Leadership

What are the Best Cities for Young Professionals?

By Jessica Stillman

Updated on: October 6, 2009 / 10:07 AM EDT / MoneyWatch

The Wall Street Journal recently asked several experts to submit their suggestions for the next youth magnet cities. After tallying the responses, the WSJ came up with a tie for first place -- Seattle and D.C. -- but on his blog, Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class and one of the experts polled by the paper, is offering his unedited submissions for best cities for single, twenty-something professionals. In it, he both names his preferences and explains at length how he arrived at his conclusions. I'll run down his top ten below, but the post in its entirety is well-worth reading if you are considering a move.

New York City - The city's size affords migrants an economic diversity that simply cannot exist in smaller places. It's the place to be if you're in finance, fashion, entertainment, publishing, or even indie music. Also unparalleled is the city's mythic status, as a place to test one's mettle against the best and the brightest.
Washington, D.C. - The public sector is ascendant and, in the eyes of many, Barack Obama is America's coolest boss. These factors will only bolster Washington, D.C., a city that is already a hotbed of young talent.
San Francisco/ Silicon Valley - Still the world's high-tech hot spot.
Chicago - If management or industry is your thing, Chicago is the place to be.
Boulder/ Denver - Yes, it's smaller than the others, but it packs a real punch.... It has thriving, high-tech industries about the best outdoor recreation - from skiing to cycling - to be had anywhere.
L.A. - If you want a career in film, entertainment, fashion, or music, it's the place to be. Sure, it's crowded, pricey, and the traffic is horrible, but it has abundant sunshine, great temperatures, unbelievable beaches, and fantastic restaurants.
Boston - It's the world center for management consulting with strong finance and high-tech industries. Not to mention a great place to stick around, work for awhile, and go back to grad school.
Seattle - A high-tech and lifestyle mecca in its own right with Amazon, Microsoft, and more. It's also a center for cutting-edge retail with Starbucks, Costco, and REI.
Austin - What can you say about a place whose motto is "Keep Austin Weird"? It remains a high-tech player, with great quality of life that's affordable. It's the indie music capital of the universe with SXSW and Austin City Limits and a great array of local venues.
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill - Another great high-tech, university, smart city, which boasts a mild climate, highly educated population, great outdoor activities, and a great music scene.

Some of these may be obvious (NYC good for finance? DC is the place to be for public service?) but those further down the list are a little more surprising. Also surprising: while jobs are important, according to Florida, the highest ranked factor in choosing a city is "the ability to meet people and make friends." Do you agree that this should be central to choosing a city? And how does Florida's list compare to your own personal rankings?

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(Image of Austin skyline at night by Kumar Appaiah, CC 2.0)