People come from all over Massachusetts, New England and the world to attend UMass Boston, but where do they go once they have their degree? Here are some of the best cities in the US for recent college grads. Where will you go?

Austin, TX

Population: 820,611

Unemployment: 5.6%

Austin, Texas is an oasis of trendy and metropolitan living in the middle of the reddest of the red states. There are jobs and a music scene, as well as good public transportation in the downtown area. The presence of University of Texas Austin ensures that the city is constantly taking in new young people, and the students and professors have a liberalizing influence on the surrounding community, which makes Austin unlike many other southern cities. The unemployment rate is nearly as low as Boston, and unlike in other southern towns, the the median wages are a relatively high.

New York City, NY

Population: 8,244,910

Unemployment: 8.8%

New York is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, and if you can’t find it here, you can’t find it anywhere. The rents may be ridiculously high, but many of the jobs are ridiculously well paid. Public transit runs all night, so you can get anywhere in the city, at any time. Clubs and coffee houses are always open. There is always something going on, and something to do. Do you want to be a musician? A writer? A painter? New York is where people move to break into the arts. Live in this city to jumpstart your career and make sure you are never bored.

Baltimore, MD

Population: 619, 493

Unemployment: 11%

Baltimore, otherwise known as “Charm City,” has a totally different vibe. The famously fat residents will call you “hon” within ten seconds of meeting you. They are the warm and welcoming eccentrics gently and not so gently satirized in the work of Baltimore native John Waters. There are better diners than most Bostonians have ever seen, selling filling meals at prices Bostonians would not believe. The living is cheap, and the arts thrive. The availability of reasonably priced space means that anybody can maintain a studio, and many people do. Baltimore residents tend to live life at a more reasonable pace than people in Manhattan, without standing on ceremony. Many of the people who live there moved to the area from rural Maryland or West Virginia.

Ann Arbor, MI

Population: 114,925

Unemployment: 6.2%

Every online list of great cities for college grads lists Ann Arbor, though many college grads may not have heard of it. For people who find cities like Boston or New York overwhelming, Ann Arbor may be just the thing. It’s got the perks of a large city—a great job market and smart neighbors recently ranked the fourth most literate in the nation by Amazon, as well as an annual art fair that draws in half a million visitors from all over the world. At the same time, the city’s population just barely makes it over 100,000 people, and it is possible to feel like you’ve gotten away from the hustle and bustle of a major metropolitan area.

Boston, MA

Population: 625, 087

Unemployment: 6.6%

But who said you have to move at all? Boston is listed by the Huffington Post, The Atlantic, and The Daily Beast as one of the top ten cities for recent college graduates. Forbes even says it’s the best in the country. Staying in Boston is one of the best financial decisions you could make. We have great public transit and a huge rental market. You don’t need to own a car or pay thousands of dollars for a place to live if you don’t feel like it. Our economy is great, and our unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the country. The food here is also astounding. There are very few other places in the US where nearly every neighborhood has an independent coffee shop whipping up well-made caramel mocha lattes, a farmer’s market, and organic sushi available on delivery.

So the people are famously cold and the nightlife is famously non-existent. Don’t let that stop you! If you’ve been going to school at UMass Boston for years, you’ve probably managed to get beneath the crusty exterior of a couple native Massholes and turn them into your friends. And now that you’re a responsible adult, you probably won’t want to party until 6 a.m. anyway. You have work in the morning.