Yes, there are more places to find tech talent than Silicon Valley, CA.! As the need for great tech talent increases, hot tech hubs are popping up around the US as excellent places to join together, create communities and foster growth. Just as each area comes with unique expectations and needs, these hubs have their own specific characteristics.
Silicon Prairie (Omaha, NE/Kansas City, MO/Des Moines, IA)
This chunk of the Midwest was the birthplace of so many tech startups that these three cities and their surrounding areas joined together to create a community. Digital media company,Silicon Prairie News was founded by Jeff Slobotski (@Slobotski) in 2008 for this Midwestern tech and start-up community, and the area adopted the aptly identifying name.
You might recognize Silicon Prairie companies like money transfer service Dwolla and video analysis tool, Hudl. There is also Contemporary Analysis, a predictive analytics firm, and social sales solutions provider, Gumroad.
With the recession leaving a very small impact on the Midwest compared to the suffering of the coasts, it became an area where entrepreneurs and startups have flourished. Omaha boasts the lowest cost of living in a city that also has a median income above the national level. In order to lure this tech talent out of their ultra cost-effective areas, their pay would have to be even higher than most to accommodate the cost of living to which they’ve become accustomed.
The Missouri Economic Research and Information Center reveals the 2013 annual average cost of living rankings. Nebraska has the second lowest cost of living, Iowa was at 12 and Missouri was at 16. Big houses, lots of land and cheap living can make hard competition.
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh’s emergence as a tech hub was as natural progression after so many research firms and institutions from surrounding universities started the cultivation of a tech community. The job market is booming in Raleigh, as they have experienced the third-highest job growth in the country over the last two decades. As part of the North Carolina Research Triangle; researchers, IT talent and biotechnology workers are abundant.
According to The Next Web contributor Lisa Roolant:
“Affordable housing, short commutes and the title of Number One US City for Young Families, are all triggers for the flock of technology companies and university graduates to Raleigh.”
Raleigh boasts some pretty recognizable names like communications technology company,Bandwidth and smart phone company, YeaLink. This is also the hub for Fortune 100 companies IBM, Cisco, Sony Ericsson and many more.
Boulder, Colorado
A strong work-life balance isn’t only for dispensary owners. Colorado’s tech community also strives to keep their professional and personal lives fun. A high concentration of these like-minded tech workers came from image-sharing giant, Photobucket, the University of Colorado and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The city has reaped such great benefits from their emerging tech community that they foster its growth through ongoing funding. Each year, thousands of firms apply to TechStars, an ultra-selective startup accelerator. With no lack of investors and facilities, there are ample resources for this tech community to keep growing.
These tech workers won’t be lured away without the promise of a fostering community, a fulfilling work-play balance and probably enough money to replace the image of those beautiful mountains.
These are just to name a few; Portland, Las Vegas and Hoboken are also among those cities booming with tech talent. These communities are springing up everywhere, and they’re bringing with them different needs and demands. A strong benefits package isn’t going to cut it if companies want to stay competitive with their tech talent arsenals and pipelines.
Do you feel like we missed any emerging tech hubs? Let us in on the secret! Comment below orTweet us with your opinion.
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