LETTER FROM ZURICH
They're easy to spot, on streetcars or in the first-class sections of commuter trains, on terraces when the weather allows, in trendy bars, and especially at 8:00 am, when their SUVs drop off their children at local schools. They rarely speak the local dialect, Swiss German, which is admittedly challenging, but instead use loud, fluent English, with the confident manners of those for whom money is rarely a concern.
Expatriates are becoming increasingly visible in Zurich, Switzerland's largest urban area, with just over a million inhabitants. Until now, few people have taken the time to study them closely. But the phenomenon has intrigued (and pleased) the liberal daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung, which recently devoted several articles to Zurich's appeal. The city was ranked by international management consultancy Mercer as the world's most liveable city, ahead of Vienna. Three other Swiss cities – Geneva, Bern, and Basel – also featured in the top 10, while Paris came 34th.
Here are the results of the newspaper's survey: Switzerland welcomes some 50,000 "expats" every year. These are a unique type of migrants who only stay for a few years – usually three or four – before being replaced by others.
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