I hear Portland is nice, and they are supposedly hiring up there. From what I can tell, a small city with small firms that are quite good. I still want to go there myself.

Currently I am in Atlanta, and things are getting busier here. I can't vouch for much in the life sector though, because I work all the time, and don't have any kids or anything tying me to any community or schools.

Having lived in both Boston and New York, I think both are really quite wonderful.

Boston is small but fun city. I imagine it would be a good place to raise a family as there are so many opportunities for learning. The public school system is decent, depending on the neighborhood. The private schools are really progressive and quite good. Professionally, it may be hard as Boston is teaming with recent grads from Harvard, MIT, and elsewhere. But if you can establish yourself, I think it would be a really nice place to raise a family. I've also heard that real estate prices are cooling in Boston, which is good to hear because when I left two years ago, I was paying rediculous rent for an apartment that was falling down. My biggest complaint about Boston is the inadequacy of the public transportation system... but I digress.

NYC is an amazing city and probably one of the most fun places I've ever lived. It's hard to find a city in North America with so much going on in such a small area. If desired, I could probably attend an architecture or urbanism lecture every night of the week here, it seems. Professionally the choices seem unlimited in many regards. Both big firms and small boutique firms thrive here, it seems. My wife and I both love New York and hope to raise our kids in New York City and expose them to all of the diversity and excitment that New York offers. If you were to walk through certain neighborhoods, particularly those in Brooklyn, you have to be careful not to trip over the baby carriages. Raising families in New York is considered a sound choice again. (Though many people exit the city for the suburbs once their first child reaches school-age.) That said, New York is an incredibly expensive city and many things will be sacrificed to live here and raise a family here. But I believe it to be worth it. Of course, I say that now. In a few years when I have kids, I may change my mind and head to the 'burbs and to a life filled with SUVs, malls, and all other symbols of patriotism.

yeah i also have heard Portland and/or seattle are good options....

and i love also NYC, i think there's no city as good or close as good as NY but im not sure about raising a family there...

Thanks for the input, mm, momentum... Been shopping for jobs in both Boston and New York, and I love both cities...

mm, about New York, it certainly seems like a really cool city to work in, lots of great firms, urban life... Do you think it's livable for a new architect grad with a wife (and hopefully a kid in the near future) on a single income, given how expensive it is? Also, I've heard that alot of firms in NYC will work you long hours... How's working there for having time outside of work for family?

Seattle would be nice, but they have the lowest child population after San Fran, I believe, so I don't know how kid friendly it would be to live there. I think it's a great city for livablilty though, and I have a couple of architect couple friends that have children and live there, so it's definitely a possibility.

Portland is also a very liveable city. The schools in Portland are really really horrible though. When/if I have kids, I'll have to worry more about the schools... but the schools in Portland are pretty crappy.

i would search past threads for cities you are considering. you will find a large number of posts that should give you a good sense of a number of places.

While I can't state with any authority, I've heard good things are happening in Philadelphia. Even without any connections in the city, you might find it's more affordable and hospitable than you'd think.

It is certainly not Boston. The scale is very different.

And it is certainly not NYC, for the same reason in the other direction.

Completely off your radar - what about Minneapolis? I've only visited a few times, but liked what I saw.

seattle is nice place for kids >> lots of parks, nice people, neighborhoods, good weather, etc. not sure about the quality of schools though.

not sure why it has such a low kid pop either.

e, how is the job / architecture scene in seattle?

i love the city, just finished school in vancouver, love the weather / people... plus my brother just landed a job in IT there... and i have an 6 month internship starting this fall in seattle, so i'm thinking about the possibility of settling there and job hunting after the internship is up...

I wonder if its low kid population might be related to the IT industry / young professionals there?

i've read the other seattle threads, and there seem to be some interesting firms... do you think its a good place to work long run if i want to build a career / work for good firms? any other new up and coming firms doing good work?

