5 Great Cities for Gen Y'ers

Click below for an alphabetical rundown of the five cities Move recommends for Gen Y'ers. Median property prices refer to asking prices on Realtor.com as of May and exclude mobile homes. Average rents reflect listings on Rentbit.coms, and local jobless rates are U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures as of May.

Athens, Ga.

This community some 70 miles east of Atlanta is home to the 34,700-student University of Georgia, which provides Gen Y-friendly nightlife and cultural activities.

R.E.M. and the B-52s got their starts in Athens, and Rolling Stone magazine dubbed the 115,000-population city's clubs the "No. 1 College Music Scene" in 2003.

"The music scene in Athens is surprisingly hot," Reynolds says.

She adds that the university provides young adults with lots of continuing-education and spectator-sports opportunities, while Athens also hosts the Sandy Creek Nature Center and other outdoor sites.

Gen Y'ers will also appreciate Athens' low 6.5% jobless rate, $804-a-month average rent and $174,900 median home price.

Realtor.com lists some 1,200 properties for sale there. Prices range from $18,900 for a bank-owned two-bedroom condo to $3.5 million for an 11-acre estate.

Dallas

Reynolds lived in Dallas for part of her 20s and says she "really enjoyed it. There are lots of cultural activities, really great nightlife -- and the barbecue in Dallas can beat anything."

The northeast Texas city is also home to 10,900-student Southern Methodist University, 17,100-student University of Texas and Dallas and other schools, giving Dallas a large Gen Y population.

All of those young people mean plenty of nightclubs, while the universities also provide lots of spectator-sports opportunities. And of course, Dallas plays host to the legendary Dallas Cowboys football franchise and Dallas Mavericks NBA team.