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I agree that DC is a fantastic place to work as a young lawyer. I think that it is also possible to work for a few years in DC at a law firm, the federal government, Congress, or a public interest/non profit organization and develop the experience that would permit you to move to your "dream" city down the road. I also think that as a law school graduate, your career should be an important consideration, particularly as you have not yet "specialized" in any area of law. DC might not meet all of your criteria, but you will meet many educated young people from all walks of life. It is a fascinating place to live and work as a young attorney.
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
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Like CMDallas, I voted before opening up your thread, too!
I think you'd like Denver. I lived there for a while. Parks and outdoorsy stuff, the zoo, and everything is more accessible and centralized there than in Houston or DFW. Never been to St. Louis or Birmingham so can't comment on them.
Like CMDallas, I voted before opening up your thread, too!
I think you'd like Denver. I lived there for a while. Parks and outdoorsy stuff, the zoo, and everything is more accessible and centralized there than in Houston or DFW. Never been to St. Louis or Birmingham so can't comment on them.
I spend a lot of time each year in Houston. But I don't know about the suburbs. Would any areas inside the loop fit my considerations?
Birmingham's consistently underrated as a city. We moved here and have just had a great life. And really a lot of cultural amenities, and more accessible to people.
Which would be better for a 20-something law student with the following caveats?
*Fairly conservative
I'd expect Dallas or Denver
*Great access to the outdoors/hiking
Denver maybe? St. Louis as well.
*Family friendly
Probably any of them, depending on how you make it work.
*Good suburbs in which to live--a great urban environment matters much less than good schools, safe neighborhoods, etc.
St. Louis has a lot of good suburbs and neighborhoods, include Clayton, as far as business.
*Weather doesn't matter much--snow and skiing is awesome but can be sacrificed for an even more awesome city.
So, any weather goes?
*Great church-going/faith-minded population
St. Louis has a large Catholic population, I would expect Dallas or Houston either.
* Affordability isn't a huge concern--but, naturally, one looks for the most bang for one's buck.
St. Louis, Dallas, Birmingham probably.
Dallas on Craigslist has 1brs from $583-$1995 a month
Denver - $510-$1900
St. Louis - $420-$1120
Houston - $575 - $1816
Birmingham - $490-$950
*Good shopping/upscale suburbs and shopping districts, yuppie area
Any of them probably
*Good law job market (though....any big city is likely to have this in varying degrees)
I wouldn't think one would have more than others.
* Kid-friendly
St. Louis has a lot of kid friendly things to do, but not good city schools. I'm not sure about the other cities.
*Great sports town
St. Louis, just based on the fact that sports is a common piece of conversation, especially the Cardinals. Later if I'll have time I'll look up each cities' sports teams and attendance.
*Lots of parks/green spaces
St. Louis - Forest Park, Tower Grove Park, all the smaller parks in the area. Forest Park is bigger than Central Park in New York.
*Great cultural ammenities (museums, zoos, theatre, etc.)
Again I'll have to go with St. Louis, but I haven't been to the other cities. Much of St. Louis' museums and the zoo are free or cheap.
I'd have to go with St. Louis overall, but I might be biased.
Which would be better for a 20-something law student with the following caveats?
*Fairly conservative
I'd expect Dallas or Denver
*Great access to the outdoors/hiking
Denver maybe? St. Louis as well.
*Family friendly
Probably any of them, depending on how you make it work.
*Good suburbs in which to live--a great urban environment matters much less than good schools, safe neighborhoods, etc.
St. Louis has a lot of good suburbs and neighborhoods, include Clayton, as far as business.
*Weather doesn't matter much--snow and skiing is awesome but can be sacrificed for an even more awesome city.
So, any weather goes?
*Great church-going/faith-minded population
St. Louis has a large Catholic population, I would expect Dallas or Houston either.
* Affordability isn't a huge concern--but, naturally, one looks for the most bang for one's buck.
St. Louis, Dallas, Birmingham probably.
Dallas on Craigslist has 1brs from $583-$1995 a month
Denver - $510-$1900
St. Louis - $420-$1120
Houston - $575 - $1816
Birmingham - $490-$950
*Good shopping/upscale suburbs and shopping districts, yuppie area
Any of them probably
*Good law job market (though....any big city is likely to have this in varying degrees)
I wouldn't think one would have more than others.
* Kid-friendly
St. Louis has a lot of kid friendly things to do, but not good city schools. I'm not sure about the other cities.
*Great sports town
St. Louis, just based on the fact that sports is a common piece of conversation, especially the Cardinals. Later if I'll have time I'll look up each cities' sports teams and attendance.
*Lots of parks/green spaces
St. Louis - Forest Park, Tower Grove Park, all the smaller parks in the area. Forest Park is bigger than Central Park in New York.
*Great cultural ammenities (museums, zoos, theatre, etc.)
Again I'll have to go with St. Louis, but I haven't been to the other cities. Much of St. Louis' museums and the zoo are free or cheap.
I'd have to go with St. Louis overall, but I might be biased.
Well...I wouldn't consider Clayton a suburb....but that's a really good round-up. Thanks STL!!
Birmingham's consistently underrated as a city. We moved here and have just had a great life. And really a lot of cultural amenities, and more accessible to people.
Yeah...so....I know next to nothing about Birmingham. What's its story? What's it like and how would it fit my criteria?
I'm just curious why you narrowed your search to those particular cities. I guess I can understand Houston and Dallas, but Birmingham?? Why not Nashville or Charlotte? Or Atlanta?
At any rate, I voted for Saint Louis just because I really like the place. But if you're looking for a conservative city with affordable suburbs, lots of churches, strong job growth and a lot of sports, I would put Nashville and Charlotte on the list long before Birmingham.
I'm just curious why you narrowed your search to those particular cities. I guess I can understand Houston and Dallas, but Birmingham?? Why not Nashville or Charlotte? Or Atlanta?
At any rate, I voted for Saint Louis just because I really like the place. But if you're looking for a conservative city with affordable suburbs, lots of churches, strong job growth and a lot of sports, I would put Nashville and Charlotte on the list long before Birmingham.
I've thought about Charlotte, actually. I'm not sure what schools are there. But what's it like? I've heard that it's filled with too many Yankees and really kinda bland. But what's it like?
In fact, there are no law schools in Charlotte--though there are many in the Raleigh-Durham area. What is Nashville like? I know next to nothing about the south....
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