how do you all make decisions on where to live? In terms of city….I know such a broad question… I’m struggling to find a new place to call home, don’t reply have any roots and could go anywhere. Most of my peers move to one place post grad due to job and only move due to job changes. With remote work I’ve moved out of HCOL and struggling to figure out how to find a home again….

My response is based on the assumption that you live in the US. If not, modify it for where you live. Come up with a set of criteria for the reasons/kinds of things, culture, essence you enjoy etc. that will make you move to the desired State or not enjoy to eliminate where you wouldn’t move to, to whittle down the list of US States or territory you would move to and come up with a strategy to get through the list of States you would move to, to find where you will live. For example, if I were to do it all over again, I would: Step 1: Define my criteria for what would attract me to live there. Thus, I would go somewhere warm that didn’t have annual natural disasters that will require extreme efforts on my part to get through; somewhere with easy access in and out of the country headed towards Europe and the rest of the world because of my family and friends residing internationally; somewhere I have some roots in; somewhere where people are less likely to be intolerant (liberal versus conservative). So we both know (from your post), moving for roots or jobs are out the window. Find your criteria. Step 2: Write down all US States and Territories and begin to whittle down the list of States that meet or don’t meet my criteria. So, right off the bat, Texas (thanks to Hurricane Katrina), Louisiana, Alabama, anywhere in the West Coast, Florida and some Bible Belt States are already out. Scratch them off your list. Step 3: Come up with a strategy to get through the remaining States on your list. So, following steps 1 & 2, you now have the list of all the states and territories whose culture, food, essence etc. comes close to where you would want to live. You may define additional sub-criteria to whittle the list down further or if you were me, I would drive across country and make multiple stops in the major metropolitan cities of the States I want to live in and one of them will feel like home. This is just an example to help you frame how to go about making a decision on where to live given that you can do remote work. If all else fails, you could go on a dating app (assuming you’re single because you are making a huge decision without mentioning a partner), meet someone, fall in love and move to that person’s city. Either way, Good luck! 🙂

Tough question to answer... been trying to figure it out for the last year. Every few years I get the strong urge to move. Wish you luck and hope you find your answer soon.

I found a pedestrian friendly city with great museums, parks, etc. I don’t need to drive unless I want to. Access to good hospitals, colleges which keeps the area fresh. I don’t feel completely overwhelmed by its size and I’m not trapped in the suburbs where every interaction has to be planned. And consider your budget.

I essentially stayed in my college town . Granted I went to college in Boston so it’s slightly easier when you went in a city. But just really enjoy the small town feel of Boston while also being a city. Also love the Cambridge / Somerville neighborhoods which are even more small town feel

It’s so hard, OP. I’m a nomad at heart and I decided to plant roots in a city I don’t love for people that I do. My people are growing roots and building their own families, so I’m slowly getting asked to less and less things, and I think about leaving it every day. I imagine if you think about activities that interest you, find a city that mirrors that, and then there are likely people there who are similar to you whom you can build a community with.

I’ve lived in a lot of places in the US. Every place essentially has the same amenities. I look for something unique that fits my criteria for culture and climate and accessibility for travel. I last moved in early 2021 to FL because I wanted to live somewhere that felt like I’m on vacation. But I struggle with not having any roots here and I find it’s harder to make friends as you get older and especially during a pandemic but it is possible.