I think a hybrid text input with a menu and autocomplete is the best option in most situations, its something that really needs to be provided by browsers/html, filtering happens incredibly easily, you can still force the user to pick precise options, but you dont have to.
I've said this before, but I like to help the user fill out the form. Autocomplete is definitely the way to go. Also, if I put in a zip code, you can fill in the country, state, and give me suggestions for the city.