10. Jacksonville
A surprise finalist on the Under30CEO Cities for Young Business People, Jacksonville with no state income tax catapulted itself into the top 10. A relatively cheap cost of living compared to others on the list, your money goes far in Jacksonville. This isn’t the Florida that you grandparents live in–average age of JAX is 35. Warm weather, beaches, what’s not to like?
9. Phoenix
You may have overlooked the fact that Phoenix is the 5th most populated city in the country or that Phoenix’s Arizona State University enrolls 90,000+ students. Phoenix has a beautiful backdrop and represents all four major sports with professional teams. Go shopping for your dream home at discounted prices as have dropped more than anywhere in the country.
8. Denver
An extremely active outdoor scene, whitewater kayaking within city limits, epic skiing a short drive, Denver is not only great for outdoor sports, but also a great spectator sport city. Coors Field spills out into the bar scene in the middle of bustling LoDo. “The Wall Street of the West” operations include Charles Schwab, Janus Capital, Oppenheimer Funds, and Western Union.
7. San Francisco
SF has an enormous entrepreneur scene, laid back California culture, and tons to see and do. Entrepreneur meetups, Stanford and Berkeley nearby the Bay Area has plenty of hungry business people. Don’t expect sunny California weather throughout the city–micro climates can be a 20*F difference on opposite sides of the city.
6. Portland, OR
Often overlooked in the Pacific Northwest, Portland boasts fantastic preservation of open spaces. Dry summers and temperate winters “The City of Roses” is a great place to start a business or meet your match. Come to Portland for the outdoors or the art/music scene.
5. Seattle
If you like Rock and Roll forget Cleveland, Seattle is the birthplace of Jimi and grunge. If you like studying the rapid expansion of coffee shops–Starbucks and Seattle’s Best have set the pace. Seattle’s is extremely wet; home of the Puget Sound, Seahawks and Mariners. If it wasn’t for the rain and earthquakes, Seattle would rank even higher.
4. Austin
Rising on the scene, Austin is not your typical Texas city. With something for everyone, Austin’s nightlife will accommodate University of Texas students, young professionals and the upscale crowd. Austin’s resistance to commercialization gives it the adopted slogan “Keep Austin Weird”.
3. New York
Want to conquer the world? Move to New York. It’s price tag kept it out of the #1 slot, but New York has so much to offer. By sheer size, things to do, people to meet and opportunities to seize New York is BIG. You can’t walk down the street in NY without hearing another language, meeting someone from out of town or seeing something bizarre. Take it piece by piece and think of your neighborhood as a city of its own.
2. Chicago
Cold as hell in the winter, but fun as hell in the summer. Where else in the world can you lay on the beach and look up at skyscrapers? Michigan Ave has impressive parks, shopping, restaurants and views of Lake Michigan. Go out Saturday mornings for beach volleyball, a run or bike on the boardwalk or just stay in bed hungover from your night out in Wrigelyville.
1. Boston
New England charm, 20+ higher learning institutions, fantastic history and plenty of neighborhood bars, Boston tops our list of Top 10 Cities for Young Business People. Less expensive than their rival New York, walk anywhere in the city without worry, there will be students and young professionals all over. When it’s sunny in Boston everyone is outside, pretending they were on Cape Cod. Hate them or love them, the Sox, Pats and Celtics make Boston a huge sports town.
