THE INDOFILES

What are some of the great U.S. cities to live in if you are a 20-something or 30-something professional desi? Our esteemed panel (of one), decided to take a shot at it. There is really no criteria other that our personal experience and what we have heard from others. We based our criteria on best food, culture, nightlife, and of course, ability to meet that special desi that amma and appa will be proud of. For a more detailed breakdown and how we looked at each of our 5 cities, go to Table 1 at the end of this post (after the jump):

5. San Francisco - With Silicon Valley, Stanford, and Berkeley just minutes away, it’s no wonder the city by the bay ended up in our top 5 for Indians in the U.S. The pure concentration of Indians in surrounding cities such as Fremont, Saratoga, and Cupertino provides a wealth of cultural and culinary opportunities for the brown crowd - and the opportunity to send your kids to middle schools comprised of entirely desi and Chinese cheerleading squads is a plus. Our only complaint is that the most of the desis here seem to be stereotypically the same - varying slightly between geeky technologists or making-momma-proud physicians. 

4. Houston - I haven’t spent much time in Houston, but I’m adding it to the list because every desi I’ve ever met from Houston raves about how it’s the best desi city in the U.S. They also all seem to listen to Nelly and live with their parents.  Indians I meet there never seem to be the brightest bulbs, but they do have a cool (or at least strange) accent and know how to have a good time. Plus, the attractiveness level of the folks here is much higher than you would think not being a “cosmopolitan” city.  

3. Los Angeles - My home town, so I had to sneak this in here. The food is questionable (Westside is best), as is the party scene (you won’t see any desis over 26 out after 10pm - which could be a good or bad thing depending on who you are), and if you think you’re going to have a meaningful conversation, forget it (unless you consider “when did you graduate from SC?” meaningful conversation). That said, in terms of variety, attractiveness (ahem), and influence, Los Angeles competes with any other U.S. city. The annual Indian Film Festival just turned five years old and is getting nationwide recognition. And if that wasn’t enough, Cerritos, a.k.a. New Jersey West, is just a one hour drive away.

2. New York City - No other city has held such great promise, but yields as much frustration for ambitious, fun-seeking desis. I have had many friends who have made the trek out to New York in their 20s and 30s with high hopes, only to gratefully return to their hometown a few years later. My own visits to the Big Apple have yielded its own observations: better-than-average food (if you haven’t tasted Chinese-Indian fusion, go to Chinese Mirch in Curry Hill), a slightly older desi crowd (think 28-35), and more NetIP happy hours than one could hope or wish for. The one downside: most desis in the city seemed jaded and a little tired. But then again, isn’t that most New Yorkers? A good friend of mine, Vivek, who was a resident at the time, once had a great quote about the city - he said: “It’s the best city in the world if you have time and money. Unfortunately, I have neither.”

And the best desi city in America for this Indofile is (drum roll please)…

1. Chicago - It’s miserably cold 5 months of the year and the Cubbies haven’t won the World Series since before Gandhi was born, but still Chi-town ranks as our #1 city for professional-minded desis (or maybe we’ve spent too many nights at the old Zentra or Fulton Lounge - only after 1am of course). Besides being “home” to new desi-favorite and current president Barack Obama, we found many bright, aspiring doctors, lawyers, and spouses during our travels to the Windy City. Unlike the New York desi crowd, Indians in Chicago know how to have fun, but without the tint of desperation that comes from knowing your 31, unmarried, and on the verge of being laid off. The food was generally good, not great and we found people to be very approachable. It was also the only major city I went to where every bar and club seemed to have a constant ratio of about 10-20% desis. Which was good because you could party with other desis without having to tell your friends the next morning that you actually went to a desi party (after all, who does that after they turn 27?).

                                     Table 1: The Indofiles Top Cities Ratings - 2009

Special mention: Worst city: Boston. Only because I don’t like having to explain to every other person I meet how it wasn’t me that caused their job to get outsourced to India (though I probably wouldn’t mind if I did) nor did I cause the 9/11 attacks.  Let’s face it, desis don’t do well with blue collar folks, unless your last name is Jindal J

Honorable Mention: San Jose/Cupertino/Saratoga, Austin, Redmond (thanks Microsoft), Any New Jersey city, Baton Rouge (hey, any city that can be the birthplace of the first Indian governor needs to be here), D.C (we’re not sure if these desis are that likeable, but put them here for pure population reasons)