A New Life: The Cities Young Professionals Thrive In

A New Life Young professionals need to set up camp in cities that inspire their work and give them the fun they need when it's time to cut loose. To find out which cities offer young professionals the most fun, timeRAZOR analyzed its comprehensive event data to determine its "thrive" index, and examined the innovative, environmental, and/or economic ideas each city has implemented. Here are the standouts. See how your city thrives with the free timeRAZOR app. THE CITIES YOUNG PROFESSIONALS THRIVE IN city with famous nicknames like The City That Never Sleeps and The Capital of the World is pretty much cool by default. It has everything for those who want to truly experience vibrant urban living. Young Aprofessionals can find work in the city, which is also the world's financial capital, and find fun while drinking at one of the city's many rooftop bars, taking in a Broadway show, or going on a bike ride through Central Park. It's one of the most populated cities in the world, featuring skyline views, sports teams, beer gardens, museum tours, art galleries, outdoor markets, sidewalk cafés, and more. NEW YORK RESTAURANTS, BARS, & CLUBS COOL CITY INNOVATION 37,851 MUSEUMS, THEATERS, STADIUMS, & ARENAS In 2011, Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a contest to see which universities could build the best 1,339 engineering campus for job creation. Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology won the big prize, a grant of land on Roosevelt Island and $100 million. The NYC Tech Campus is expected to generate 600 spinoff companies and $23 billion in economic activity over the next 30 years. GALLERIES & CONCERT VENUES 2,268 COOL THINGS 1 HIP-HOP MUSIC INVENTED IN NEW 2 сомIс воOKS PERCENTAGE OF YOUNG PEOPLE 14.1% YORK CITY 3 TICKER TAPE PARADES TIMERAZOR'S MONTHLY EVENT COUNT & THRIVE INDEX FOR THE CITY PERCENTAGE WITH COLLEGE DEGREE NEW YORK CITY HAS EVENTS THRIVE INDEX 7,449 89/100 35.6% THE MOST EVENTS STARTING AFTER 10 P.M. MEDIAN SALARY FOR COLLEGE GRADS $54,987 LOS ANGELES ollywood and Beverly Hills may be cool, but there's more to Los Angeles than the glitz and glamour. It's a thriving area for business. If Los Angeles County were a separate nation, it would have the 14th largest I national gross product in the world. It does well, but it has fun too. Home to thriving museums featuring everything from modern art to jurassic technology, LA also has renowned playhouses and nightclubs. Locals and tourists get it all: the Walk of Fame, Venice Beach, the Santa Monica Pier, Griffith Observatory, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and celeb sightings. Н: RESTAURANTS, BARS, & CLUBS COOL CITY INNOVATION 1 23,583 MUSEUMS, THEATERS, STADIUMS, & ARENAS In 2012, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced that Los Angeles had been selected as the 476 first city to work with the JPMorgan Chase Global Cities Initiative Forum. The Los Angeles Regional Export Plan should create local jobs and double exports by 2015. GALLERIES & CONCERT VENUES COOL THINGS | THE FRENCH DIP SANDWICH 1,441 INVENTED IN LOS 2 THE ZAMBONI PERCENTAGE OF YOUNG PEOPLE ANGELES 3 THE COBB SALAD 15.5% TIMERAZOR'S MONTHLY EVENT COUNT & THRIVE INDEX FOR THE CITY PERCENTAGE WITH COLLEGE DEGREE EVENTS 5,057 THRIVE INDEX 85/100 30.2% MEDIAN SALARY FOR COLLEGE GRADS $50,250 CHICAGO I wo of the country's greatest business schools can be found in the Chicago area, Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. But Chicago has a history of being cool. The city hosted the world's fair I that featured the first Ferris Wheel, and it held the first American car race decades before Route 66 started out of the Windy City. Today, Chicagoans can enjoy the hip area known as The Loop, featuring two miles of world-class restaurants, museums, boat tours, and visit the many stores along the Magnificent Mile. RESTAURANTS, BARS, & CLUBS 17,144 COOL CITY INNOVATION MUSEUMS, THEATERS, STADIUMS, & ARENAS 509 In 2011, Chicago became the first city to allow its local 911 callers to send photos and videos of incidents. GALLERIES & CONCERT VENUES 698 COOL THINGS INVENTED