What are Americans missing???

I found another thread that ask "What are Brits missing".  The link ask a lot of questions about reasons why individuals from the UK would want to come to the US and live.  The link also ask a lot of questions about the differences between what Americans "think" life in the UK is like compaired to the US and how living in the US would be better.
I want to take another look at this topic but from another perspective.  What are American's missing and why would life be better in moveing to the UK. 
I personally believe that I will provoide my child and myself a better standard of living in many ways (values, culture, education, health care and so on) but there are differences that we will have to adjust.  The main issue for me is housing.  Living in the States my entire life I am acustome to a large house with a great deal of land.  I currently own a 4 bedroom house on 1/2 acre and have lots of space and trees.  I will miss this and am not sure how I will get use to the change.  Other then that I think the sacrifice will be worth it in the long run.
So I ask you....What are American's missing out on and why should they move if provided the oppertunity (please overlook the spelling, trying to think and type at the same time 

Um, Wal-Mart.  Can't think of a lot as there isn't really anything I truly wanted that I couldn't find or get here. 

As for a big house - well, I haven't lived in one of those since 1989 and it belongs to my parents and is a nightmare to clean, so I never got accustomed to much.  I spent most of my free time in my 20s living in a tent and now rent a pokey flat - but it has a car park!

I'll never forget reading a quotation from a Native American in the Texas History Museum as a kid.  The man couldn't get his head round the concept of owning property, b/c to his culture there was no such thing as owning Mother Earth.  He said, 'White man come build big house.  Like big cage.'

What are American's missing out on and why should they move if provided the oppertunity

Well I personally love living here, so my list could get quite long.... And I'm NOT trying to start any arguments - these are reasons that I personally am content here and I realize that others might not think these are necissarily better:

- NHS. I know I couldn't afford health insurance there unless I changed careers to find an employer who could make big contributions.

- The weather. This is personal to me as I come from an area that is pretty much the same all the time - temperate, never truly hot, never truly cold, leaves don't fall, etc.

- Housing. I'm one of the few who is better off with housing over here since I'm from one of the most expensive places in the universe to try to live.

- Sport. I used to have to watch my beloved Liverpool FC at 7am. Now I watch it at a normal hour.

- Music. I'm an indie girl and was growing tired of rattling off bands I liked only to be met with blank stares. Here the music I like actually stands a chance of being heard and appreciated and my fav. bands regularly play live.

- Travel. I can actually start exploring Europe easily and economically.

- Less consumerism. Though I know this is changing in the UK, I appreciate not feeling as much pressure to have have have. And I don't feel at all deprived that I can't shop 24 hours a day. That's what the internet is for anyway.

- Politics. Enough said.

- Reservedness. While it's made making friends more challenging, I appreciate not having strangers tell me their life story. I've come to realize that this is not to be equated with not being friendly in the least - it's just a different cultural attitude. It doesn't mean that people are unfriendly just because they don't unload on you within a few minutes of meeting you....

- Walking/not having to drive everywhere.

- Pub culture. I like being able to walk into my local and always count on knowing someone there, and having the server say "Hi Anne, wine and soda? or London Pride?"

That's probably enough from me. 

- Reservedness. While it's made making friends more challenging, I appreciate not having strangers tell me their life story. I've come to realize that this is not to be equated with not being friendly in the least - it's just a different cultural attitude. It doesn't mean that people are unfriendly just because they don't unload on you within a few minutes of meeting you....

Whilst I agree with your whole post, this is the bit that I agree with the most.  But you already knew that, didn't you? 

this is the bit that I agree with the most.  But you already knew that, didn't you? 

Yep. As a matter-of-fact, I did. 

I like the 'mind your own business' philosophy here.  I mean, who the hell has time to care what XY and Z's doing with their lives?  I certainly don't, and I appreciate that people leave me to my own devices here more as well.

I like the 'mind your own business' philosophy here. I mean, who the hell has time to care what XY and Z's doing with their lives? I certainly don't, and I appreciate that people leave me to my own devices here more as well.

