Casual Fridays: What City Should I Live In?

If you're an ambitious, creative twenty-something like me (ambitious/creative = scared to death of settling down in a small city and living a conventional lifestyle that would probably be ten times more satisfying than being broke all the time, having meaningless relationships, and picking up and moving every couple of years to keep boredom at bay), then you probably often think of what major city you should move to. Moving to a major city is a big decision and one you should research well before making the plunge. If you don't know where to start, why not start here...

New York City

Population- 8,274,527

Unemployment rate- 9.2% 

Avg. 2 bedroom apt.- $2,200

Transportation- Excellent subway system, very biker/scooting friendly, can get by without car.

Pros- Gossip Girl
Cons- Splitting a studio apartment four ways

Personality type- For the film school geek who still envisions the city as Woody Allen's 1979 Manhattan.

Los Angeles

Population- 3,834,340 

Unemployment rate- 11.3% 

Avg. 2 bedroom apt. $1,749 

Transportation- Good bus system, poor subway system, scooter friendly, not known as a bike friendly city, need a car

Pros- Driving down Sunset Boulevard at 4AM

Cons- Driving down Sunset Boulevard at 4PM

Personality type- For the wannabe looking to become famous through "Big Brother" and/or by marrying a bipolar B-list celebrity

Chicago

Population- 2,836,658 

Unemployment rate- 10.6%

Avg. 2 bedroom apt.- $1,440

Transportation- Excellent train system, very bike/scooter friendly, can get by without a car

Pros- Architecture

Cons- THE DARK KNIGHT shoots shutting down The Loop

Personality type- For the person who thinks NYC is too much work

Washington D.C.

Population- 588,292

Unemployment rate- 6.2%

Avg. 2 bedroom apt.- $2,200

Transportation- Excellent subway system, good bus system, can get by without a car but limited to inside the city

Pros- Obama

Cons- Comparing yourself to all the cool people who work in the Obama administration

Personality type- For the next political mover and shaker in or outside the sack

San Francisco

Population- 764.976

Unemployment rate- 10.1%

Avg. 2 bedroom apt.- $2,695

Transportation- Excellent bus and subway system, bike/scooter friendly, can get by without a car

Pros- Cultural diversity

Cons- Fire and brimstone causing earthquakes

Personality type- For people who think they are intellectually more advanced than everyone else

Boston

Population- 599,351

Unemployment rate- 8.2%

Avg. 2 bedroom apt.-$1,850

Transportation- Excellent subway system, good bus system, not known as a bike/scooter friendly community, can get by without a car

Pros- Lots and lots of Dunkin Donuts

Cons- "Meatheads" (direct quote from a Boston resident)

Personality type- For people who name their children after famous athletes

Philadelphia 

Population- 1,449,634

Unemployment rate- 8.7%

Avg. 2 bedroom apt.- $1,095

Transportation- Excellent mass transit includes trains, buses, and trolleys, easy to get around by car

Pros- Historical relevance 

Cons- Murder rate of one per day

Personality type- For people who want to recapture NYC's Lower East Side circa 1975.

Portland

Population- 550,396

Unemployment rate- 10.6%

Avg. 2 bedroom apt. $925

Transportation- Excellent bus system and light rail, one of the best bike cities in American, can get by without a car in the city

Pros- Making fun of hipsters

Cons- Hipsters

Personality type- For those seeking utopia through horn-rimmed glasses, bicycles and Elliot Smith

Austin

Population- 743,074

Unemployment rate- 6.9%

Avg. 2 bedroom apt.- $925

Transportation- Good bus system, light rail opening soon, very bike/scooter friendly, can get by without car in the city

Pros- No income tax

Cons- 107 degree summers

Personality type- For those seeking utopia through horn-rimmed glasses, bicycles and Spoon

Atlanta
Population- 519,145
Unemployment rate- 10.1%
Avg. 2 bedroom apt.- $975
Transportation- Predominant mode of transportation is by car, but boasts an excellent subway system
Pros- Everything is named "Peach ____"
Cons- The traffic, the smog.... am I in Los Angeles?
Personality Type- If you're a little bit country AND a little bit rock n' roll.

Sources: Population- bestplaces.net, Unemployment rate (Dec. 2009)- www.bls.gov, Average apartment rental- zilpy.com

Lauren Modery, an administrative goddess at Austin's Super!Alright! creative media firm, is a part-time contributor to Alternative Apparel's blog with "Casual Fridays," covering the culture and lifestyle of the indie urbanite. Get more of Lauren's daily pandering at www.hipstercrite.com.

Comments

[Chrissie G.]

This makes me really want to move to Chicago!

[kambra rochelle]

perfect description of portland.

wherefore art thou, seattle?

[marcos m.]

"light rail opening soon" ha!

[grant]

Austin sucks. Don't move there.

[cl]

my "big brother" audition is next week. how'd you know!

[Bob]

If Austin sucks then everything sucks... including you.

[Tolly]

LOL, is that "Austin sucks" commenter Grant, Austin Carnivore Grant? :) Good strategy (per usual) - concealing city's awesomeness. Yeah! Everybody! Austin totally sucks!!

I'm just kidding, it's heaven on earth, as Lauren said. LOVE THIS POST, dollface

[misha]

No Seattle?! We may not be as cool as Portland these days but we're not chopped field roast.

Seattle
Population- 594,210
Unemployment rate- 9.1%
Avg. 2 bedroom apt.- $1200
Transportation- Good bus system, growing light rail system, good bike system (if you can ride up steep hills), as walkable as any city except SF and NYC, easily get by without a car
Pros- Nerds rule the city
Cons- Nerds rule the city
Personality Type- Vegan hipster OR bacon-loving nerd. Barista skills or tech skills needed.

[kambra rochelle]

i'm a bacon-loving nerd with barista skills who just applied to transfer to the pre-med program at uw.

well said, misha.

[Bing]

Dope