Best cities for young professionals (short term living)

[GibsMeDat]

As a man in his mid twenties, I don't mind spending a tiny bit extra in rent if it means I can make the most of my youth. Not looking for a place to settle down.

I can eat the cost of living for a few years. I work in tech/finance.

Some suggestions I've heard come up are Austin, San Diego, and Denver.

 

[FullThrottleTX]

Do you need a job or are you just looking for a place to live?
A lot of tech jobs right now are 100% remote, including my own. I'm headed to Florida at the end of the year. A lot of folks are realizing they no longer need to live in a hot tech market (like those you listed) if every job is remote. Hot tech markets have a decreasing quality of life. Even prior to Covid, a lot of Silicon Valley firms were converting to remote and hiring outside of California.

Tampa is young, full of transplants, and a good scene for someone like you, and it's got the best tech economy in Florida if you need a job. No state income tax. Near several beaches. You won't be too bored there, or too strapped to enjoy yourself. If you decide to attend church, it's not such an out of place activity. St. Petersburg is pretty nice also, a bit older though.

I'm not a fan of Austin or Denver. Too left wing / hipster. Too many dudes. Too landlocked. I think these are two of the most overrated cities in the country. I don't hate San Diego. San Diego is more low key and moderate, but more expensive than Tampa, more dudes, and harder to meet people (inbred social groups).

I also have a fondness for South Florida, but for a guy your age it's probably not the best place to be.

Tech and finance mixture is a natural fit for Dallas, but I can't sell you on Dallas. Dallas pays well, lots of jobs, but you'd be wasting your youth there. It's a better place to move if you have kids and want to settle down.

 

[kel]

SF and NYC are definitely the centers of your industries. NYC has been like a parody of itself for the past decade or so, in my view, and you know how SF is viewed. But, if you're looking to "make it", you will almost certainly work for a company in one of those places. Right now you can maybe get away without living there, though. That may or may not be what you want. Personally, I wouldn't live in either of those cities, though I would have when I was 25, though they were also different cities then.

The three suggestions you put there sound good to me insofar as they're "second-tier" cities, which IMO is a good thing despite the pejorative nature of the term, because they're less likely to have totally jumped the shark the way NYC and SF (and London, and Berlin, and...) have. I can't comment in detail because I've spent limited time in them, but my only advice would be - despite the fact that you're not looking to settle down - to try to get a job (and salary) from a NYC/SF tech/finance firm, but live in one of those cheaper and a little more down-to-earth (relatively speaking) places, where I think you'll meet higher caliber people with better potential for long-term reliable friends, lovers, etc.

 

[Callixtus]

Don't rule out Montana. Bozeman and Missoula have a fast growing tech sector. Not quite the urban life you may be looking for, but it's a good enough balance with a ton of natural beauty and outdoor activities as well, and as of now is generally free of covid hysteria, riots, and other leftist nonsense. Plus you'll be surrounded by properly based people. Worth a look.

 

[Easy_C]

You also have to keep in mind that operations are very rapidly moving to low tax areas like Florida and texas. Salt Lake and Kansas cities are also seeing significant movement to those metros as well.

 

[The Resilient]

Don't rule out Montana. Bozeman and Missoula have a fast growing tech sector. Not quite the urban life you may be looking for, but it's a good enough balance with a ton of natural beauty and outdoor activities as well, and as of now is generally free of covid hysteria, riots, and other leftist nonsense. Plus you'll be surrounded by properly based people. Worth a look.

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