Article Contributed by Ryan Currie
What makes for a great startup city? Definitely a relatively low cost of living (see ya, New York), lots of burgeoning industry, and definitely an available workforce, right? What about things like affordable office space and green space and even good public school districts? The things that make a city great for starting a business are complicated but a few mid-sized cities are just right, at least right now, for startups.
Here are six of the most startup friendly cities in the U.S. that you may have not considered…
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indiana? Yes, Indiana. Indianapolis has a lower cost of living for self-employed individuals than the national average and it’s got just enough residents to support new concepts, provide skilled workers, and even test multiple locations of a business. Office space is insanely cheap here and Indianapolis International Airport provides a streamlined hub for cross-country business travel. Angie’s List is Indy’s most famous startup.
Austin, Texas
What’s not to love about Austin? People love calling this part of Texas home and there are many, many opportunities here to exploit. Not only is Austin quickly becoming a tech-hub in the south, it’s a really insular culture for all things organic, music, and crafty. Austin has the lowest cost of living of any of the big tech cities (ex: Seattle, San Francisco, New York) and the area’s proximity to Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio make it a great startup city.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is currently undergoing a cultural revival which makes it an increasingly appealing place to live. Not only are there a lot of VCs and angel investors with outposts here, nearly 30% of the workforce has a bachelor’s degree making for a rich talent pool for startups to draw from. Carnegie Mellon University provides some great resources for local startups in Pittsburgh, too.
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville hits that perfect-population number with right around 2,000,000 residents and there’s more here than music. Interestingly, the city has proven to be a great home-base for food startups and biotechs. It’s incredibly low cost of living as well as low workplace expenses make it a haven for culture-loving big city types who need a cheaper place to launch their business.
Bend, Oregon
Bend has branded itself as a startup friendly city and you’d be hard-pressed to find an area offering more incentives for startup businesses. It’s proximity to Seattle, Portland, and the Bay Area plus several startup acceleration mentor programs in town, it’s a good place to be in business. Bend’s cost of living is low, the weather’s great, and the city even hosts an annual Bend Startup Weekend.
Denver, Colorado
Colorado actually has several startup friendly cities, but Denver’s the place to be. The fact that Denver hasn’t yet reached its tipping point (i.e. too many startups in too small an area, thereby poaching talent from one another) means it’s a good place to launch. People love living here and there’s no shortage of money or highly-educated professionals to draw from. Denver may just be the next Bay Area.
Ryan Currie is a product manager at BizShark.com, with 5 years experience in online marketing and product development. In addition to web related businesses, he also enjoys the latest news and information on emerging technologies and open source projects.