The Social Club is now lodged in an old firehouse built in 1937, and has a theater, classrooms, bars, art gallery, and adjoining restaurant [...] Mannheimer created something that would have taken the rest his life and $300 million to complete if he'd stayed in New York. It took him seven years and $12 million.
Ok, I haven't seen Mannheimer's place, but something that matches this description just opened up across the street from me in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I guarantee that the hipsters who opened it didn't have a budget greater than $12 million, and nobody was thinking about this neighborhood more than a few years ago.
In other words, while New York can be a hard place, things still happen here, artists still live here and produce amazing work, and it's hard to imagine there's a better place for performing artists to work anywhere in the US. For some reason, there has been a move recently to declare the big coastal cities impossible to live in, yet they remain great places to live, which is why so many people want to live here.
On the other hand, if you're going to start a company and have an extremely limited budget, by all means do it somewhere other than NYC or SV. Artists need an audience. A tech company just needs an internet connection.
Edit: also, I want to address this quote: "In the world of hipsters, is there anything more ironic than coming to live in Des Moines, as opposed to living in Brooklyn?"
Anyone still talking about irony with regards to hipsters clearly has no idea what the kids in Bushwick are doing. These are the most earnest people you can imagine.
Really? The cost of real estate in Bushwick has gone through the roof over the last 10 yeas and particularly in the last 5. When I moved to Bushwick 6 years ago my the rent for my 3 bedroom apartment was 1800, there were other options in that range, as well as similarly priced apartments in Crown Heights. Look at the prices today and the rents in those areas have almost doubled. The New York real estate market is insane right now and people are already investing in areas like East New York hoping that the gentrification and rising rents keep moving eastward. Commercial rent is less expensive than residential and people do great things in NYC but a giant space in Bushwick is going to be very expensive right now and you're going to have to be good at turning a profit to keep the lights on.
That said I'm really curious what just opened up in Bushwick that matches the description of the social club in the article.
A newly established startup that just needs an Internet connection maybe could be created anywhere - but a company, which at some point may want to bring in more seasoned talent as it grows, is probably better off near the coastal areas, with a few exceptions.
Having moved from Des Moines to San Francisco, I can say with confidence that Iowa has its upsides. A flourishing community of startup founders, hilariously low rents (my perfectly nice studio ran for < $500/mo.), a culture of honesty and selflessness, and - shockingly - no lack of things to do. Even the music scene isn't half bad.
Lack of diversity is a serious problem; most people in Des Moines were born there. From a startup perspective, there's also not much of an investor ecosystem, and some companies struggle to find local funding. It's a smaller and more homogenous city, with everything that entails.
"I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to. When you come from Des Moines you either accept the fact without question and settle down with a local girl named Bobbi and get a job at the Firestone factory and live there for ever and ever, or you spend your adolescence moaning at length about what a dump it is and how you can’t wait to get out, and then you settle down with a local girl named Bobbi and get a job at the Firestone factory and live there for ever and ever."
It is interesting that not more satellite areas around SF are rising centres of startups. Even Sacramento, which is quite near, does not seem to much activity. Anyone know why?
Almost everyone commenting here falls into two camps: A) "NYC/SF is great" and B) "I've been to Des Moines, it's great."
But nobody here really seems to be comparing the two. If I live in SF/NYC and I want to move to Des Moines, what are the upsides? What are the downsides? Sure, Des Moines is a nice place with fun stuff -- but so are a hundred other cities in the US. What makes Des Moines different or a good enough draw to make me leave SF?
Lower rent? I can get that almost anywhere else.
Hipsters? There are plenty of those here.
Big social clubs, nice restaurants, a music scene? I have that here, too.
Bike-friendly? So is the Bay Area (downtown SF notwithstanding)
Nice weather most of the year? Same as the Bay Area.
What's the big draw to Des Moines? Or Portland? Or Austin? Why would I pick any of those places over SF or NYC or anywhere else?
I don't think it's enough to say "NYC/SF is expensive. You should move to Des Moines, because we're great." I think you have to really make a case that life in Des Moines is going to be better than where you live now, or else I have no reason to uproot my life and move, yeah?
(Genuinely curious -- I'm not gonna stay in SF forever, but I have no idea where I'd want to go next.)
I might be able to help here. I'm a native Iowan. I've lived all over that state. I've also lived years in downtown Chicago and Austin. I've also lived overseas in France. I've been to the bay area, NYC, Miami, pretty much everywhere among other hot spots, but haven't lived in those places.