Philadelphia is a great city, I had a kid there and no joke you can't walk a city block downtown without seeing at least one other person pushing a stroller. Very walkable downtown, very kid-friendly city, lots of architecture jobs. Real estate downtown is getting expensive, $350,000 for a rowhouse. Search for other posts on where to live, I have written about Philly a lot.

You mention having some personal connections in other cities. Having a two-year-old, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to have extended family and friends nearby when you first have a kid. I regret not having my parents and sister near - there is no one else I would rather have babysit for me. Good friends are similar, if they have kids themselves all the better. Even if your wife is a SAHM, she willneed a break, and you guys will want the occasional night out together, so having built-in babysitters is not a benefit to be overlooked. Babysitting rates are high ($15 an hour for a teenager!), and I've never felt great leaving my child with a stranger although I do it as needed. But when some emergency comes up and you are in a city where you know no one, having a mom or sister-in-law nearby who you can drop the kid at while you attend to the problem would be a blessing.

Seattle is a good place to build up a career. In addition to having the one of the lower kid populations, they have (i think) the highest per capita percentage of architects of any major city, or something like that. There's a good diversity in types of firms, and lots of work there now.

Oh, I think the low kid population in seattle is due in part to the fact that the population is fairly well educated and it's a relatively expensive city to live in. (statistically people with higher educations tend to have fewer children, and wait longer to have them) That's kind of a simplistic definition, and it's not like there are no children there...

bRink-

Yes, it's possible to live in NYC on a single income, though very difficult. If you don't mind living in a neighborhood that's perfectly acceptable but isn't teaming with hipsters, you can still find a decent place on a single income. Queens and the Bronx may not have the same charm as Manhattan and Brooklyn, but are both very nice places to live.

As for work, each firm is different. A friend is now working for a firm that wants its designers to work reasonable hours and encourages them to have lives outside their profession.

I left my job in the private sector that demanded long hours to work in the public sector and I am so happy I made that choice. I'm working on an amazing project and my hours are far better now. In fact, now that I'm working far less, I actually get to hang out with my wife, which is really a perk.

And Liberty, you can get a whole townhouse in Philly for $350K? It's hard to find a studio apartment in Manhattan for under $400K... ugh. It's when I'm reminded of just how much New York Real Estate costs that I begin to question my sanity.

Liberty, ya I've heard good things about Phily too, know a couple people going to school there. And thanks for the tip about family and friends... That might be one reason to think about Toronto... Have my semi-retired parents and alot of extended family there which would be nice relief when trying to balance raising a kid and building a career...

I wonder what the most expensive city for real estate is. Probably New York, Boston are the high end... Anybody know how Seattle compares to these cities? My brother has a nice, relatively new large two bedroom apartment for $1200/mo. but he's living in Belevue near Redmond. So I'm guessing thats quite a bit cheaper than downtown. But I'm guessing that Seattle can't be worse than Boston right? I find Boston is rediculously expensive for apartments that are sometimes quite old (ours is on the verge of falling apart) and pretty small... We're paying $900/mo for a small bachelor apartment in Allston (which is a 30 minute t-ride from downtown)... That's actually pretty good for Boston. Downtown Boston a bachelor is about $1300 a month.

LA

Liveability and career opps.....Vancouver! always near the top worldwide for liveability! Olympics in 5 yrs teh town is booming.....oh yes and still safe if your contemplating a family.

CHICAGO

ft lauderdale

while the architecture culture is maybe not up to the level of others listed, louisville's architecture community is tight enough that you can actually get to know just about everyone.

and a 1600sf/2br house built in the 1890s in what is now one of the most happenin' neighborhoods can be had for around 100k.

great for kids.

good music scene.

and lebowskifest is here in july.

and there's a cool little horse race on the first saturday in may every year.

bRink, i think pencrush has answered the seattle scene well. i agree with liberty about philly. i have a brother in radio who lives there. i love visiting him.

with regards to most expensive cities, my guess would be >>

1. nyc
2. los angeles
3. san fran
4. dc
5. atlanta
6. seattle [no state income tax]
7. portland
8. philly