College grads crave MTV beach house parties, the bohemian utopia of a certain New York village and the sinful excesses of Las Vegas. This draw goes beyond the job market. Graduates tend to move to ethnically diverse, artistic cities with gay communities, hot nightclubs and fine dining.

The cultural pull has created a brain drain from rural America. Brain drain occurs when people from less developed areas trained as scientists, engineers, physicians, and business professionals move to more economically viable locales. Their
education therefore ceases to benefit their hometown.

Over the last three decades approximately 60% of counties in America experienced brain drain, while major metropolitan areas experienced brain gain. Brain gain cities benefiting from this trend include San Diego, San Francisco, Austin, Boston, Atlanta, Denver, and Raleigh.

Brain drain happens on a global scale as well. A Canadian riddle goes, "What does the United States have that Canada doesn't? Thousands of Canada's most talented young minds." However, brain drain also happens to a great extent within our own borders. Even cities and states with great educational opportunities are having trouble retaining their job-hungry college graduates.

While education isn't the only indicator, there is certainly a high correlation between the two. Often the people of impoverished communities, cities and countries are less educated.

This is especially true in rural areas of the South and Midwest, where educated young people with diplomas in hand are making tracks to wealthier and supposedly "hipper" climates. Are the glamour of big-city living and the attraction of a quick buck keeping sleepy areas sleepy? Is the clustering of college-graduates in major metropolitan centers causing the wage gap to widen?

State governments and committees are taking steps to combat the trends of brain drain. Many offer tax credits to local professionals. Ohio State Senator Grace Drake proposed forgiving student loans if college graduates remain and work in Ohio for five years post-graduation. The University of Southern Alabama in Mobile built a major Research Park in 2002 with the goal of bringing university resources and the technology business community together.

Softening an image and making a city "cool" has become as important as presenting a thriving economy. To get past a dull, dangerous and overtly historical image, Philadelphia is promoting the city of brotherly love as "one big campus," and is also host to the current season of Real World. With over 80 colleges and universities, this may not be a stretch. Other cities have hosted large career fairs to emphasize the benefits of their area.

Do you want Sex in the City or The Simple Life? Either way, it's a good idea to do some research before you plant roots. Visit forbes.com for a list of the best places in America and bestplaces.net for fun stats like the best cities for dating and hardest cities to navigate. If you are thinking about making a break for the big urban centers, note that New York and Las Vegas are high on the list of most stressful cities!