Millennial Moves
Austin declared the dreamiest city in America for millennials
Millennials, according to the global relocation website Nestpick, are incredibly finicky about where they live. Those "highly expectant standards" mean that millennials "will not stay long in a location that doesn't match their criteria" — and not all cities are well-suited to supporting the generation either.
So Nestpick, a furnished apartment rental website, put together its list of 100 "millennial dream cities," comparing everything from employment, food, transportation, and housing to gender equality, contraception access, LGBT friendliness, and even internet speed and the affordability of beer.
Guess which city is No. 1 in the U.S.? Austin, with a score of 86.20 out a possible 160. We rank predictably high in startups and festivals — which actually only looks at annual music festivals in the city and its surrounding areas — but also employment opportunities and Apple stores, which the study explains is a good indicator of how technologically engaged a population is.
Our housing score is on the lower end, but so is our food ranking. That 2.2 out of 10 makes a little more sense when it's noted that only the monthly affordability of food was considered, not the number or variety of dining options available. Thankfully, a high closure rate among restaurants didn't factor in either.
But as attractive as Austin is to millennials, there are international cities deemed even more popular. Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, is ranked No. 1 overall, with a total score of 108.8. It's followed by Germany's Berlin and Munich, then Lisbon, Portugal, and Antwerp, Belgium.
And what poor city was considered dreamy enough to be included but disappointing enough to come in last? Lima, Peru, which earned dismal scores for startups, health, internet speed, contraception access, LGBT friendliness, and music festivals.
