This seemed like a pretty cool article - We recently received this from Experience, the organization that handles the back-end support for the SIU College of Business eRecruiting system.

Original story is at: http://www.experience.com/alumnus/article?channel_id=career_management&article_id=article_1219694194099

Where's the hottest place to live in the U.S.?

By Caitlin Green

What makes a city hot? The social and cultural scene was definitely number one -- picked by 37% of respondents in an Experience, Inc. survey conducted last month. Closely following, at 30%, were a city's career opportunities.

These choices are closely linked to the top (the hottest) choices for major metropolitan areas young professionals said they would most like to live in. The top cities included New York (12.5%) and Chicago, with 8.5%, followed by Washington D.C., (7%) and San Francisco (6.6%).

What about relocation? An overwhelming 84% of respondents said "yes" when asked if they would be willing to relocate. What would make them pack their bags and leave? 44% replied career opportunities while 20% selected the social scene and cultural events. Even if there's an ocean in the way, 70% said it wouldn't matter; they would be willing to move abroad.

However, relocation is never easy and usually there are some obstacles that pop up along the way. 33% of respondents said a city's cost of living would prevent them from relocating while 22% cited their family as reason enough. Lack of a social scene would deter 20% of those who answered the survey.

Surprisingly, a commute to work would not be a major deterrent when considering relocation and whether or not a city is hot. While two-thirds of those surveyed currently have a 30 minute commute or less, a staggering 61% said they would be willing to double it -- to commute 30-60 minutes for work.

So, what cities are considered hot? New York City, Chicago Washington, and San Francisco were the top 3 cities considered "hot" by the survey respondents. Atlanta and Boston also rounded out the list.