Houston, Dallas, DC, Austin, Indianapolis, North Carolina Moving help for single black female (living, best)
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Start this off by saying I love Citydata, so much helpful info.
Here's my situation, I'm presently in Atlanta, been here for several months now. Moved here with no job, (I know worst decision ever!). Honestly, I believe Atlanta, while beautiful, is maybe too saturated and a little overrated in my book. Finding unemployment here has been extremely difficult especially in my field (double major marketing and finance but I'm pretty much open to anything that pays a decent wage at this point). I've decided to throw in the chips and start looking at other cities with better economies, Houston, Dallas and DC comes to mind. I've been told by many that I'm more of a LA, NY or Chicago girl but while I love a cosmopolitan and vibrant city, cost of living makes me nervous especially in this economy.
So between Houston, Dallas, DC, Austin, Indianapolis, North Carolina:
1) Job market, which city has better prospects.
2) How is the dating scene for a single black female (mid 20's attractive : ) and African (Nigerian mixed with Egyptian)
3) The nightlife and general recreational activities. I like a vibrant downtown, mildly outdoorsy and enjoy artsy activities.
4) Which city has more of a startup/entrepreneurial vibe and is better for business? I would love to network with other aspiring entrepreneurs and eventually start something of my own.
5) Cost of living
6) Crime rate
7) Finally, any tips on finding employment from out of state?
Thank you, any help will be appreciated.
Last edited by livingontheedge; 01-26-2013 at 11:03 AM..
1) Job market, which city has better prospects Answer: DC
2) How is the dating scene for a single black female (mid 20's attractive : ) and African) The DC area has a very large AA population, a lot are educated too. The DC area has the highest concentration of Nigerians and Ethiopians in the entire country
3) The nightlife and general recreational activities. I like a vibrant downtown, mildly outdoorsy and enjoy artsy activities. DC all the way.
4) Which city has more of a startup/entrepreneurial vibe and is better for business? I would love to network with other aspiring entrepreneurs and eventually start something of my own. There are a lot of entrepreneurial types in the DC area, mainly African, Asians, Middle Easterns, and Latinos.
5) Cost of living DC is the most expensive, more expensive than Chicago and much, much expensive than ATL
6) Crime rate DC has a higher crime rate than NYC, LA, Chicago, ATL, Dallas, Houston, but if you don't look for trouble and don't flaunt expensive stuff like the iPad then you'll be fine.
All in all, as a city and even a metro area, D.C. destroys Houston, Dallas, Austin, Indy, and North Carolina. As a matter of fact all of those cities are country compared to D.C. just like Atlanta. DC is world class, has high end shopping within the metro area, is culturally/racially,economically diverse, has the #3 best public transit in the country (behind NYC and Chicago), countless nightlife options, and overall, is in a whole different league.
Thank you so much for your reply. I've never been to DC but heard great things about it. I'm actually mixed Nigerian and Egyptian so I'm excited that there's a huge concentration of Nigerians there : )
You say the cost of living is more expensive than Chicago??? Oh wow, I knew it was more expensive but thought it would be less than Chi-town. Do the jobs pay well? How much will a 1 bedroom in the city run? I'd prefer to stay far fay away from a roommate situation.
Also what are some good local job searching sites. Hope you dont mind all the questions
Didnt black enterprise rank D.C as #10 on cities with two the cities she is considering ranking higher ? For young black with degrees including alanta ranking higher than dc
I guess I'm not necessarily looking for cities with high or predominant black population. I'm more looking for cosmopolitan cities that have a diverse range of cultures, a international population, with a good economy where I can find a decent job, afford a 1 bedroom in the city and also with a good dating scene for a young African woman : )
Also with good universities, I will be going back for a masters and phd.
Am I asking for too much?
Last edited by livingontheedge; 01-26-2013 at 11:43 AM..
Houston and DC would be tops for you. DC's downside is that the cost of living is pretty much through the roof. However, it has a strong higher ed scene, great nightlife, and is diverse. Houston's higher ed scene isn't as strong as DC's nor is its downtown as vibrant; however, it's just as diverse, having one of the largest Nigerian populations in America (Nigerian-American Multicultural Center - Bridging Cultures and Generations), has a low cost of living, one of the best big city economies, and a solid arts scene with a large theater district downtown. If I were you, I'd check out Houston first. DC would be second, and then maybe the Triangle area (Raleigh/Durham) of NC.
