Single, early 20's, moving to the US - Advice needed

[AnythingOutdoors]

OP, you have lots of options. I would start by narrowing down which region you're most interested in.

80% of the US population lives in the eastern half of the country. So the east has higher density and more cities close together. The east was also more developed before the automobile, which means it is generally more walkable and with better public transit.

Western cities tend to be more oriented around cars (sprawl, suburbs, big freeways, strip malls, etc.). This isn't entirely true as the core of older cities are still somewhat dense and walkable. It's just a little harder to find than the eastern half.

Weather in the Northeast can be quite dark and gloomy, especially during winter. The Southeast has mild winters and warm humid summers. Winters in the Upper Midwest are very long and cold. The Intermountain West mostly has cold sunny winters and warm dry summers. The Pacific North West is a very mixed bag, with rain forest along the coast (lots of rain and overcast but very green) and high deserts and mountains inland (cold sunny winters, warm summers), and the Southwest has mild sunny winters and hot summers.

Based on what you're looking for, I would target a historic mid-size city in the Southeast. Like say Charlotte, North Carolina.

[NW Crow]

Of the places the original poster mentioned, I'd probably focus on Columbus and Nashville. Maybe Raleigh and Cincinnati.

Indianapolis is pretty similar to Columbus and pretty good even if not talked about much.

As for Nashville, what do you think of American country music? There are plenty of other things going on in Nashville but worth considering whether you have any interest in nightlife associated with country music or how likely you'd have interest in / bond with people interested in country music.

Columbus, probably should want to be around OSU folks / activities or go elsewhere. Could say you are "considering" taking a OSU program at some point as part of introductions without making a big deal about it. There might actually be short courses or certificate programs of potential interest. International student associations could be one part of your networking or not, if not finding everything you want with Americans.

Raleigh (or Charlotte) are in pretty good locations for visiting North and South. Columbus and Nashville are to but maybe not quite as good. The Midwest? What interests you there?

All the places I mentioned have MLS Soccer / Football except Raleigh.

If natural area sightseeing / recreation is important, I'd take North Carolina or Tennessee over Ohio.

Depending on how you want to arrange accommodations and how deep you want to try to make connections, you could potentially sample 2-3 places.

If you want personal connections, assume you will have to do almost all the work for them. Laidback is ok after you make connections, not so much before.

Dating? Depends a lot on person. You might be a major curiosity or ignored or some of both or somewhere in the nebulous typical middle.

If you don't want winter inhibiting early in visit activity, pick the south or come in April.

[mkwensky]

If OP wants to prioritize dating and social life then he need to pick a city that is popular with young people and is therefore full of transplants. I don't know if that is Nashville. Denver used to be very popular with young people but has faded recently. Raleigh and surrounding areas are full of college educated transplants and the weather should be good enough for most outdoor recreation. It is also not as 'southern' as Nashville which would be a plus for someone who wants to be immersed in a generic American setting instead of one within a strong subculture.