Annual research results from various sources reveal that the inhabitants of Düsseldorf are some of the happiest and most contented in the world. Most expats report similar experiences.
This may be in part due to a lack of urban sprawl or extreme high rise buildings and manageable population. As the State capital of NRW, the city represents the seat of power. Yet Düsseldorf is extremely compact in comparison to the megacities of the world. The commercial and retail centre is a pleasantly small collection of streets flanked by parks and the river.
The waters of the Rhine flow a normally tranquil path past the old town and flat banks on the opposite shore on their way to enter the North Sea near Rotterdam in The Netherlands.