And disregard that "All these cities are country compared to DC" comment. Some people just can't comprehend that there are actually vibrant and exciting large and midsized cities in the South and Midwest (outside of Chitown).
1) Job market, which city has better prospects Answer: DC
2) How is the dating scene for a single black female (mid 20's attractive : ) and African) The DC area has a very large AA population, a lot are educated too. The DC area has the highest concentration of Nigerians and Ethiopians in the entire country
3) The nightlife and general recreational activities. I like a vibrant downtown, mildly outdoorsy and enjoy artsy activities. DC all the way.
4) Which city has more of a startup/entrepreneurial vibe and is better for business? I would love to network with other aspiring entrepreneurs and eventually start something of my own. There are a lot of entrepreneurial types in the DC area, mainly African, Asians, Middle Easterns, and Latinos.
5) Cost of living DC is the most expensive, more expensive than Chicago and much, much expensive than ATL
6) Crime rate DC has a higher crime rate than NYC, LA, Chicago, ATL, Dallas, Houston, but if you don't look for trouble and don't flaunt expensive stuff like the iPad then you'll be fine.
All in all, as a city and even a metro area, D.C. destroys Houston, Dallas, Austin, Indy, and North Carolina. As a matter of fact all of those cities are country compared to D.C. just like Atlanta. DC is world class, has high end shopping within the metro area, is culturally/racially,economically diverse, has the #3 best public transit in the country (behind NYC and Chicago), countless nightlife options, and overall, is in a whole different league.
You were doing good until you said that misguided piece at the bottom. Dallas and Houston can and does go toe to toe with DC in shopping. Houston (especially)and Dallas is just as racially diverse as DC. Dallas has a very diverse economy and Houston has a very strong economy. DC only overwhelms the others in public transit. That's it. I strongly believe some in DC never left the metropolitan area for any extensive amount of time. And there is nothing wrong with being country even though there isn't anything country about these places.
To the op, don't count out Chicago. It's not nearly as expensive as LA or NY. In fact, their cost of living is closer to Houston than it is to Los Angeles. Oh and from what the Nigerian Houston community, they have the largest Nigerian population in the country. There are thousands there, I do know that.
1) Job market, which city has better prospects Answer: DC
2) How is the dating scene for a single black female (mid 20's attractive : ) and African) The DC area has a very large AA population, a lot are educated too. The DC area has the highest concentration of Nigerians and Ethiopians in the entire country
3) The nightlife and general recreational activities. I like a vibrant downtown, mildly outdoorsy and enjoy artsy activities. DC all the way.
4) Which city has more of a startup/entrepreneurial vibe and is better for business? I would love to network with other aspiring entrepreneurs and eventually start something of my own. There are a lot of entrepreneurial types in the DC area, mainly African, Asians, Middle Easterns, and Latinos.
5) Cost of living DC is the most expensive, more expensive than Chicago and much, much expensive than ATL
6) Crime rate DC has a higher crime rate than NYC, LA, Chicago, ATL, Dallas, Houston, but if you don't look for trouble and don't flaunt expensive stuff like the iPad then you'll be fine.
All in all, as a city and even a metro area, D.C. destroys Houston, Dallas, Austin, Indy, and North Carolina. As a matter of fact all of those cities are country compared to D.C. just like Atlanta. DC is world class, has high end shopping within the metro area, is culturally/racially,economically diverse, has the #3 best public transit in the country (behind NYC and Chicago), countless nightlife options, and overall, is in a whole different league.
Ok, so how does DC destroy Dallas a metro of 7 million or Houston with 6.5 million? Both Dallas & Houston are very diverse, they both have world class shopping, both are the fastest growing metropolitan's in America not saying DC isn't, and both have low unemployment rate which DC doesn't.
You were doing good until you said that misguided piece at the bottom. Dallas and Houston can and does go toe to toe with DC in shopping. Houston (especially)and Dallas is just as racially diverse as DC. Dallas has a very diverse economy and Houston has a very strong economy. DC only overwhelms the others in public transit. That's it. I strongly believe some in DC never left the metropolitan area for any extensive amount of time. And there is nothing wrong with being country even though there isn't anything country about these places.
DC also gets the edge for being more urban in general, particularly in terms of its neighborhoods, but I'm pretty much in agreement with you on everything. DC is great, but it ain't no New York. Hell, it ain't even Philly in some respects.
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