Top 10 Best Decades Since 1900 to Live In

What time did you live in or want to live? Which sounds the best?
The Top Ten
1 1980s

I was born in the '70s, and I have to say I love the '80s. To this day, still some of the best movies and music ever across all genres. It was a simpler time, and kids could still play outside until dark. Strangers helped make sure kids were safe instead of... well... what we have to deal with today. Mixed tapes! I loved listening to the American Top 40 and recording all my favorite songs. And finally, video games. Nintendo released, and the gaming world was changed forever... still some of the best games ever made. Pop culture was booming, great clothes, and maybe not known for the cars, they did have some that looked really cool.

2 1990s

The 1990s was the last great decade before everything went to hell in a handbasket, starting in the 2000s and only worsening since. I'd give anything to go back to the days of laser tag, classic Simpsons, Beast Wars, Batman: TAS, The X-Files, technology not ruling every aspect of our lives, closeness to world peace, great music (MTV still played music back then), Beavis & Butt-head, and cartoons that were still drawn by hand (no Flash animation nonsense). We had Nickelodeon, PS1, no Cold War or War on Terror, kids playing outside, and kids going out trick-or-treating en masse.

CGI was brand new and not overused, climate change was a distant threat (it was called global warming back then), and there were no reality shows (or very few of them). The Internet was brand new, political correctness was minimal, Bill Clinton was in office, there was no pandemic, and it was the golden age of video games and arcades. Saturday morning cartoons were still a thing, there were no iPods or smartphones, America had no big enemies, one's religion didn't matter (I started getting bullied for being irreligious in the 2000s), and VHS tapes were the norm (no streaming). People were more sociable, dating was much easier, there was a societal sense of optimism, and most people were much more appreciative of the previous year on New Year's Eve back then, etc.

The 90s were almost perfect and the closest we had ever been or ever will be to paradise!

3 2000s

Everything went well until 2013, which was the downfall of everything. What I liked is now trash! The 1980s-2000s were the best decades ever. I don't remember the 80s and 90s because I was born in 1998. I found out that 2006 and 2007 were the best years I experienced.

This is the third-best decade since 1900 to grow up in, just behind the 80s and 90s. Being in third place is still good compared to the 2010s, which are in sixth place. The 2010s were an okay time to grow up for many people, but 60% of the decade was not good.

The 2020s decade, with no fortune, is all the way down at ninth, just behind the 1920s and after the 1940s and 1910s, with the 1930s being the worst decade to grow up in. I feel bad for those born between 2012-2021. As I have to say, ten years later, they grew up in a terrible decade. I would rather grow up in the 1990s and 2000s, and I'm glad I did.

4 1970s

The 70s were the best, especially before video games took over. During the summer, parents would send their kids out to play and tell them to come home when it gets dark. It worked out well. Children actually talked to each other directly, which I think is the most important thing missing from society today.

If people would only put down their cellphones and talk to people directly, the world would be a much better place.

The 70s weren't the most tolerant decade, but when people made mistakes, they were more often than not forgiven. Unlike today, when people aren't allowed to make mistakes, and when they do, there is no forgiveness.

5 1960s

My first decade with memories, and it was by far the best. People were still in communities, sharing and helping one another. Politicians were older and wiser. We may have been poorer, but life had a cadence to it.

Music was natural and real, made by musicians with proper talent. Loved every minute of it.

Oh my, the '60s. I love everything about it! It all looks so cool (as in retro), just hanging out with your friends outside, that kind of stuff. Phones weren't a thing, so everything was just fine!

I am frankly disappointed with the rankings. The '80s? Are you joking?! I have one word: basic. The '60s is fire. You disrespected the Beatles, so I'm not letting it be. We had a few problems, but they rolled on out.

