I have often called Miami “hands down, the best place to live if you are young and single.” My reasoning for this had mostly to do with the abundance of nightlife and the permissive attitude of the city’s culture. Very conducive to the type of lifestyle a young person would want to lead, right? But for some reason, when those “Best Cities for Singles” lists came out, Miami was never even in the top five. I was always confused.

APPARENTLY SOME PEOPLE WANT MORE THAN NICE WEATHER AND EASY TOURISTS

But as I’ve gotten older, and gotten to know more young, single people in other cities, I’ve realized why some people may disagree. First, I was shocked to find out that every young, single person is not exclusively concerned with the availability of drinking establishments at 3 a.m. and easy tourists to go home with. Second, I learned that the cultural barriers I often talk about can be discouraging to young people from around the country. And third, I learned Miami is not a city people flock to to start their careers.

Now don’t get me wrong. I still believe this is the best city for people in my demographic. The weather gives us a lot more opportunities for social interaction, and there is never a shortage of things to do. You can go out any night of the week, and nobody here is pressuring anybody into accepting any sort of responsibility. It’s as close to Neverland as you can get without moving to a college town.

NOT AS OLD AS WE USED TO BE, BUT NOT AS YOUNG AS SOME

But outside of Florida, you rarely hear of anyone moving to Miami for a great job after graduation. You rarely go out and see large groups of twentysomethings with professional jobs,  except for maybe Brickell and the Gables. And even there, the crowds tend to be more in their thirties. I’m not sure why, but Miami just doesn’t seem to be a place that recent graduates flock to work like, say, New York or LA or even San Francisco. People come here to be warm, but rarely to start their careers.

So as a result, you get less of that young, single demographic. Sure, you get your service industry types on the Beach, but I wouldn’t exactly label them as young professionals. And you have people from South Florida who come home and work here. But most of those folks are living at home. And living at home is not exactly conducive to young single life.

I’ve gone out in these cities where young people flock. New York. LA. Boston. Chicago. San Francisco. Washington. The folks there still come from all over like they do in Miami, but there just seem to be more of them. And they’re younger. Yes, all these places have some inherent disadvantages, and that is why personally, I still think Miami is the best place for someone like me. But I realize not everyone lives their lives the way I do, and maybe Miami isn’t so great if you concern yourself with more than the relentless pursuit of fun when you’re young. Miami a great town for the young and single? I think so. But maybe not everyone in America agrees.

Matt Meltzer is a featured columnist at Miami Beach 411. Matt’s column appears Tuesdays. See more articles by Matt Meltzer >