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I am graduating from college in the spring with a bachelor's and am looking to move. I currently live in Pittsburgh, and while I like it, I'm starting to feel that's it's a bit too small for me. Here are my criteria (not overly specific, sorry):
1. It's bigger than Pittsburgh - if we're going smaller, I'd just prefer to stay here.
2. I'm looking more towards the coasts, but not dead-set on them. Not really feeling the Midwest.
3. I currently don't own a car, so decent public transportation is a must.
4. I need a job at some point. I'm not being overly picky right now.
5. Hills are bad.
I grew up in Ohio, so cold, snow, and lack of sun don't bother me.
Wash DC has great transportation in the city and even some of the outside areas. Great entertainment and nightlife. Jobs are plentiful (gov't seems to the country's biggest employer).
I am graduating from college in the spring with a bachelor's and am looking to move. I currently live in Pittsburgh, and while I like it, I'm starting to feel that's it's a bit too small for me. Here are my criteria (not overly specific, sorry):
1. It's bigger than Pittsburgh - if we're going smaller, I'd just prefer to stay here.
2. I'm looking more towards the coasts, but not dead-set on them. Not really feeling the Midwest.
3. I currently don't own a car, so decent public transportation is a must.
4. I need a job at some point. I'm not being overly picky right now.
5. Hills are bad.
I grew up in Ohio, so cold, snow, and lack of sun don't bother me.
Portland, ME...not sure about the hills though.
Best Towns 2007 | Outside Online (http://outside.away.com/outside/destinations/200708/best-towns-2007-portland.html - broken link)
Portland (Maine - Wikitravel (http://wikitravel.org/en/Portland_(Maine - broken link))
I am graduating from college in the spring with a bachelor's and am looking to move. I currently live in Pittsburgh, and while I like it, I'm starting to feel that's it's a bit too small for me. Here are my criteria (not overly specific, sorry):
1. It's bigger than Pittsburgh - if we're going smaller, I'd just prefer to stay here.
2. I'm looking more towards the coasts, but not dead-set on them. Not really feeling the Midwest.
3. I currently don't own a car, so decent public transportation is a must.
4. I need a job at some point. I'm not being overly picky right now.
5. Hills are bad.
I grew up in Ohio, so cold, snow, and lack of sun don't bother me.
Maybe the Tidewater area of VA, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Washington DC and Philadelphia.
Portland, ME...not sure about the hills though.
Best Towns 2007 | Outside Online (http://outside.away.com/outside/destinations/200708/best-towns-2007-portland.html - broken link)
Portland (Maine - Wikitravel (http://wikitravel.org/en/Portland_(Maine - broken link))
Portland's a HELL of a lot tinier than Pittsburgh. The center of town is also on one big hill (two, really). I lived there for four years, and while it's a lovely little city, it really looks and feels like a small to mid-size town. I know the metro area numbers show that Portland has 500,000 in the metro, but that area includes ALL of Southern Maine and part of Midcoast Maine (3 spread out counties in total) the vast majority of which is very rural. While Portland is certainly the principal city in the area, it only has 63,000 people in it and the city's official website says that Portland is in an area with about 230,000 people which is a much more accurate representation of the size of the metro. It's very little. Charming, but tiny.
Portland's a great little town, but hardly what the OP is looking for.
Anyway, I'd say look at Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Those cities seem to fit the bill pretty well. Seattle, Portland Oregon, and San Francisco seem like nice bets too, but they all have one or two aspects that you mention you don't like. Chicago's not too hilly and it has great transit but it IS in the Midwest. I think any young professional wanting to try their hand at a "big" city should start at New York and work their way down to what they like. If you don't like NYC, think of what you really do/don't like about it and weigh that criteria against other cities (i.e. Boston, Philly, D.C., SF, etc).
I am graduating from college in the spring with a bachelor's and am looking to move. I currently live in Pittsburgh, and while I like it, I'm starting to feel that's it's a bit too small for me. Here are my criteria (not overly specific, sorry):
1. It's bigger than Pittsburgh - if we're going smaller, I'd just prefer to stay here.
2. I'm looking more towards the coasts, but not dead-set on them. Not really feeling the Midwest.
3. I currently don't own a car, so decent public transportation is a must.
4. I need a job at some point. I'm not being overly picky right now.
5. Hills are bad.
I grew up in Ohio, so cold, snow, and lack of sun don't bother me.
You don't prefer hills and not feeling the Midwest so you may like: Phoenix, Boston and D.C
BBMark said jobs are plentiful in D.C., but someone from there told me last week that unemployment is at 12%. Not sure if that's the city, or the entire area.
I've always heard -- and believe -- that both Portlands have high unemployment, or at least not many good, high-paying jobs. Plus, some say Portland, Maine (or Maine in general) is unfriendly, at least to outsiders. Hate to spread this rumor about any town, but a Canadian cousin and her husband, transplanted to Cumberland just outside of Portland, marvel at how unfriendly and unwelcoming people are there, not just Portland, but Maine and New England. Not sure if people they complain about are natives or transplants like themselves.
.......
Hard to believe, but Just after starting the last sentence, I was interrupted at work by two customers from Bangor, Maine, who were friendly. Hmm...so much for generalizations about Mainers I just described -- or any region. But we already know that.
What about Denver? You said the coasts were not mandatory. Lots of young, educated and fit young people in a literate city (well within the top 5 or 10 in America in most polls). It's very cheap to rent, and has hip neighborhoods downtown as well as that nice distant view of the mountains. Reportedly, it's a good city for microbreweries, if that appeals to you.
Their public transit seems decent, and their light-rail plans to expand. Even better, I read two months ago on the bureua of labor statistics (bls) site that its unemployment was just over 7% vs. Boston's of over 9.0% (still below averagez). BUT, I just read Time-Warner cable is laying off many in Denver. Although I haven't visited, I've heard much positive feedback in recent yrs. about Denver, with some complaints -- but then, some don't like Boston.
Last edited by bostonguy1960; 01-31-2010 at 02:52 AM..
Reason: forgot new paragraph space
Thanks for the suggestions! Some of these were ones I was generally thinking of, and some I wasn't. Here's comments on some...
Boston and New York - On my list, but I've (sadly) never been to either.
Washington, D.C. - I've heard conflicting information on the job situation here too.
Seattle - Remember liking it when I visited.
Denver - Never considered it. Cheap rent is good.
Phoenix - Also hadn't considered it.
San Francisco - Hills may be tolerable since they're not snowed/iced over for a chunk of the year.
Of all the places you just listed Denver and Phoenix are the 2 that are the most affordable. Boston is a terrific city. What's your degree in? What are your interests? I'm biased because I live in Denver so I would always say Denver is the best (but I've only visited those other cities never lived in them)
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