Top 10 Cities for Recent Grads

#5: BOSTON (pop. 620,535)

[Photo by oscalito]

If you like sports and fratty behavior, Beantown may be the place for you. With tons of history and a recent spate of championships, the town's sports teams drive the daily conversation, which generally involves the use of strange accents. Moreover, "America's College Town" is packed with students who populate the bars and/or drink terrible beers in dorm rooms throughout the city. Though not always the most vibrant of cities, Boston is very livable. There are some wonderful museums and historical sites, and few things beat a run or walk along the banks of the Charles River in spring.

KEY STATS

Major Industries: Consulting and venture capital
Climate: Four distinct seasons with cold winters (Winter—30°F, Summer—72°F)
Transportation: The “T” system and buses will get you most places, but most lines shut down by 12:30-1AM. A commuter rail serves the ‘burbs. (Subway fare: $1.70)
Avg. Price of a One Bedroom Apartment: $1,950*
Cost of Living Index Value: 128**
Closing Time: 2AM
Professional Sports: MLB—Red Sox; NFL—Patriots; NBA—Celtics; NHL—Bruins
Famous Foodstuffs: New England Clam Chow-dah
You'll love it if… you're a beer-swilling, sports-loving type with a blue-collar streak (aka you like Dunkin Donuts more than Starbucks)
You'll be miserable if… you hate being cold and can't stand college students (because they remind you of all your regrets!)
Best Thing Ever: The Boston Marathon
Worst Thing Ever: Red Sox fans

TESTIMONIALS

Boston's a walkable city, and in under an hour you could wander from an Italian pastry shop in the North End, past Faneuil Hall and the State House, through the Boston Common, to a second dessert (and retail therapy) on Newbury Street. It's extremely green as far as cities go, and for 20-somethings who pride themselves on being fit there's no shortage of scenic running routes—from the Charles River to Fort Independence in Southie. It also caters to the thrifty grad—it was the birthplace of Filene's Basement, the Haymarket farmer's market has deals like 10 limes for $1, and there's a Dunkin' Donuts on practically every block. — Defne, non-profit

Boston is an unreal city for a young person because it has a strong historical and cultural identity that the leveling effects of time and the inanities of popular culture can't change. So, even though they city has the vibrancy and nightlife of a place with thousands of college clowns, the amateurs and poser kids can't wreck it, no matter how hard we try. What still counts is Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, Larry Legend, and all the Good Will Huntings at the local Dunkin' Donuts. That gives you a stability and a sense of a place that's real and beyond your own time and world. — Chris, law student

Gradspot.com Rating: 84/100

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