6 2010s

I was born in 1990 and remember some of the 90s. Honestly, the 2010s have been a very good decade economically, despite some political setbacks. As with the 2000s, people thought it was a horrible decade at the time, and now it's at number 2! Once the 2020s come, this decade will be in the top 5. I know most middle-aged adults complain about social media and phones, etc., but think of the other things this decade has - amazing healthcare, a stable world compared to most other decades, a strong and wealthy population, a decrease in poverty rates, and a large increase in life expectancy. I feel this decade brings benefits that no other decade has.

7 1950s

1956-1965. Although not a "decade," it is a ten-year span that created a lot of good stuff. Morals were still high, the economy boosted post-WWII, cars were getting faster and sleeker before the crazy fins of the late '60s. Civil rights and equality were gaining a lot of ground (a long way to go, to be sure, but it was finally acknowledged and something was being done about it). A fistfight usually solved a dispute without someone pulling a knife or gun, and without going to jail. Music and entertainment exploded. Technology made life better but didn't rule our lives (you could get away from the job without being tethered with a pager or cell phone). Education boomed, but a student still had to do actual research. A lot of norms were questioned with honest intent to enhance society, rather than just to stick it to the man. I think this was the best time period since the 1900s.

8 1920s

Personally, everyone says it was worse back then, but let's be honest: with society today, this country has lost the foundation and truth it was founded on, and I am majorly disappointed about it. I say that any decade before 2010 is a good decade.

The Roaring 20s! Men were men and women were women. It would be nice if the world got back to wearing suits and ties and skirts and heels. Romance and chivalry weren't dead.

1920s! The time when everybody wore suits and dresses, people had so much class. They were very polite. Like, bro, I'd give second to the 70s and third to the 90s. Then the fifties.

9 1900s

1900 - 1913, to me, kinda look like the Late 1800s, much like how 2000 - Early 2007 kinda look like the Late 1900s. For the start of an up and down century until the '40s, the 1900s actually looked like a pretty okay start for the century (outside of McKinley's assassination in 1901, of course). Far from the best, but this decade looked better than the horror that was the 1930s or WWI throughout the 1910s (1910-1913 and 1919 looked okay, though).

The very beginning, hardly anything to pass time on.

10 1940s

Even during the horror of war, this decade was calmer, slower-paced. The people stuck together. Helped each other. The music reflected life during this era: softer, gentler, selfless people. I was born at the start of the Punk age when everything changed. I'd gladly be elderly in this age if it meant I could have experienced life during the '40s, '50s, and '60s. I've always felt a little out of place, wishing I could crawl back to a time I have never and will never experience.

More people die today in a year than died during the entirety of World War II. "It was bad because of the war" is no excuse.

The Contenders
11 1930s

Great Depression Time, so I think it's good it's not up top...

Good decade. The time of Hollywood's golden age.

Watch O' Brother Where Art Thou? and you'll understand what I mean.

(Well, maybe not for the African American population.)

12 2020s

This decade is so far troubled by the COVID-19 pandemic, its economic fallout, the decline of the West, major rising geopolitical tensions, and a culture war that is tearing societies of developed countries apart. However, this is ignoring some very amazing developments.

Scientific and technological progress is booming, a new privacy-oriented and user-focused age of the internet (Web3) is rising, people are becoming much more conscious of the environment in both their personal lives and in business/investing. Green energy is on the rise, there is a push for equality in society, and we're becoming more ethical as a species. There is also a rise in better understanding mental health and how we can better navigate the downsides of technologies like social media. Even the space industry is picking up, and there will likely be another space race where things will advance really fast.

I think the pandemic will slowly fade away, and these next few years will be a time of tough but largely uneventful times, as we recover from the pandemic, economically struggle (sadly, perhaps with a big market crash at some point), try to heal societies, and prepare for the future. There may be some hard times, but this will then be followed by a major economic and technological boom - one of the biggest that humanity has ever experienced.

The 2020s will probably be a transitional time between the old world and the future. They will be very important years in history. For many people, these years will be either make or break. Work hard, make smart decisions, and build yourself.

13 1910s
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