Relocating for Young Professionals

As a young professional, the possibilities and potential for career growth in areas across the country are limitless. Allow the experts in residential and apartment moving at All My Sons Moving & Storage to provide advice on where and how to relocate when you’re striking out on your own for the big career and social climb.

Degree in hand, you’ve closed the chapter on college or you’ve decided to leap straight into the workforce. Now the question is where will you live and put down roots? Maybe you have a job offer located in a city far, far away, or you’re exploring where the biggest opportunities will be. 

Make this next transition a bright start to your career and the beginning of many new beautiful friendships.

When searching for a city to lay down roots as a young professional, you want a space where the job market thrives, the social sector flourishes, and the cost of living doesn’t leave you subsisting purely on cheap ramen. If you search for “Best Cities for Young Professionals” you will find a plethora of cities come recommended. 

Here are five cities that consistently top the listicles. 

1. San Francisco, California

• 2024 Population Estimate: 827,526

• Annual Mean Wage: $100,140

• Average Rent for 1 Bedroom Apartment: $3,182

• Unemployment Rate: 4.4%

San Francisco is the happening place to make your move in the technology sector. Major employers like Apple and Salesforce have offices in the Bay Area, and numerous startups headquartered in San Francisco compete to catch the public eye. 

2. Boulder, Colorado

• 2024 Population Estimate: 106,803

• Annual Mean Wage: $92,590

• Average Rent for 1 Bedroom Apartment: $1,807

• Unemployment Rate: 3.4%

Young professionals who enjoy outdoor recreation and stunning natural landscapes will want to consider a move to Boulder in Colorado. Positioning in Boulder could help young professionals make a career move into aerospace, education, or bioscience. 

3. Charlotte, North Carolina

• 2024 Population Estimate: 943,476

• Annual Mean Wage: $67,690

• Average Rent for 1 Bedroom Apartment: $1,468

• Unemployment Rate: 4.2%

For a bustling big city with a reasonable cost of living, young professionals could consider a move to Charlotte, North Carolina. Big employers Bank of America and Wells Fargo make their corporate headquarters in Charlotte.

4. Cambridge, Massachusetts

• 2024 Population Estimate: 121,186

• Annual Mean Wage: $87,040

• Average Rent for 1 Bedroom Apartment: $3,217

• Unemployment Rate: 4.4%

The prestigious home of Havard and MIT is one of the most walkable cities in the United States. A great place to land for young professionals pursuing their next move in tech or biotech.

5. Nashville, Tennessee 

• 2024 Population Estimate: 704,963

• Annual Mean Wage: $64,320

• Average Rent for 1 Bedroom Apartment: $1,662

• Unemployment Rate: 3.1%

Music-loving young professionals may want to make their move to Nashville, the famed home of the blues and birthplace of rock and roll. While enjoying the nightlife, young professional can make their move in healthcare, tech, or the entertainment industry.

2024 Population Estimates come from Census.gov. 

Annual mean wage and unemployment rate come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Average rent prices from Apartments.com.

For some young professionals, the job offer determines the city. For others, the city that calls to them will be where they seek a job offer. If you know where you want to go but have no idea how to start job-hunting in a city you don’t even live in yet, then this step is for you.

Of course your skills, expertise, and degree will all factor into who calls you back for an interview, but never underestimate the power of a professional connection. One of the most effective tools for snagging a job is having a robust business network.

Here’s how to build that network.

• Ask Around Your Current Network: Contact people you’re already connected with such as former teachers, employers, co-workers, friends, and family. Advise them of your desire to move and ask if there’s any advice they can give or opportunities that they are aware of. Someone might have even recently moved to your chosen city, or knows someone in your chosen city. Request introductions to new network connections who live close to the city of your dreams.

• Volunteer with a Nonprofit: Look for volunteer opportunities near your dream city that utilize your skills and talents. Show up, work hard, and shake as many hands as possible. Follow up with anyone in a similar field to yours and let people know you’re on the hunt for a full-time role.

• Join Professional Organizations: Be on the lookout for professional organizations to join that have a chapter on the ground in your dream city. You can find groups online on Facebook or LinkedIn or you might be able to get into a local chapter for alums of your alma mater.

• Attend Conferences, Networking Events, and Mixers: Take a few trips to your dream city before the move and get plugged in to the professional network there through events like conferences and mixers. Introduce yourself, hand out business cards, and follow up with people who mention opportunities.

Establishing connections in your dream city? Make targeted applications to jobs that fit your skillset and experience level, ace as many interviews as you can, and you’ll be prepared to accept the right opportunity when it comes.

The next step in your relocation plan will be to deal with the actual logistics of moving.

If this is your first big move since relocating for college then you might have accumulated additional clutter in your life. A big move is the perfect time to evaluate all the belongings you keep in your household or storage inventory. Take stock of what you own and declutter without mercy. Ask yourself to be honest about the items that you use and how they make you feel. Anything that you don’t use, don’t need, and feel negatively or indifferent about should be purged.

Sort everything you intend to pack into one of these four categories.

• Keep: These are the most beloved items in your household inventory. There’s no way you’re parting with any of your special edition books, your most prized vinyl records, and you absolutely need all your kitchen utensils. Sort the must-haves into your keep pile first. Anything that you feel is a ‘maybe’ needs to take a back seat to your most beloved treasures.

• Sell: Items in great condition might be able to fetch you a few dollars for your moving budget. Try listing items on Facebook Marketplace or OfferUp. You can also host a pre-move garage sale. Set fair prices and slash them even lower as your move date approaches.

• Donate: Items in good condition that can be used by another person can be donated to someone in need. Goodwill and The Salvation Army accept donations of household goods at nationwide collection centers. You can also check your area for local causes important to you that take donations.

