At 22 years old, I have already experienced living on my own in major cities. Many young Americans are looking to do the same, so I decided to take a look at all the places they consider. Whether it be going to a new city after getting that nice internship where they set you up with a place to live, or just moving and getting a fresh start, these are the areas where kids our age should want to live the most.
Austin, TX
Home of the famous South By Southwest or SXSW Music Festival, Austin, Texas to me is the Portland, OR of the south. According to PayScale, the average starting salary for a young professional is in the $50,000 range which doesn’t seem half that bad. If you like music then Austin is the perfect place for you because it is called the Live Music Capital of the World with over 100 live music street venues situated throughout the city. Looking to start your own internet start-up business? Austin is a great spot if you don’t want to go to Silicon Valley. Just park yourself in the Silicon Hills, Austin’s own spot for High Tech companies to settle into.
Baltimore, MD
Speaking from experience, after living there the whole summer, Baltimore should always be a top choice for anyone in their early 20’s. From the Orioles $1 Beer Nights and $10 Ticket College Nights to all the nights I spent down at Federal Hill where there is a two-mile strip of bars and shops and young people everywhere, it’s the mecca of social life. Another clutch thing is that Baltimore is a part of the DMV area, which means the D.C., Maryland, Virginia area where all three states are so close to each other that people meet up and throw outrageous parties. I went to a DMV party at a club in downtown Washington D.C. (which from Baltimore is only 40 short minutes away), and it was one of the greatest times of my life. The starting salary here is around $50,000.
Cincinnati, OH
Cincinnati is a total hidden gem for so many reasons. I say this also because I'm a Cincinnati native and lived there for 22 years. The starting salary is $48,000, and you have two awesome professional teams who I can say make it to the playoffs every year. I'm talking about the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cincinnati Reds. We have the greatest food ever in Skyline Chili, the greatest ice cream in Greater and the best pizza ever in LaRosa’s. Besides the food, many young businesses move to the Greater Cincinnati areas every day because of the cheap property spaces you can get. When I go home for break, I love seeing people my age back home at all the bars and all the young people my age at Hyde Park , or downtown by the stadiums, or even Mt. Adams where the bars stay open late and the people stay young all night.
Denver, CO
The real question you should ask is what isn’t there to do in the city of Denver. With a starting yearly salary of $50,000 It’s the most populous city in Colorado also with the most activities to participate in. You can catch the Super Bowl winning Denver Broncos dominate on the field or the Rockies play baseball or even the Colorado Rapids play soccer. Sports not your thing, well there's plenty more where that came from. You can go to the Red Rocks Amphitheater and see any world-renowned performers from all walks of music. Denver is called mile high because it’s a mile above sea level and from any building, you can see the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Denver also had 205 parks in just the city limit and 20,000 acres of parks in the nearby in the mountains as well. I didn’t even get to the skiing part yet. The fact the Breckenridge, Vail, Steamboat are minutes away is awesome. You can spend a whole day on the slopes and come back to Denver in a matter of minutes — it's a total power move.
San Francisco, CA
This is absolutely one of the places I would love to rest my head when I get older. The starting salary is $62,000 and that's just the beginning. From sightseeing and visiting Alcatraz, to going to a baseball game at AT&T park, there are many things to do. This town is a definite pilgrimage for the young American for more reasons than I can count. Haight and Ashbury where the old souls who partied at Woodstock can converse and enjoy the good vibes this street corner has to put out. You can travel the famous trolley streetcar system and go to the scenic Pier 39 and enjoy what they have to offer. You can go to the Golden Gate Bridge just to see all its beauty. Oh, and you can’t forget the Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown.
