Akasch

This is funny, I'm very similar. I'm a mid 20s consultant as well. I have an apartment in the Bay Area, born in LA and my family lives in Salt Lake City/Orange County.

My personal advice would be stay where your friends are. You're already on the road so much why do you want to come home to somewhere you don't know anyone? I find myself usually flying to Utah (for family and gf) but it's always to have a home base where my friends are always there to hang out.

Edit: oh I forgot, I've been on an assignment in Vegas for 4 weeks. You get really sick of the strip...

Uh Clem

When I was in my mid-20s I had an apartment in Manhattan Beach. It was six houses up from the ocean and one block south of the pier. Didn't need a car as everything I needed was within walking distance. I'm 62 now and have lived in multiple cities throughout the US and spent two years living in Berlin, Germany. Of all the places I've lived, Manhattan Beach was my favourite.

alecbarron

This is really important.

Nothing will kill your happiness faster than returning "home" somewhere you don't even know anyone. It's easy to start dreading the weekend if you're staying somewhere you don't know anyone.

luv2ctheworld

There's a solution (and cost) associated with all the material/logistic factors. But the social aspect is one that should not be underestimated. I'd really emphasize what is your priority on friends above everything else.

Do you want your existing social circle (and I mean physically present, not via FB or some online thing) to be a main part of your life? Or are you OK with putting a majority of your existing friends on hiatus while you go out and make new ones and start anew?

Most importantly, do you have the personality/persona to make new friends easily, or do you prefer to have a core group till the end of time? Some people do fine without having to be close with their friends; others have a more difficult time when their friends aren't around. There's nothing wrong with one or the other. But knowing yourself and what you want is the first, and most important, step.

While many things can help decide where to go; your social network is one of the most important, intangible assets you can have. It will help define you, guide you, and possibly make or break you in the long run.

You don't mention what your view of your social network is, so it's hard to say.
For some people, it's better to start anew, while for others, what they have now is better than whatever replacement could be.


So keep that in mind.

AAdvantageFlyer

Bar none, if you are single the best city to be in is New York hands down. Believe me I had so much fun being single in my twenties there it was an experience I would never give up, in fact if you want to be single in your thirties or above New York becomes a better proposition as it is the only city in America where there are more single people than married people. The job opportunities are income growth potential are worth the higher cost of living.

TravelinSperry

Stay in LA and rent a room in a house with a bunch of people. You'll save on costs and expand your social circle. LA has a major airport - Vail does not. That will become tiring when you are traveling for work.

mapletree

+1 on message below...a true voice of reason. The consultant lifestyle gets old. Your friend network is one of the most valuable assets you'll have as you get older. Live the jet-setter life...it's fun, but when you're home invest in your network. This way when you want a change you're not starting everything from scratch.

mbece

This. I am on the road 4 or 5 nights a week plus visiting friends a weekend every other month. I found I couldn't make it with a roommate and didn't want to live with family either. Austin fits the bill: good social scene, still affordable central rents, possible to live without a car (I get by with my bike and live downtown for $1100 a month, rent a car when needed for $50 a day).

The downside about Austin is the airport: it gets old having to connect almost everywhere instead of, say, being in a hub like DFW. On the other hand, it takes me 15 min to get to the airport, which is very easy/quick to navigate due to its size.

EDIT: Do keep in mind the importance of being close to your support system. I moved To Austin for this job from abroad (I could've chosen any city in the US) and don't know anyone because it's just impossible to join sports teams/go out when I'm here only twice a month. I don't dread coming home as someone mentioned, but this is a lifestyle that alienates you -living in a new city will only exacerbate it, for better or worse, so think hard about it.

msnflier

I'd echo the suggestion of Chicago.

I'm originally from the Midwest (Madison, WI), having moved out here to DC/NoVA about seven years ago. For what I do, there really isn't anywhere else I can live but it sounds like your situation is far different. I would strongly encourage you to look into Chicago, especially the northwest side near Wrigley Field, etc.

While it's not necessarily cheap, I have friends who have lived in that area for many years and they say it's eminently walkable and truly a "neighborhood," much like where I live now (more on that below, as part of the DC/NoVA review). You don't really need a car and while Chicago can certainly get chilly in the winter, there's probably no better place to be for summer weekends with the "fests" in Grant Park and/or on the lakefront, and the weather is generally good although it can get hot at times. Being from the Midwest, I can assure you that it's nothing like the misery of DC summers (you may as well live in MIA or da ATL if you like the heat that we get here). Plus, you can always go "up north" to northern or Door County, Wisconsin, if you really want to get away. I can also attest to the friendliness of Midwesterners compared to many Easterners (at least around here).