• Discard: Items that are not in good condition or items that would be meaningless to another person (Children’s memorabilia, school year books, filled photo albums, etc.) should be responsibly discarded. If you have sizeable items in poor condition, you can call a junk removal company like Junk.com to come haul them away.

Once the sorting is complete, you’ll find your move will be more manageable.

You’ve selected the city for your next chapter and you’ve decluttered everything you can manage to part with. You have a job offer ready to present as proof of income, or you’ve got a budding professional network and opportunities filling your email inbox. Now you can start making your organized move.

• Make a Moving Checklist: Jot down a list of important tasks to accomplish during your move and a rough estimate of when each task needs to be completed by. Include items like apartment hunting, researching moving companies, scheduling utilities for disconnection or transfer, and updating your address with all your providers.

• Craft a Moving Budget: Determine how much money you need to set aside for your move. At the very least, you will need moving supplies, professional movers or a truck rental, and money for any security deposits you are making. Watch out for the hidden costs of moving.

• Avoid Moving Scams: On your search for movers, watch out for moving scam red flags. No legitimate moving company should be without a physical address or demanding a large deposit in cash. All My Sons Moving & Storage has an A rating with the BBB and is authorized by FMCSA to transport Household Goods. Get a quote from us while you’re looking at movers. 

• Create a Moving Inventory: Which box did you put your nice black heels into? You have a job interview the day after your move and need them pronto. Never lose track of an item when you create a moving inventory for yourself. With a detailed moving inventory, you’ll know exactly what’s in every box. A moving inventory even comes in handy after the move in the event of a home disaster like a fire or a flood that has you making an insurance claim. In lieu of a full moving inventory, always label boxes and bins with as much detail as possible.

• Pack Essentials Separately: Every household has essentials that make daily, functional living possible. Items like toilet paper, silverware, sheets, and towels you could be using up until the moment of your move. These items will go on the moving truck LAST to be unloaded FIRST at your destination. If you have extra space in your moving budget, you can purchase brightly colored tape to differentiate your essentials from other boxes at a glance. 

• Keep a Bag on Hand: During your move, you should keep items like important documents, medications, phone chargers, and overnight toiletries on your person at all times.

Everything packed on the truck? Tell your movers you’re ready to drive off into the sunset. You’re closing a chapter and embarking on independent-living as a young professional in a new city.

The truck has arrived at your new space, the furniture is all unloaded, and now comes the final frontier of any move: Unpacking.

But wait, before you start breaking open boxes with the handy boxcutter you remembered to put in your essentials and emergencies bag, why not plan out how to set up your new home for career and social success? 

• Make an Organization System: Label shelves and bins so that you always have a designated space for everything from your toothbrush to the kitchen can opener. As you unload your boxes, ask yourself where each item belongs in your new home. Once you have designated a home for the item, make an effort to always return the item to that location. You’ll save time by never searching and you’ll make an excellent impression on houseguests with uncluttered countertops.

• Decorate for Maximum Joy: Now comes your moment to shine and truly make your space yours. Put up posters, artwork, and pictures that make you happy when you look at them. Fill your bookshelves with all your favorite reads and leave space for your most beloved décor items. Your home is a safe place to fully express who you are, so express yourself to your heart’s content.

• Create Your Perfect Remote Workstation: Will your job be remote or hybrid? Set up a home office space that will help you prosper in your new role. If you do not have a room for a home office, make sure you at least have a sturdy desk and comfortable chair in your living space. Stock the desk with office supplies like sticky notes, pens and pencils, and paper.

All unpacked, connected to the internet, and teeming with all the delightful décor items that make you unique, your new apartment is ready for a bustling apartment-warming party. One problem, you’ve just moved and you have no friends here yet. 

Not to worry, your new best friends, professional colleagues, and romantic connections are all out there waiting for you in the city. We even have some advice on how to find them.

Just because you fall into the category of ‘young professional’ doesn’t mean that work is everything to you. There’s so much more you want to get out of your move to your dream city besides career growth. You want to strike out on the town, enjoy the nightlife, make friends who don’t want to talk about spreadsheets, and maybe even meet a super special someone you could build a family life with. Whatever your social goals are, everyone benefits from building connections with other people.

So here’s a tough question, how do you make friends as an adult? In a new city no less? We’re glad you asked, here’s how to find your people.

• Explore the Neighborhood: Find the coffee shops, churches, gyms, bars, bookstores, libraries, or hobby stores in your new area. Check bulletin boards for events or groups, and make way in your schedule to show up and meet people. 

• Try Apps for Social Connection: Find groups that share your interests on MeetUp, locate events with locals in your new area on Eventbrite, or swipe through friendship matches on Bumble BFF. Lots of apps and websites out there can help you find your people offline.

• Make the First Move: This could be the hardest part, especially for shy young professionals, but don’t wait for someone to approach you. Introduce yourself, take a genuine interest in other people, and be the kind of friend you want to make from the get-go. Some people (who aren’t your people) will brush you off or outright reject you. If that happens, dust yourself off, turn to the next group of people, and pay the people who aren’t your people no more attention.

Once you’re making connections, remember to follow up and follow through. Invite your people out for coffee and make that Wednesday night knitting club a regular part of your schedule.

Make the career shift to the city of your dreams and get ready to soar, personally and professionally. 

When you’re ready to make your next move, call on help from the pros at All My Sons Moving & Storage. Our company operates nationwide, so no matter where your destination lies we have the resources to get you there. Go local to your first job out of college or move long-distance for your dream role in a city far away. We excel at the special challenge of apartment moving for those young professionals looking to bask in the urban living lifestyle or we can help with residential moving to your first starter home. Click the quote button below to embark on your next adventure.