Top Cities for New Grads (And the Best Apps for Navigating Them)

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Grad Launch Pad: Empowering College Grads With Tech

Editor’s Note: With college graduation season almost here, we want to help grads and parents navigate post-college life with the latest technology. In this series, we’ll share all kinds of tips — from the best cities for new grads, to career advice from entrepreneurs, to the latest apps for easing the transition from college to career.

Choosing where to live right after college can be overwhelming. Savvy grads are looking at many factors before deciding where to begin their post-college lives, hoping to land in a community with great restaurants and nightlife, lots of other people their age, a multitude of apartment choices, and, of course, jobs. "For millennials, career comes first," says Niccole Schreck, senior brand manager at RentPath, which runs real estate websites including Rent.com. "Millennials are willing to spend more in order to live in an area with job availability and cultural amenities."

Rent.com recently partnered with the data and tech company Onboard Informatics to assemble the top 10 best cities for post-grads, based on such demographic data as number of jobs per capita, unemployment rate, median rental rates, concentration of millennials, and Onboard's "lifestyle index," which rates the value of a city's restaurants, entertainment and nightlife. Here's what they came up with for 2015:

Top 10 Cities for Post-Grads in 2015

  1. Washington, D.C.
  2.  Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
  3.  Denver, CO
  4.  San Francisco, CA
  5.  Boston, MA
  6. Austin, TX
  7.  Seattle, WA
  8.  Raleigh, NC
  9.  Baltimore, MD
  10.  Cincinnati, OH

Choosing a starting city is just part of the transition from college student to professional. Once a grad moves to the city of their choice, they're going to need help settling in, and luckily, in addition to well-known rental apps like Rent.com, there are now many high-quality mobile apps for establishing a well-rounded life in a new community.

Budgeting

Pathsource is an app for college seniors to plan their post-grad living expenses. The app uses a lifestyle assessment tool that asks questions like "Do you want to rent or buy?" and "Do you like eat out or cook?" to help determine a breakdown of average estimated monthly costs for each zip code.

Finding Friends

Samegrain is a new social discovery app that helps (platonically) match like-minded people who are likely to become friends based on a number of shared interests such as life experiences, skills, beliefs, interests, careers and even pets. It aims to be especially useful in helping people at the same stage of life find friends and establish a social life in a new city.

Discovering Activities, Entertainment & Restaurants

Gogobot is an app that connects travelers and new residents to the best places to eat and play in a new city, with personalized recommendations based on "tribes" such as "Foodies," "LGBT," "Outdoor Enthusiasts," "Art and Design Lovers," etc. Users can browse by tribe to find photos and reviews by like-minded fellow residents and travelers in order to get the most out of their new home.

Follow along on Twitter using the hashtag #TK, and share your own insights and tips for new grads.

More stories in this series:

· Top Cities for New Grads (And the Best Apps for Navigating Them)

· Entrepreneurs in STEM Give Advice to New Grads

· The Best Apps for Furnishing Your New Grad's First Apartment

· College Graduation Gift Ideas

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