The Best Cities for Singles in 2009

Best Cities for Singles

The recession has transformed single life in cities across America. With this in mind, Forbes ranked the best cities for singles, taking into account everything from the the job market and cost of living to hot spots and the online dating crowd. (AP Photo/Aynsley Floyd)

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The Best Cities ... The recession has transformed single life in cities across America. With this in mind, Forbes ranked the best cities for singles, taking into account everything from the the job market and cost of living to hot spots and the online dating crowd. (AP Photo/Aynsley Floyd)
20. Virginia Bea... This area ranks No. 31 for cost of living but offers great nightlife and recreation for singles. (iStock image)
19. Minneapolis The city's job growth prospects rank No. 16. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
18. Buffalo, N.Y... Buffalo is well-known for its underground creative community and robust sports scene. (AP Photo, Kevin Rivoli)
17. Dallas Dallas is the second cheapest city, right behind Atlanta, and has the 5th most promising job market.(AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)
16. Portland, Or... Portland has the third-best nightlife and ranked 10th for job growth up until 2014. (iStock image)
15. Providence, ... Providence ranked No. 15 for living costs but No. 1 for culture. (AP Photo/Victoria Arocho)
14. Cleveland Cleveland follows behind Denver as the fourth cheapest city to live in. (AP Photo/Jamie-Andrea Yanak)
13. Denver-Auror... Denver-Aurora is the third cheapest city for singles to live in. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
12. San Diego San Diego ranked No. 21 for job growth and 25th for cost of living. (iStock image)
11. Austin, Texa... Austin is the best city for job growth between 2009 and 2014, according to Forbes. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)
10. Philadelphia There are plenty of singles in Philadelphia, enjoying cultural attractions and nightlife. The city ranks 33rd for cost of living, following Las Vegas, but its prices don't compare to cities like Miami. (iStock image)
9. Milwaukee Milwaukee's cost of living is the ninth lowest of all 40 major U.S. cities, says Forbes. (iStock image)
8. Los Angeles L.A. has the second most active online dating scene. Though its job growth ranked 29th, there are some career opportunities here that can really open doors. (iStock image)
7. San Francisco It's pricey to live in the San Francisco area, but the city's culture, recreational activities and nightlife make it well worth the cost.(iStock image)
6. Atlanta Forbes gave Atlanta top honors for cost of living. Many singles there have enough discretionary income to fully enjoy all that the city offers. (iStock image)
5. Washington, D... Washington, D.C. has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country: 6.2 percent. This city is a promising spot for the single and career-driven. (iStock image)
4. Seattle Seattle is predicted to have the eighth-highest job market growth between 2009 and 2014, according to Forbes. (iStock image)
3. Chicago Chicago has the third-largest online dating market, and its cost of living isn't too bad, ranking 12th among the 40 largest U.S. cities. (iStock image)
2. Boston Boston ranked No. 12 for reasonable cost of living, according to Forbes' analysis. (iStock image)
1. New York With an unemployment rate of 8.2 percent, more single New Yorkers -- which make up 28 percent of the city's population -- are turning their focus away from their careers and more on enjoying generous severance packages and their surroundings, says Forbes. The city also has the largest number of active accounts on Match.com. (iStock image)