Historically, Silicon Valley and Seattle have been seen as the tech meccas of the U.S., but over the last decade or two, this has begun to change, especially when it comes to tech startups. Today, strong epicenters of tech innovation are popping up all over the U.S. This idea is supported by a number of […]
Historically, Silicon Valley and Seattle have been seen as the tech meccas of the U.S., but over the last decade or two, this has begun to change, especially when it comes to tech startups. Today, strong epicenters of tech innovation are popping up all over the U.S. This idea is supported by a number of recent studies on employment trends by firms such as Glassdoor and Dice, as well as Mintigo, a predictive marketing firm in San Mateo, Calif. Mintigo recently published their top 10 list of geekiest cities in the U.S.
Don Tennant recently spoke with Tal Segalov, CTO and co-founder of Mintigo, to find out more about their list and the factors that went into compiling it.
“Mintigo tracks thousands of indicators that identify all kinds of activities in companies,” Segalov said. “We have a very good view into company technology usage—people with specific expertise, what hiring they are doing and have done in the past, and platforms they have deployed.” He said they took into account “all software and hardware engineering indicators,” including operating systems, platforms, and computer languages. Other factors included technology usage patterns; news and PR mentions about technology topics; and website mentions of relevant topics.
This slideshow features the top tech hubs and geekiest cities in the U.S.
Click through for the top 10 tech hubs and geekiest cities in the U.S., as identified by Mintigo.
Silicon Valley may have more programmers, but in a city-by-city comparison, NYC wins the trophy. New York has an immensely active tech startup scene, and with the financial district in permanent need of technological assistance, it’s officially the Geek Capital of America.
The Windy City ranks high across the board on technology, despite few press mentions on the issue. Chicago is filled with top-tier universities and a vibrant job market which, in spite of a less vocal startup scene, makes it the best-kept secret in the tech industry.
It should come as no surprise to the world that San Francisco ranks highly on Mintigo’s list, given that it’s the No. 1 tech hub in the world for start-ups. Its volatile and competitive job market makes the Golden Gate City a mecca of geeky opportunities.
Perhaps a surprising top-five city, Houston makes Mintigo’s list due to its booming manufacturing and trade industry, as well as a rising demand for software services. Lest we forget, the majority of scientists and engineers work for manufacturers.
When you think D.C., your mind may jump to sly politicians rather than geeky techies, but in reality the geeks outnumber the Frank Underwoods by a landslide. Government uses a ton of technology, and some very successful technology companies are headquartered in D.C., making it one of the top geekiest cities in the country.
Surprisingly, Atlanta has a bigger tech market than Seattle, and a startup scene that’s comparable with San Diego. Most of the tech companies here are B2B, and cluster in the finance, health care and security industries. Several major tech companies like Yahoo and Square have satellite offices here, as well. We’ll call it “the low-key geeky kingdom.”
The Dallas area’s tech sector has roared back, and the geeks are starting to take notice. With 3,000 technology companies and nearly 230,000 high-tech employees, Dallas may find itself in the top five geekiest places to live within the next several years.
The only surprise about Seattle is that it’s not higher on the list. With Boeing and Microsoft calling the rainy city their home, you can imagine how many geeks have flocked here over the years. Seattle also has a vibrant startup scene, and is becoming well-rounded as a tech city. Geeks hate the rain though, because it obviously ruins their electronics.
Boston comes in swinging in the startup arena, but isn’t nearly as strong as its rivals when it comes to established tech companies. Mintigo found that it has less tech indicators than those higher on the list, but it’s still a geek’s paradise nonetheless.
The Texas music capital is not just attractive to musicians, but very appealing to the younger geeks and techies because of its up-and-coming startup scene. It ranks high on emerging technologies, but lower than other cities on more established technologies.
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