What type of work are you looking for? A friend of mind has a translation business and is often looking for new people to do translation work for her clients (usually law firms, banks, etc.) I'm not sure if that's what you meant though.
Re: cities to live in, how about Cambridge, MA? It's a diverse community with lots to do. Cambridge and Boston are certainly not large cities but have lots to offer in terms of culture, recreation, shopping, dining, etc. I know there's an Islamic Society office there (
The Islamic Society of Boston) and a few of the universities have their own Islamic Society groups.