I wish it was like that here. Oh how I wish.

I agree with so much that has been said here.

One of the things I love about the UK is walking everywhere.  I have a nice double stroller for the little ones and a good rain cover and rain coat and we walk everywhere.  Work, school, nursery, supermarket, doctors office and town center are all in walking distance from my house.  I haven't bothered to get my British driving license and I'm not going to.  I am so much thinner than when I lived in the US and I spent half my day in the car.

Americans who don't live in big cities are missing out on decent public transport. 

My husband and I spend a lot more time with the kids and doing family things here than we would if we were in the states. We both get approximently 7 weeks annual leave.  Its good.  I cannot imagine what it would be like to raise 3 very young kids with both of us killing ourselves doing 40+ hours a week with no leave. 

Someone made a comment about the house size in the UK and I have to say that is one thing I really really miss about the US.  I would cut off my arm to have a nice finished basement for them to play in, or a big family room.   I feel like we can't move sometimes due to the extreme lack of space in this house.  Plus my living room walls are covered in crayon.  Its really the only room for the kids to play in and its only 12 by 14.  I don't think house size would bother me if  I didn't have kids.  Anyway you can't have everything!

We both get approximently 7 weeks annual leave.  Its good.  I cannot imagine what it would be like to raise 3 very young kids with both of us killing ourselves doing 40+ hours a week with no leave. 

Oh how could I have forgotten that one!!! Even though I'm applying for relatively low-level jobs, they all have 25 days holiday a year right off the bat - and MORE after certain number of years worked. I worked my ar$e off in the US and felt extraordinarily lucky to have managed to accrue 10.

I worked my ar$e off in the US and felt extraordinarily lucky to have managed to accrue 10.

Yeah and then they never want you to take it all at once. 

Some trivial little things I like about the U.K. (speaking as someone who grew up here):

* The way that everybody suddenly cheers up and sheds their coats and sweaters when the weather finally turns warm (warm being anything over 60 of course!)

* Walking around a seaside town in August seeing everybody having fun. 

* Sitting on the seafront of the aforementioned town eating fish & chips out of the paper (not quite the same now it's not newspaper, but still good).

*  Rather topically, the way that the sometimes-buried British sense of pulling together emerges again in a time of crisis.

A sense of global community.

One picture that will forever stay in my head is that of the old (typical english) lady sitting on a bench in a park, chatting to the punk with a bright pink mohican next to her Being from Germany and getting spit at for having my hair dyed red, I always admired that people in England are much more indiscriminating than the narrow-minded country I am from.

The same went for vacations ... it would be English folks talking to me, never Germans, they'd just stare at my tattoos in horrified disbelief (that of course was in the 80s, long before all that stuff like piercings and tattoos were fashionable).

For me I miss Wal-Mart, restaurants on every corner, (not the fast food ones) especially the ones like Denny's who are open 24/7. Also, Chili's, Marie Calender's, oh man, their cornbread!!! Steak houses.....I miss big Gulps, 7/11s, or any stores that are open 24/7. I just like choices, and being able to go out and get a meal in the middle of the night, if I want. I miss long road trips, and the diversity of scenery, (not sure if I put that right) , but the fact that not all places, houses, shops, and landscape look the same. Growing up in S. California, we had a bit of everything, ocean, desert and cactus, lakes and forests, little river towns, surfing, skiing, boating, swimming, snow skiing, and it was all within just a few hours drive. I just miss being able to change my scenery, and surroundings, and jump from one climate to another, if I feel like it. My parents live in Palm Springs, and I was in San Diego, and just going up there for a day or two, was like another world! That's probably what I miss more than anything. Oh, and mexican food. Oh, and my family.

(warm being anything over 60 of course!)

    Those are winter temps where I moved from in the US!  That's what I miss (warm southern FL temps, beaches & sunshine--all the time) -- and my friends.