With graduation approaching, a new start and a new city are on the horizon. After talking with many of my graduated peers, friends who have temporarily lived in these cities and doing some research of my own, these five places stood out to me as hot, trendy cities for our generations to take on after graduation (if we can find jobs, that is).
Atlanta
ATL is now considered a major world city. As one of the most rising national southern cities, Atlanta has made a name for itself by having one of the largest and busiest international airports (Hartsfield-Jackson). Within driving distance from many other populated cities, Atlanta is a great home base and location to take many weekend road trips. Home to the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Braves, there is always a sporting event to attend. Atlanta also has many neighborhoods including downtown, midtown, east Atlanta, Buckhead, Little Five Points, Virginia Highlands and Vinings.
Nashville
Music City never fails to disappoint. With bars like Station Inn, The Bluebird, and really any bar in Nashville, you have a 98 percent chance of seeing someone famous or at least semi-decent live bands trying to make it big. Nashville is home to the Sounds, Titans and Predators. The Country Music Hall of Fame, the Ryman, and Opryland make the city full of music history. The Gulch, Midtown, 12 South, East Nashville, Downtown and all of the suburbs surrounding the heart of the city are made up of sprawling country land; you get the best of both worlds here.
Charlotte
This might be the most underrated and overlooked city on the list. With a professional football, basketball and semi-pro baseball team all within a few blocks of each other, it has also been listed as one of the fastest growing cities for recent college graduates and young professionals. A friend who recently lived there also said the nightlife scene is always a fun time with one of the cleanest downtown areas.
Dallas
There’s always a tailgate to attend here in Dallas with professional basketball, hockey, baseball and football. This city also is home to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which connects to airlines across the world. There is always a festival or a concert or a tasting to attend, with a diverse area of living situations, such as Uptown, where most of the young people live, Deep Ellum, similar to the Old City in Knoxville, and Lower Greenville.
Birmingham
Home of Samford University, UAB and Birmingham-Southern, a growing biotechnology and banking community and a spot for growing culture revival. In the last three years, four breweries have opened bringing young people back to the city, along with a new Barons stadium. This city is also close to Atlanta, Auburn, Tuscaloosa and Nashville.
