Our society is more nomadic than it ever has been. Corporate relocations, start up opportunities, the disintegration of the family, and urban renewal are all contributing factors to the relocation of over 17% of the U.S. population annually.

Sandra Gurvis, author of "30 Great Cities to Start Out In: The Best Places to Live in Your 20s and 30s," Macmillan, writes that the biggest questions young people have about choosing a place to live are, "If I take this job, will I be happy with the locale?" and "If I can't find employment, where do I look for other work?" Recalling her college graduation in the 70s and her lonesome transfer to Dayton, Ohio afterward, she has resolved to spare her readers of the angst she felt at being a stranger in a new city.

"When you get there, you may find it wasn't what you expected at all," writes Gurvis. "Wouldn't it be nice to know what's out there in advance?"

For over a year, Gurvis gathered information on the 30 top places to live using a wide range of criteria, from job opportunity to restaurants and entertainment and more. She divides the data into the following topics:

* Major Breadwinning - a discussion of the job opportunities and leading industries, including their financial impact on the community at large.

*Social and Recreational Scene - info on attitudes, the dating scene, and the best places to get acquainted when you first arrive. Includes a round-up of local music, arts, and sports; nightlife as well as other leisure time pursuits; a discussion of popular restaurants, stores and malls; and resources for finding members of your religion, race or ethnicity.

*Crib Sheet - housing and the most appropriate neighborhoods for the 20-30 age group, as well as brief information on schools.

*Navigating - the best ways to get around, transportation news.

Each city features an at-a-glance profile of demographics, weather, brief history, largest employers, community services and money matters- employment rates, per capita income, average rent for an apartment, cost of homes, and other cost of living indexes.

According to the criteria gathered, Gurvis recommends the following cities for young people:

• Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Atlanta, Georgia
• Boston, Massachusetts
• Charleston, South Carolina
• Charlotte, North Carolina
• Chicago, Illinois
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Denver, Colorado
• Houston, Texas
• Kansas City, Missouri
• Los Angeles, California
• Louisville, Kentucky
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
• Nashville, Tennessee
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• New York, New York
• Orlando, Florida
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Phoenix, Arizona
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Portland, Oregon
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• San Antonio, Texas
• San Diego, California
• San Francisco, California
• Seattle, Washington
• Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Washington, D.C. and Environs

If you are planning a relocation, it is best to double check your findings with current available data. Rankings of cities may change due to city infrastructures, corporate relocations, property values, foreign investment, and a number of other factors.

For example in the latest Home Price Forecast, published by the Wall Street Journal, Atlanta's job market is slowing down, while Minneapolis employment opportunities are booming. Housing in Seattle is expected to increase by approximately 21% from fall 1997 to fall 1999, making affordable housing a greater issue.

The cities highlighted in the Wall Street Journal's survey appear to mirror many of Gurvis' findings. Among the ten top housing markets that are increasing in price according to the economists' findings, all but Hartford, Conn. and Portland Oregon were mentioned in Gurvis's book.

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Published: April 9, 1999

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Blanche Evans is the award-winning senior editor of Realty Times, the Internet's leading independent real estate news service. She is featured daily on the Realty Times Video Network in the "Realty Viewpoint" segment. Blanche has been named one of the "25 Most Influential People In Real Estate" by REALTOR Magazine, and has been twice recognized as a "notable." In 2005, she was named "Top Reporter Covering the NAR" by Delahaye-Bacon's. Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. To contact Blanche, email her at . For more articles by Blanche, click here.