Melbourne, Mate!

I cannot get over how beautiful Melbourne is.

This Australian city in the state of Victoria is the second largest city in Australia (under Syndey), and, in my opinion, the most gorgeous. The city boasts a population of around four million people - making it larger than Chicago, and about twice the size of Paris. It is projected that, by 2056, Melbourne's population will hit 7.5 million.

Melbourne's climate is like that of San Francisco - except its seasons are reversed. The summer (December - March) is the warmest time of the year, with average temperatures in the upper 70s. The coldest part of the year, winter (June - September), has average temperatures in the upper 50s. There are about 146 rainy days in a year on average.

The 2007-2010 Financial Crash that nearly killed the US state of Michigan actually had little effect on Melbourne. In fact, as jobs in other Australian cities were being lost, Melbourne was one of few places that gained jobs and population. The housing market also remained strong, which aided the economy even more.

Melbourne, unlike seemingly every major US city, has very few suburbs. This also contributes to its high population. However, the city is growing out, rather than up. Population is rising, but the density is decreasing at a slow rate. The government is proposing efforts to reverse this and make the city more dense in order to save money on public transportation and maintain a green atmosphere.

I also found out that attending the University of Melbourne would be less expensive than attending the University of Washington in Seattle. I think that's a bit backwards...

I would love to see this city.