The northwest side of Chicago is convenient to ORD, where you would have similar options for international flights including DL and other SkyTeam airlines like KL/AF/KE, as you do at LAX. It's even more convenient if you're willing to consider dipping your toes in *A and OW via UA and AA, respectively, especially domestically for nonstops. Unlike most other "fortress" hubs, for now, at least, you'll have two viable options vs one (it's not clear whether the merged US/AA will maintain the current level of non-stops from ORD, long-term). While ORD still has its challenges, if you're largely on non-stops it's still far, far less painful vs connecting. Others who fly from ORD regularly should correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to have gotten much better since its new south and north runways opened a few years ago.

As to Arlington/DC areas, if you're looking to reduce your cost of living, even modestly, you might have sticker shock even though you're in LA now, especially if living on your own is important to you. Arlington (really Arlington County) and Alexandria City (not the larger zips of "Alexandria," the majority of which are actually not within Alexandria City) are a couple of the most expensive places to live in the United States besides NYC, SF and northwest DC or Capitol Hill. Even after the Great Recession, you'll find that the rents/home prices relatively close to, or in, DC and DCA are astronomical. (IMHO, if you live further out toward IAD - which is admittedly more affordable - you may as well live in DFW or ATL or Edina, MN, because the scenery, houses/condos/apartments, strip malls, franchise options, etc., are basically all the same since you're in suburbia).

I work about three blocks from the White House and I now live less than 30 minutes door-to-desk by car or a 10 minute/$12 cab ride from DCA ($50 to IAD) in the City of Alexandria, just south of its border with Arlington County (but not in Old Town). I travel by air for work or pleasure about once a month, sometimes more. Not as frequently as you, but certainly more than most of my co-workers and neighbors.

When I moved here about seven years ago, my new job didn't pay relocation costs so I had to reduce my COL, which dictated that I live further out toward the south end of Fairfax County. My entire monthly nut including a decent a two-bedroom ground level condo was about $1500 all-in, except food. Certainly cheap, but it often took nearly an hour to go 15 miles from door-to-desk and 30 minutes on top of that if I took the Metro. (Fortunately, I was able to drive all the time after I managed to finagle the Holy Grail of working in DC about three years ago: free parking in an underground ramp!)

While my neighborhood was . . . OK . . . it wasn't really walkable. The reality was that if I wanted to do anything besides sit in my condo all weekend, I had to get in my car and fight traffic which - surprisingly - was often worse on local roads than weekday rush hours. Late in 2012, I decided to dump condo living (and the evil condo association), buy a modestly larger place with a small, low maintenance backyard in a great neighborhood and, most importantly, get out of my car as much as possible. Around here, however, the cost of that was nearly quadrupling my monthly nut.

Some might not find that palatable, but I made a conscious decision that getting my work/commute/play life in balance was the most important thing for me. Now, nearly everything I need is within walking or easy biking distance and my car often stays put between Friday and Monday. A decent golf course is about the only thing I absolutely cannot get to without my car. Fore!!!

YMMV, but perhaps those are some things to consider as you look into your options.

Good luck!

siaa380

I'll stir the pot some more and say Seattle. You mentioned that you were a DL flyer and DL is upping their operations in SEA. It has plenty to do, maintains that bay feel like SFO, and Bellevue is full of professionals. No state tax either.

eliasg

I would say Miami. Sure, Miami Beach is expensive, but there are plenty of other great areas that are inexpensive. Check out this recent blog post that's pretty spot-on:

http://iamdavidberry.com/?p=1521

Huck

This would be an easy one for me: move to NYC for the culture, single women, the "buzz", etc., & easy access to several airports. Only stay with your parents until you find a relatively inexpensive place in Queens or on the Hudson River in NJ (Jersey City, Hoboken, etc) near mass transit & then ditch the car.

There really is no place like it anywhere & no shortage of things to do or places to fly to. I made a similar move about 20 years ago
(BTW after 20 years with a decent job, no car & an inexpensive safe place to live I'm able to retire!)

Edit: I see you're considering SLC/Park City in this mix, I lived in both in my 30's & they are really wonderful in many ways but..... as a single guy, esp. one who is on the road a lot, it can be very difficult if you're not a member of the dominant church. Not to overplay it, I think 50% of SLC is not part of the church & a lot of the members are somewhat relaxed about their dedication to it, but it is a factor especially in dating eligible women. (A few of my acquaintences actually converted when they got serious with a local partner, with a very liberal view towards their "conversion" but it was necessary to "seal the deal" with the families. And, trying to say this as respectful as possible, many guys who came & visited SLC mentioned how many attractive women seemed to be around & I have to agree with this.)

And Park City is now a hideously expensive playground for the rich.

pseudoswede

LAX in the winter in a rented room, Vail in the summer. Done.