not the car ownership debate! Most European posters here have said it's a misconception that car ownership is rare in Europe. Heat in most parts of Europe is not a luxury, it's a necessity! Who cares if it's central or not? Older architecture is part of Europe's charm.

You forgot one: everything is of a higher quality in Europe than north America. I don't know why you're listing all of Europe's advantages as undesirables. You're listing some misconceptions about Europe, too. Did you do any research before posting this?

[GER308]

After 13 years I have no desire to ever live in the USA again. Nothing really against the US, there are things I miss but I perfer living in Europe. I could live in pretty much any European country happily as long as I could support myself there.

[Grim Reader]

Having tried both, I think you are underestimating the variety of Europe.

Originally Posted by OneLess

* High unemployment rate (Esp. in Eastern and Southern Europe)

If you remember that people get taken off the unemployment stats after a shorter period of unemployment in America, the difference isn't that big. Only a few countries like Spain etc have it significantly worse than the US.

Originally Posted by OneLess

* High youth unemployment rate in Western and Northern Europe

Whereas most of Northern Europe have half the unemployment rate of the US.

Originally Posted by OneLess

* Very high taxes

Varies a lot from country to country. Personal taxes in Norway are about equal to a high-tax state in the US, while Denmark really is high-tax. Also, available deductions vary a lot too.

Originally Posted by OneLess

* Basically everything is more expensive

True of Western Europe and Nothern Europe. Eastern and Southern are much less expensive.

Originally Posted by OneLess

* Confusing road system and signs

Sounds like a personal issue. Most Americans are not that easily confused.

Originally Posted by OneLess

* Less demographic diversity (but too high Islamic immigration)

I doubt the demographic diversity. Europe is basically a much, much higher number of ethnicities than the US, crammed into a small geographic area. As for the Islamic immigration, I think you're doing the Americans a disservice. Few Americans really fit into the "coward demographic" that is bothered.

Originally Posted by OneLess

* Less freedom

Now this is one area where Europe simply beats America like Mike Tyson would beat Stephen Hawking (sans chair) in a boxing match. Europe has so much more freedom that it is monstrous. Its like saying America has a bigger economy than Albania.

Originally Posted by OneLess

* Lack of skyscrapers in most cities

Varies a lot form city to city. I dobt it is a minus for most Americans either.

Originally Posted by OneLess

* No real and true suburban area like in the U.S./Canada

Once again, varies from country to country. Why do you think the counties around London have been called the "home counties"?

Originally Posted by OneLess

* Close to the Middle East (generally bad region)

The US is close to Central America. I don't think anyone rated it as a worse place to live for that. "Next continent over" doesnt figure into most peoples ratings on a place.

Originally Posted by OneLess

* Less climate and landscape diversity (No tropical or desert climate in mainland Europe, and most of Europe have much less sunshine than most of U.S. and even Canada)

True enough on the climate variety. If youre going to live in a place, you generally need to pick a climate, and the ones Europe lacks aren't the most attractive ones to most.

Originally Posted by OneLess

* Too many national languages

Most people find variety one of the attractions of Europe.

Originally Posted by OneLess

* Way less shopping stores and shopping opportunity (No wonder why Europeans go crazy when shopping in America)

Once again, depends on where you are. London. Milan, Paris, Rome....

Originally Posted by OneLess

* Big houses (McMansions) are rare

Depends on where you are again. A lot of Europe is much more dense populationwise than America, and land becomes expensive. In the coutries with lower population density, houses get bigger.

Originally Posted by OneLess

* Having own individual car is relatively uncommon

Less common than the US. However, most adult families have at least one. Once again, the population density means public transport is better. Many Americans enjoy this.

Originally Posted by OneLess

* Central Air and Heat is rare and something luxury

Um...what?

Originally Posted by OneLess

* Everything is too old

Because...Europe is a lot older? Once again, most Americans seem to find it an attraction.

