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If you’re a Millennial with a college degree (and you’ve already paid your dues as a waiter or receptionist or bartender or legal assistant or….), you’re probably looking for a great location to accept your second job and actually start a career. Many of us want the same things: a huge variety of places to eat every meal of the day, an even wider variety of places to get craft beer and $14 cocktails made by mixologists, live music and festivals, a cool walkable feel, and, of course, a place where your rent doesn’t force you to live with 7 random strangers from Craigslist. There are plenty of those places scattered across the nation, and you’d better believe Millennials are hunting them down and completely infiltrating.
City Observatory just published a list of cities that millennials are flocking to, and it looks like the South actually is rising again. Thanks to low(er) costs of living and booming economies, some great Southern cities are finally getting the national recognition they deserve. The following list shows the percent change from 2000 – 2012 in millennial population (ages 25-34) with a college degree, and some of the top rated cities are showing some insane growth rates:
1. Houston: 50%
2. Nashville: 48%
3. Denver: 47%
4. Austin: 44%
5. Portland: 37%
6. Washington: 36%
7. Buffalo: 34%
8. Baltimore: 32%
9. L.A.: 30%
10. Pittsburgh: 29%
11. St. Louis: 26%
12. New York: 25%
13. Minneapolis: 21%
14. Chicago: 17%
15. Boston: 12%
16. San Francisco: 11%
17. Memphis: 10%
18. Providence: 6%
19. Atlanta: 3%
20. Cleveland: 1%
….and let’s not forget America’s sweetheart, Detroit, coming in at a whopping -10% change. Seriously, does anyone like Detroit?
As a Nashville native myself, I can attest to this Millennial moving madness. As the number of 20-something implants have come in, both the number of brunch restaurants and my rent have risen exponentially in the last 2 years. If you don’t already live in one of these cities, you may want to move there because they’re becoming absolutely amazing for millennials. If you already live there, ask for a promotion and brace yourself, because your cost of living and commute times are about to go through the roof (if they haven’t already). Overall though, if you’re looking for a move, give Texas, Tennessee, and Colorado a second look – at the very least, there will never be a shortage of new potential Tinder matches that want you to take them to a $75/person street food festival. .
[via New York Times]
Image via Shutterstock
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Steph W.
Steph W. is a new Master's degree graduate with an intern's salary and six-figure taste. She realizes her expectations far exceed reality, so she spends her days pinning away Loubs she pretends are in her physical closet instead of her virtual one. Her hobbies include attempting to trapping her boyfriend into marriage before he finds out how insane she is and pretending that Black Box wine tastes as good as the kind she could afford when she was gainfully employed. Send her tips for getting out of student debt at recruitchairtsm@gmail.com
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For the love of god, please stop moving to Denver. Rent is already absurd.
Can you blame them? Denver is so damn awesome. I would move there in a heartbeat.
I totally get it but…
via GIPHY
PGP.
Again, I’m going to take Meh’s here, but Denver changed a lot after CO legalized weed and it hasn’t been for the better. Smoke whatever you want, but that choice had an overall negative impact on the city.
Denver is the classic case of “last man in” and “NIMBY” syndrome. Having lived there twice I don’t feel bad for any of you.
Down vote me all you want people from Chicago, St Louis, California and Texas who didn’t grow up there. Have fun on your 3 hour drive home from fucking Keystone on Sunday. I’m not a NATIVE (dumbest bumper stickers ever, by the way) but I stand by my statement.
You just called out 25% of the cities listed in the top 20 as the reasons for the problems in Denver. Man, I was just about to start a “We’re number 11!” chant myself.
I live in the Chicago area and the number of people my sister and I know that moved to Denver is absurd.
As someone who lived in Denver, moved away, came back, and regrettably had to leave again: The rent is still nowhere near as bad as big east coast cities and the true professionals rent a group house in the mountains for the winter to avoid the drive. The things the “locals” hate (e.g. moderate & avoidable traffic, high hobos) are still light years better than most other cities.
I am from Kansas and moved to Denver a couple years ago right after graduation and love it. Sorry if I am contributing to clusterfucking the city you moved to all of probably 3 years before me, but if you don’t like the Denver growth YOU can move to fucking Kansas.
I feel like I’ve read 10 articles just like this on here
Houston, tops of the list as always. I’ve never understood why Houston is such a shit on city until you look at the data. I was born and raised in Houston, and yes I’ve lived in several other cities, but Houston is hands down the best. Any complaint I’ve ever heard about the city can be given to any other major city. Plus we have great rap music for us white folk that like to feel a little dangerous from time to time.
Houston is my nightmare
Humidity in Houston is brutal over half of the year.
I can’t even read “$30 a barrel” without crying.
Also, humidity is brutal in half the country in the summer.
We should have a huge argument about Houston, some real mature internet arguing
I don’t really go there because of stated issue above, so I have nothing else. Driving from Austin (either to Houston or Port A) I typically hit a brick wall of humidity somewhere along the way — windows are down and everything is dandy and then there’s that “holy fuck, I would stick to the ceiling” feeling. Can’t do it.
Corpus here, tried to leave, sucked back in, pls kill me.
Prayers. Hope you don’t get eaten by the locals if there’s a hamburger shortage.
Haha or taco shortage
$27. Sorry. Paid $1.59 for gas yesterday and wished it was $3.39
Minneapolis is more than OK with low oil prices.
I’d trade those cheap oil prices for reasonable rent in the North Loop any day of the week
Living that close to downtown is overrated.
I’ll take humidity over this 5 degree bullshit weather we have on the east coast any day. I’ve seen enough snow to last me a lifetime.
Moved from Houston to North Dakota. I don’t think I’m doing this right
Born and Raised houston, but the main problem is the social scene and millinials are typically so spread out, too many pockets of areas rather than a really large one where people in our sweet spot live and play
You’re right, but even then it isn’t THAT bad. I’ve yet to find any other millennial pocket that is more than 10-15$ uber from any of my spots. But again, I’m so biased towards Houston it’s unbelievable.
Yea, I’m from Houston and 7 years ago (Jesus) when I graduated I really didn’t want to move back. It has been a great experience and has a few really great areas. Anyone that lives here (and it will grow on you) isn’t surprised that it tops most lists because of the bars, food, and constant festivals/activities are great.
Houston will drop pretty damn fast at $30 oil except for the kids who grew up here and come back from UT, A&M and LSU.
What about Charleston, SC? Where the girl to guy ratio is 7:1. No joke
I’m sure defries has something to say about this Detroit comment because Detroit is actually turning around
Nashville native, now in Austin. If you have a choice, hands down Austin is the better choice.
How is Dallas not on this list?
Dallas should easily be in the top 10, if not the top 5. Also fuck Houston. It is one of the worst places in Texas. Waco is better than Houston.
If Houston is the armpit of Texas, Waco is the asshole.
And Lubbock is the hemorrhoids.
A former co-worker once told me “If God took a shit it’d land in Denton no matter which way the wind was blowing”
Fort Worth, TCU girls, boom
As someone who has lived in NYC and now in Jersey I refuse to listen to anyone else complain about the cost of rent.
There are plenty of cool things to do and see in DC but the rent is ridiculous and you’d be living in DC… Get a place in Alexandria or Arlington and Uber into the city ($10).
I’m really surprised that Flint, MI didn’t make the list. Really cool city with an outstanding job market. There has to be a reason why millenials aren’t flocking there.