Minneapolis among Top 5 cities for young professionals

Bring us your fancy college degrees and maybe we'll give you a job

Attention yuppies: Wondering where to put that freshly minted college degree to work? Forbes Magazine says Minneapolis is the third best place place in the country for you -- if you're tough enough to endure our winters and the Timberwolves.

The Forbes survey looked at Metropolitan Statistical Areas across the U.S. with 1 million people or more, and took into account the unemployment rate, the average salary of college graduates, the cost of living, and ranked each city based on how many of the 200 largest U.S. public companies call it home.

Also key: How many members of the Class of 2000 at Princeton University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Duke University, Rice University, and Northwestern University live in each city.

University valedictorians, overachievers and would-be entrepreneurs across the country graduated this month into a bleak economic landscape. Faced with 9.5% national unemployment, even the most ambitious young people are thinking carefully about how to find their best shot at success. Our advice? Consider moving to Houston, Texas, Washington, D.C., or Minneapolis, Minn.

Here's the Top 10:

1. Houston
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Minneapolis
4. New York
5. Boston
6. Dallas
7. Seattle
8. Denver
9. Atlanta
10. Austin, Texas