I love València. I think I’ve made that plain already. It’s the first city I’ve been to so far that I’d say is clearly superior to Washington, D.C. in terms of quality of life. One aspect of life in Spain that really appeals to me, but that’s not really reflected in the ratings below, is
Where was I? Ah, yes. Strolling semi-aimlessly around València, Spain’s old city center. But València didn’t make my list of 18 potential new homes purely for its Old-World ambience. One modern feature of the city that appealed immediately to me is the Jardin del Turia, a long, narrow greenbelt running through the center of València.
València vital statistics: Population: 780,834 (city proper); 1,570,000 (urban area) Latitude & longitude: 39˚ 28′ 00″ N, 0˚ 22′ 30″ W January average temperature: High 16.5˚C (61.7˚F), low 7.1˚C (44.8˚F) July average temperature: High 29.7˚C (85.5˚F), low 21.5˚C (70.7˚F) Time zone: GMT+2 (6 hours ahead of U.S. EDT) Language: Spanish, Catalan Currency: Euro Exchange rate: