In part one of this series, we looked at why tech startups are choosing locations other than Silicon Valley and its surrounding locales. Some of the reasons included cost of living, inclusivity, and tax breaks. Now we’ll take a look at the newest locations that have the best of both worlds.
St Louis, Missouri
There are quite a few reasons St Louis is an up and coming tech hub. It has a lowest cost of living, a formidable college system, and its metro area allows for a diverse talent pool. In fact, because of the increase in startups moving to this area allowed for two centers dedicated to tech – the Cortex Center, an innovation community focused on research, tech, and entrepreneurial exchange, and the T-Rex Facility. The latter is a nonprofit technology startup hub. Its inception has led to creating around 4K new jobs and it houses over 200 startup companies.
Tampa, Florida
This city features the largest tech hub in the entire state, and showcases a quarter of the tech jobs in all of Florida. A few selling points for Tampa is its gorgeous scenery and multiple things to see and do. It’s nestled around and within the tourist hub of the state and one of the biggest tourism draws in the world. There’s no personal state income tax and the cost of living is lower than Silicon Valley.
Detroit, Michigan
What was once a city known for cars, it is now a major tech hub in the country. One of the reasons is the low cost of living. It’s the perfect place to build your business or find a job in the technology field, without paying most of your income in rent and utilities.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
This is another city like Detroit, which once had a focus on something else. In this case, Pittsburgh was once part of the Industrial Belt. Now it has switched gears into the technology world. And like Detroit, one of the reasons companies and people flock to this area is the lower cost of living.
Atlanta, Georgia
Rounding out our top five is Atlanta, Georgia. This southern hotspot is one of the newer tech hubs. It has a diverse culture, plenty of universities, and the cost of living is decently low. Another exciting thing to note is that it is home to the fourth largest tech village in America, the Atlanta Tech Village.
If none of these are what you have in mind, the other five in a top 10 list include:
- Raleigh, NC
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Baltimore, MD
- Miami, FL
- Nashville, TN
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