Houston vs Atlanta (Dallas: 2014, job market, neighborhood)

[doublenns]

First post here - been trying to do research on different cities across the US, and my searches constantly lead me to this forum. The threads I've read so far have been very informative, but deciding to make one more personalized towards me.

I'm thinking about relocating sometime in Q2 2014. Coming from NJ, but looking to live in a city w/ a great single nightlife/social scene and job opportunities. A young demographic is be ideal - would love to be around lots of other recent college grads.
(Low cost of living is also important since I'm just starting my career and paying for my own relocation, but it's not highest priority.)

I'm a 24 year-old male in IT. I feel as if both Houston and Atlanta have decent tech job markets from my research, but not too sure how they compare to each other.

I prefer Hip-hop in terms of music, but diversity is very important to me - both culturally and racially.

Other places I've been contemplating are Dallas and Seattle (though more as after-thoughts).

[Nairobi]

You'll want to be more specific regarding exactly what you're looking for (weather, commute, terrain, transportation). As it stands, both cities would work for you, but Houston will have the better job opportunities.

[doublenns]

To be honest, I haven't thought too much about the specifics. I've been in NJ all my life - it's kind of hard to be more specific when I don't have much else to compare to.

I just want to get out of this state, move to a diverse city where I can advance Career-wise and go out 3-4 nights a week without the social scene getting stale. A short commute w/o an over abundance of traffic would be ideal - but that's relative to where I'd be employed and which neighborhood I settle in, wouldn't it?

[Nairobi]

Originally Posted by doublenns

To be honest, I haven't thought too much about the specifics. I've been in NJ all my life - it's kind of hard to be more specific when I don't have much else to compare to.

I just want to get out of this state, move to a diverse city where I can advance Career-wise and go out 3-4 nights a week without the social scene getting stale. A short commute w/o an over abundance of traffic would be ideal - but that's relative to where I'd be employed and which neighborhood I settle in, wouldn't it?

Absolutely. Your commute could be anywhere from 10 minutes to more than an hour, so your best bet is to get the job first, find out where it's located, and base your living situation off of that. In my experience, the ideal situation is to live and work within "The Loop". It never takes me more than 30 minutes to get to the job.