Our society is more nomadic than it ever has been. Corporate relocations, start up opportunities, the disintegration of the family, and urban renewal are all contributing factors to the relocation of over 17% of the U.S. population annually.

Sandra Gurvis, author of "30 Great Cities to Start Out In: The Best Places to Live in Your 20s and 30s," Macmillan, writes that the biggest questions young people have about choosing a place to live are, "If I take this job, will I be happy with the locale?" and "If I can't find employment, where do I look for other work?" Recalling her college graduation in the 70s and her lonesome transfer to Dayton, Ohio afterward, she has resolved to spare her readers of the angst she felt at being a stranger in a new city.

"When you get there, you may find it wasn't what you expected at all," writes Gurvis. "Wouldn't it be nice to know what's out there in advance?"

For over a year, Gurvis gathered information on the 30 top places to live using a wide range of criteria, from job opportunity to restaurants and entertainment and more. She divides the data into the following topics:

*Major Breadwinning - a discussion of the job opportunities and leading industries, including their financial impact on the community at large.

*Social and Recreational Scene - info on attitudes, the dating scene, and the best places to get acquainted when you first arrive. Includes a round-up of local music, arts, and sports; nightlife as well as other leisure time pursuits; a discussion of popular restaurants, stores and malls; and resources for finding members of your religion, race or ethnicity.

*Crib Sheet - housing and the most appropriate neighborhoods for the 20-30 age group, as well as brief information on schools.

*Navigating - the best ways to get around, transportation news.

Each city features an at-a-glance profile of demographics, weather, brief history, largest employers, community services and money matters- employment rates, per capita income, average rent for an apartment, cost of homes, and other cost of living indexes.

According to the criteria gathered, Gurvis recommends the following cities for young people:

• Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Atlanta, Georgia
• Boston, Massachusetts
• Charleston, South Carolina
• Charlotte, North Carolina
• Chicago, Illinois
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Denver, Colorado
• Houston, Texas
• Kansas City, Missouri
• Los Angeles, California
• Louisville, Kentucky
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
• Nashville, Tennessee
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• New York, New York
• Orlando, Florida
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Phoenix, Arizona
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Portland, Oregon
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• San Antonio, Texas
• San Diego, California
• San Francisco, California
• Seattle, Washington
• Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Washington, D.C. and Environs

If you are planning a relocation, it is best to double check your findings with current available data. Rankings of cities may change due to city infrastructures, corporate relocations, property values, foreign investment, and a number of other factors.

For example in the latest Home Price Forecast, published by the Wall Street Journal, Atlanta's job market is slowing down, while Minneapolis employment opportunities are booming. Housing in Seattle is expected to increase by approximately 21% from fall 1997 to fall 1999, making affordable housing a greater issue.

The cities highlighted in the Wall Street Journal's survey appear to mirror many of Gurvis' findings. Among the ten top housing markets that are increasing in price according to the economists' findings, all but Hartford, Conn. and Portland, Oregon were mentioned in Gurvis's book.

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