IN CHICAGO I DEEP-DISH PIZZA 2 SOFTBALL PERCENTAGE OF YOUNG PEOPLE 15.5% 3 THE MODERN SKYSCRAPER PERCENTAGE WITH COLLEGE DEGREE TIMERAZOR'S MONTHLY EVENT COUNT & THRIVE INDEX FOR THE CITY EVENTS 4,155 79/100 30.2% THRIVE INDEX MEDIAN SALARY FOR COLLEGE GRADS A $50,000 SAN FRANCISCO an Francisco is considered one of the country's innovative cities, with seven patents per capita. But The City By The Bay has been cool for a long time. It's where Allen Ginsberg read “Howl" at Six Gallery, making the O Beat Generation famous. And it's also the city that can host the hippie district of Haight-Ashbury, while also providing the backdrop that Steve McQueen raced through in Bullitt's famous car chase. The Bay Area metropolis has something to offer everyone, from outdoor film festivals to the hyphy rap scene. RESTAURANTS, BARS, & CLUBS COOL CITY INNOVATION 1) 14,355 MUSEUMS, THEATERS, STADIUMS, & ARENAS 466 In 2012, San Francisco put forth the "Currency SF" initiative in hopes of becoming the first U.S. city to go completely paperless for all paychecks, both government and private business sectors. GALLERIES & CONCERT VENUES COOL THINGS | THE POPSICLE 1,395 INVENTED IN SAN 2 THE HARD HAT PERCENTAGE OF YOUNG PEOPLE FRANCISCO 3 THE MODERN FORTUNE COOKIE 15.3% TIMERAZOR'S MONTHLY EVENT COUNT & THRIVE INDEX FOR THE CITY PERCENTAGE WITH COLLEGE DEGREE EVENTS 3,065 THRIVE INDEX 95/100 43.5% 2% so0.23 MEDIAN SALARY FOR COLLEGE GRADS $58,223 SEATTLE eattle has embraced cool technology, having one of the highest concentrations of green buildings in the country, while also offering up cool sights such as Pike's Market and the Space Needle. But the city has also produced some of the coolest musicians over the years, including Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and Quincy Jones. Artists thrive in the cloudy mood of the coastal city, and locals can take in the waterfront or surrounding forests. SE RESTAURANTS, BARS, & CLUBS 6,278 COOL CITY INNOVATION MUSEUMS, THEATERS, STADIUMS, & ARENAS In 2011, Seattle launched its plan to retrofit more than 2,000 buildings with energy-efficient technology. This isn't a surprise, as Seattle was also America's first city to require all municipal buildings to have a LEED silver certification if they have more than 5,000 square feet. 192 GALLERIES & CONCERT VENUES 341 COOL THINGS INVENTED IN SEATTLE | GRUNGE MUSIC 2 THE PHRASE "FLYING SAUCER" PERCENTAGE OF YOUNG PEOPLE 15.9% 3 THE STEAM-POWERED SAWMILL PERCENTAGE WITH COLLEGE DEGREE TIMERAZOR'S MONTHLY EVENT COUNT & THRIVE INDEX FOR THE CITY EVENTS 1,683 37.4% THRIVE INDEX 97/100 MEDIAN SALARY FOR COLLEGE GRADS $53,185 WASHINGTON, DC he nation's capital has a lot going on when it comes to politics and business, but culture is also highly valued. Not only does it host some of American history's coolest locales, such as the Smithsonian, the Lincoln I Memorial, and many other landmarks, it also hosts an array of festivals, rallies, and concerts. Local daytime activities can include touring the U.S. Botanic Garden as well as the National Arboretum, but DC also offers a solid mix of nightlife, with elegant theaters and classic dive bars. RESTAURANTS, BARS, AND CLUBS COOL CITY INNOVATION ) 8,137 MUSEUMS, THEATERS, STADIUMS & ARENAS In 2012, Washington, DC will play host to the first-ever WIRED LIVE, a three-day showcase of innovative ideas and exhibits, policy makers, and venture capitalists. 324 GALLERIES AND CONCERT VENUES COOL THINGS 409 THE DRINKING STRAW INVENTED IN 2 TEXAS CHILI MAC WASHINGTON DC PERCENTAGE OF YOUNG PEOPLE 3 THE DICTATION MACHINE 14.6% TIMERAZOR'S MONTHLY EVENT COUNT & THRIVE INDEX FOR THE CITY WASHINGTON DC PERCENTAGE WITH COLLEGE DEGREE EVENTS THRIVE INDEX 5,232 84/100 NOON. HAS THE MOST 47.3% EVENTS STARTING BEFORE MEDIAN SALARY FOR COLLEGE GRADS $62,458 timeRAZOR SOURCES: ABCLOCAL.COM | BLOOMBERG.COM | BUSINESSINSIDER.COM | FORBES.COM HISTORY.COM | LACITY.ORG | LATIMES.COM | LONELYPLANET.COM | NYTIMES.COM RECORDING-HISTORY.ORG | SACBEE.COM | SFGATE.COM | THEATLANTIC.COM | WSJ.COM TIMEOUT.COM | WASHINGTONCITYPAPER.COM | YAHOO.COM | TIMERAZOR.COM NEVER MISS OUT Available for iPhone and Android. MAAAAAAAAMAAAAAAAA