Exploring gay-friendly metros for the job hunt.

Hey all. I'm a 23-year-old multiracial gay guy, new to /r/gay and heading into his second year of graduate school in Higher Education at Florida State University. I'm from upstate NY and have lived in both NYC and Miami, FL. Having spent the past year in a completely new place with almost no gay scene (especially for a single guy like myself), I'm eager for the job search to start this December as I prepare for graduation at the end of April 2016. I need to get back into big city life, or at least live and work in a suburb where I have access to a major city.I've started mapping out campuses in metro areas of interest:For sure: Washington DC (the DMV area); NYC; Capital Region NY (Albany/Schenectady/Troy); Boston; Providence; South/Central Florida (Miami/FLL/Tampa/Orlando); SeattleInsight needed: Portland; Denver; Atlanta; Chicago; AustinCan y'all help me by providing me some insight on all of the cities listed, as well as any metros that I didn't mention that you think are worth looking into?I'm looking for info on the gay scene, ease of meeting people, affordability, the good spots to live and other general information about the experience for a single gay guy. I'm a tad reluctant to remain in the south unless it's in Florida, so I need some convincing to get excited about it (not necessarily Atlanta, but definitely anywhere in Texas.)Feel free to pose any additional questions you think I should have answered as I narrow down my areas of focus. I'm trying to determine my non-negotiables so I know what I'm looking for in a workplace. :)