You may think of San Francisco and New York as a couple of the hottest places to move if you work in technology or want to land a job in the tech scene. Those cities are worth a look if you have your sights solely set on firmly established places.
If, however, you’re open to living and working in areas with emerging landscapes, these locations may be for you.
1. Charlotte, North Carolina
Many people think of Charlotte as a hub for life sciences, but it’s getting more well-known for technology as a whole. In 2018, CompTIA named Charlotte its Top Tech Town in the U.S. Moreover, the report about the CompTIA designation mentioned there were 44,464 IT job postings between August 2017 and July 2018.
Put Charlotte on your list as well if you’re thinking about launching a startup. In January 2019, Charlotte hosted the Seed the South pitch competition, targeting all early-stage startups in the city. Although not reserved only for tech companies, this startup competition and others like it show that Charlotte is open to new ideas and companies ” both of those things are good for the tech sector.
2. Austin, Texas
Austin aimed to become a tech hotbed several decades ago, and it seems those efforts are finally paying off. The famous SXSW festival has an interactive media showcase now, making it a great place for Austin tech companies to show their stuff at an event that attracts people from all over the world.
Austin also has a reputation for showing a strong community spirit where people lift each other up. That characteristic worked in favor of numerous women in Austin’s tech scene. They clarify that it’s still necessary to network and otherwise put forth a substantial effort, but they’ve had success in the city.
3. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
People currently working in Milwaukee’s tech scene praise its promise for becoming another notable hub. Plus, Milwaukee’s location at the convergence point of three rivers makes some people think companies here will excel by focusing on water-based tech. Some companies, such as Rapid Radicals Technologies, already are. That company developed a technology that monitors sewage overflows.
If you already have your sights set on a waterfront residence in Milwaukee and want to enjoy it as much as possible, consider taking advantage of the local moving services in the city.
4. Denver, Colorado
In 2018, Denver moved into the top 10 tech markets in CRBE’s survey of tech talent in North America. Also, findings from the Colorado Real Estate Journal showed that tech jobs make up 6.2% of total employment in Denver, which is substantially above the average for talent concentration in North America as a whole.
Amazon will also add to Denver’s tech scene since it recently announced plans to open a 98,000-square-foot office downtown and employ about 400 people there. The jobs will range from roles in software engineering to cloud computing.
Outside of large brands like Amazon, tech startups are also getting established in Denver. People mention the startups there are varied and that people within Denver’s startup culture want to support each other.
5. Charlottesville, Virginia
This Southern town is also coming into its own as a place to get involved in the technology scene. There’s a Charlottesville Tech Incubator in the heart of the bustling Downtown Mall, and it offers advantages like dedicated workspaces for startups, as well as networking opportunities.
University of Virginia alumnus Jaffray Woodriff recently gave the institution a $120-million private gift ” the largest one it ever received. The intended use for the money? To set up a school of data science that encompasses machine learning and other aspects of the emerging industry.
Woodriff’s dreams about the possible impact of the contribution go beyond the school itself, though. He wants Charlottesville to become a place where tech professionals aspire to work, instead of setting their sights on going to cities that have Google campuses, for example. A couple of years ago, Woodriff purchased Main Street Arena, a building that once housed an ice rink and served as one of the main venues for a music festival. The plan is to tear down the existing structure and replace it with a 160,000-square-foot space for the offices of tech startups.
6. Kansas City, Missouri
Not long ago, MarketWatch named Kansas City as one of its top places for tech. Its report highlighted how the destination is one of the best areas for women in the industry. Indeed, there’s a group called Kansas City Women in Technology that’s actively trying to grow opportunities for females in the city.
Also, Kansas City recently got a branch of the Prime Digital Academy, a 20-week program that gets people ready to work in tech roles. Students go through a blend of online and in-person classes about either full-stack engineering or user-experience design. The training school launched in Minneapolis in 2014, and the Kansas City location marks its first move into another market.
Mark Hurlburt, president and co-founder of the company, mentioned Kansas City’s tech potential as one of the defining factors that cemented the decision to expand to a different market.
Exciting Places to Watch
Whether you’re ready to move somewhere else to pursue a tech job or you’re just fascinated by how these scenes around the United States evolve, this list shows workers have plenty of options when deciding where to relocate. It also proves why people need to open their minds beyond the assumption that the nation has just a few especially attractive tech markets.
