But getting to the point, you really shouldn't allow isolated acts like this to influence you.
You're much more likely to be killed by the next earthquake in the Bay area then you are to be killed by dopey police officer.
I immigrated here from the U.S. and the only contact I have with the "government" is my annual tax filing.
Where previously I had nearly 6-monthly encounters with police just for (I guess) being a black/Muslim man. "Random" traffic stops escalating to inquiries into everything about my life.
Long live Australia.
[Edit: I DO routinely run into my neighborhood Australian police on Fridays, that's because we frequent the same local bar and catch up for drinks and games of pool.]
What makes you assume he/she would base this decision on simple self-interest rather than principles?
Not sure if you're being sarcastic here... In Vancouver, the summers are gorgeous without being sweltering. The winters are mild.
Affordability is definitely an issue, but if you work in tech then it shouldn't really be a problem.
Very happy to be back out west (especially with the glorious weather we've been having this month).
How so? Wolfram Alpha puts Sydney at ~1.2x the cost of living of LA: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=move+from+Los+Angeles+t...
Given that our GDP per capita is 1.25x US I think that we're about even. Also as someone moving from Melbourne to the SF Bay, there are areas within each country that are very far apart. Melbourne is far cheaper than the SF bay.