Rhône-Alpes is the No1 place to live
Young professionals dream of lving in Lyon - with Midi-Pyrénées, Aquitaine and Paca following behind
PARIS, the Côte d'Azur and the Atlantic coast trail Rhône-Alpes have been named as the best places in France to live and work.
A survey of young professionals said the region's high standard of living and economic dynamism made it their No1 region - with the capital, Lyon, being where they dreamed of being based.
The survey, by recruitment firm Apec, found that Rhône-Alpes led Midi-Pyrénées, Aquitaine and Paca on people's wish lists with more than a quarter of the respondents mentioning them.
They were joined by six other regions cited as being especially attractive: Languedoc-Roussillon, Pays de la Loire, Bretagne, Ile-de-France, Alsace, and Nord-Pas-de-Calais.
Young professionals view Rhône-Alpes, which includes Lyon, Annecy, Chambery, Chamonix, Grenoble and Valence, as having the best way of life in France and rank it second on the scale of economic development, behind Paris and the Ile-de-France.
The survey results mimic a recent report from statistics body Insee that showed Rhône-Alpes, Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénées, Paca, Pays de la Loire and Aquitaine were the regions with the "most dynamic growth in their populations" in the period up to 2030.
However, Paris and the Ile-de-France is still dear to many of the young professionals who rate it No1 for economic dynamism, but mark it down to eighth place for its quality of life - especially in terms of pollution, cost of housing, the length of commute and the level of unemployment.
The survey highlighted that amongst the criteria that made a region attractive were a short commute to work, the way of life, the weather and the availability of plenty of leisure activities. Economic considerations were led by a strong regional economy, having company headquarters located there, having good public transport - and decent pay levels.
