Seattle, Washington: Many have called this West Coast city the new capital of the tech industry, thanks to companies like Microsoft and Amazon using it as a backdrop for company headquarters. In 2014, the New York Times published a sprawling profile of the city, lauding its “number of leading cloud software companies,” and the University of Washington’s ever-growing computer sciences department, which awards on average 250 degrees a year. It’s lush surroundings make it another nature-lover’s paradise, and its average rental rate climbing above $1,300 is making it one of the fastest-growing places for young professionals.