On Moving Cities

Since graduating high school 4 years ago, I have lived in 4 different places. Those moves were fueled by a desire to attend a university that challenged me, but also didn’t drive me into paralyzing debt. From a private film school in Boston to a giant state school in Athens, I have bounced around a lot since leaving the nest.

However, I am now contemplating a different kind of move. Moving somewhere for the sole reason of work – not because of a school. It’s one of the major decisions that you make in your life. Ideally, it would be somewhere that you stick around for a while, a place to settle in. I am seeking a place that will allow opportunities for dream-chasing, but also allow me to maintain my mental and financial health.

I’ve been going back and forth on this decision for ages. I am not applying to jobs so I don’t have anything to pull me to one place or another. I’m just looking for somewhere that I can afford, that contains like-minded people, and will not actively hinder the creative process.

I have been to a very small percentage of the places that I am thinking of, but even if I have been there, you don’t know what living somewhere is like until you live there. You can read forums and blog posts talking about the best places for young people to move, but its hard to believe any of it. Everyone’s experiences are different; everyone is biased one way or another.

Therefore, I am trying to approach this transition in my life with more whimsy. If I move somewhere and don’t like it, I’ll go somewhere else. There are so many interesting cities and it seems a real shame to just pick one and stay there forever.

I crave the energy of New York, the lifestyle of San Francisco, the freedom of Detroit, and the connections of LA. So I’ve decided to stop obsessing and just pick one. I’m starting with Detroit. If I don’t like it, I’ll go somewhere else. It doesn’t have to be so difficult. Go somewhere that interests you. Bonus: if you have friends or a job already there.