I don't think you've listed things that North Americans find unattractive about Europe. You've mostly listed things you personally don't like. And a lot of them are either wrong (freedom, unemployment), stuff most Americans don't care about (what continent is next to it, road system, skyscrapers), stuff most find an attraction (variety, old, better public transport) or just stuff that dempends on where in Europe you are.

Also, in Europe you mostly have to go a shorter distance to find completly different settings if you want them.

[Geggo]

Although you obviously directed this question to fellow Americans, I will give you my opinion anyway.

* Everything is smaller (houses/apartments, roads, food portions, buildings, stores, etc.)
Yes, but does smaller mean worse? You will get used to it.

* High unemployment rate (Esp. in Eastern and Southern Europe)
Not everywhere, and there are similar areas in America as well.

* High youth unemployment rate in Western and Northern Europe
Not really true, even if this was true how would this deter you from living here?

* Very high taxes
High income taxes for higher incomes only, also much less property taxes, usually university education is free, i.e you get back what you pay the taxes for

* Basically everything is more expensive
Most things, but many things are better quality as well

* Confusing road system and signs
In most foreign countries road systems are different, one gets used to it, superficial reason

* Less demographic diversity (but too high Islamic immigration)
What exactly do you mean by diversity? It's a useless buzz word.

* Less freedom
I do not feel less freedom here, just another clichee

* Lack of skyscrapers in most cities
Which is a good thing. It's the skyscapers which make American cities look and even feel so similar and replaceable.

* No real and true suburban area like in the U.S./Canada
Most new residential areas since WW2 are similar to American suburbia, they are much smaller though. Building suburbs often leads to the creation of ghettos.

* Close to the Middle East (generally bad region)
Invalid reason. Closer, but not close at all. And I would not call it a generally bad area.

* Less climate and landscape diversity (No tropical or desert climate in mainland Europe, and most of Europe have much less sunshine than most of U.S. and even Canada)
It's hot enough in Southern Europe, hotter than in California. And who needs a desert climate? Invalid argument, maybe for someone in southern Florida or Nevada, but not for the vast majority.

* Too many national languages
Above you bemoan the relative lack of diversity and now we have too many languages. Usually learning one foreign language is sufficient, which is what most Europeans have to do when they want to live in America.

* Way less shopping stores and shopping opportunity (No wonder why Europeans go crazy when shopping in America)
The only reason Europeans go crazy is because of the much cheaper branded clothes and also hardware which is owed to the more favourable exchange rate. There is nothing we cannot buy in Europe.

* Big houses (McMansions) are rare
If you can afford a McMansion when you move to Europe you can either buy one or have one built from scratch. If you have a normal income you would not be able to afford one on either continent. Invalid argument.

* Having own individual car is relatively uncommon
Maybe in the very big (inner) cities like London, Paris or Berlin, but not elsewhere. Same situation as in NYC. Invalid arguments. Usually everybody has at least one car.

* Central Air and Heat is rare and something luxury
Most areas where heating is required have central heating. A/C is indeed quite rare and would be usefull in the summer. However most of Europe lacks the humidity of the eastern half of America so the summer heat is easier to bear here than in the US without air conditioning.

* Everything is too old
Funny argument. How can something be too old?

[Vikingen]

Originally Posted by cmptrwlt

No wonder you call yourself "Vikingen" . Do you wear a helmet with horns?

Ha Ha, historians claim that the Vikings never wore helmets with horns...No, Vikingen comes from that I live in a place called Vik thus Vikingen - but I guess my ancestors could have been Vikings since they came from this area of Norway..

[OneLess]

Originally Posted by owenc

We have tgi fridays here..

And taco bell and all of that. I suggest americans actually research...

Taco Bell is a fast food place like Subway, McDonald's and Burger King. I'm talking about more like chain restaurants like Olive Gardens, Grandlux Cafe, etc. more formal and sit down.

[Geggo]

Originally Posted by OneLess

chain restaurants like Olive Gardens, Grandlux Cafe, etc. more formal and sit down.

Chain restaurants are the killers of culinary diversity.