I'm going to be honest, I know DSM well and if it were so great I'd be there now. I'm not sold on the growing hype train about DSM, and the cheap cost of living is an excuse for employers to give you lower wages. It's a nice, progressive city though.
So yes, the best part about DSM is that it is a nice city, albeit a bit small. Part of the influx of people are younger Iowans gathering there as the other cities/towns have gone bust.
As an individual with gainful employment, stay where you are unless you're made an offer in DSM. I can't honestly recommend anyone pack up and make the move without. A lot of employees run around that city with the same few insurance companies on their resumes. It's just a very small market.
The short answer to your question IMO is that in the 'midwest revival' cities group, it's one of the best choices. It's better for a founder than it is as an employee though.
I'm also looking to put down some roots at this point, Seattle, Chicago and maybe Portland are in the running. If you're from the west coast I personally would pick Seattle.
For myself, I'm likely returning to Chicago to put down roots and buy a home, as a robust public transportation system means more to me than any other metric. Spending half my life in traffic isn't something I'm willing to accept.
I think you're spot on though with questioning the hype.
There is no one silver bullet but I can tell you why I choose to live in Des Moines.
For me it is about the community. I like building things. Here, in addition to building my own startup, I am part of a group of people working to build a great ecosystem. It's exhilarating and inspiring to be surrounded by other people who are working together to make Iowa a great place to live. Being a part of shaping that nascent identity is a good feeling.
That's, of course, not the only reason to live in Des Moines. The reasons, priorities, and motivations are different for everyone. I've heard everything from people moving here to raise a family (low crime, great public schools) to cost of living (paired with the low unemployment the standard of living way more than averages out), to the hundreds of miles of public bike trails, to the growing music and arts communities, etc.
But really, it is hard to know whether Des Moines is the right place for you since I don't know you. It may not be, but I love it here.
It is also always interesting to read outside perspectives. David Byrne (of Talking Heads fame) recently wrote about Des Moines and I think it captured a lot of the small "quality of life" details that are hard to pin down without experiencing them from a fresh perspective. http://davidbyrne.com/des-moines
One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the quality of the public schools. If you're thinking of starting a family that could be a compelling point. Iowa is widely considered to have some of the best public schools in the country.
If you're interested in alt-startup US cities, here's my list of places I would be interested in if I were a founder or early employee:
1. Boulder
2. Austin
3. Omaha
4. Des Moines
5. Reno (the real sleeper, but just look at the low, low business tax rate and proximity to SF).
The above list isn't meant to be chiseled into stone—it's just a thought experiment on my part and I'm interested in what others think the pros/cons of these towns would be. The obvious con would be the lack of proximity to investor and startup networks and that ecosystem.
The quality of life in Boulder is amazing but I don't think it is sustainable unless you are wealthy. I have lived here off and on since the 90s. In the past couple of years it has changed dramatically. The rent is expensive, the picturesque views from within the city will be changing due to new construction (I have lost 25% of the views on my deck to construction in one year) and city council's current goal is revenue, not quality of life. BBC did a segment on Boulder's affordable housing market. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29240704 I'd recommend Denver before Boulder.
Reno/Tahoe area resident here. Oh yeah, +1 for Reno :-)
While there has long been a surprisingly sizable population of engineering professionals living in and working OUT of the area, over the last few years an enthusiastic startup business culture has emerged.
There are multiple incubator / co-working facilities, a convenient airport, beautiful environment and as you note, a favorable tax structure.
Tesla, along with the gaming and defense industries, should really be just anchor businesses in a much deeper technology ecosystem. Reno very much has this potential.
Curious why you'd pick Omaha over Des Moines. There are some neat areas like Benson, but most of it is suburban wasteland in my experience. It's much easier to avoid those parts of the Des Moines area.
I travel from Chicago to Des Moines several times a year to visit my parents, and have seen much of what the city has to offer. Restaurants, music, culture are all fantastic. The local craft beer scene is growing like crazy, and most taprooms have prime spots along popular bike trails throughout the city. I'd consider a fantastic city for biking. And between Ragbrai and the HyVee Tri every year I'm reminded of how awesome the bike scene is there.
The tech scene is like many other mid-sized cities in the Midwest: small, growing, but not ever close to the major tech hubs. If you're going to bootstrap a company and want to have a low cost of living it's not a horrible place to do so. Dwolla strikes me as a bit of an anomaly in the city, as most of Des Moines is insurance companies and agribusiness (which is no joke, especially if you like embedded programming and GPS).
You absolutely have to own a car, and in the past few years something resembling bad traffic has started to appear as the sprawl north and west of the city accelerates.
Des Moines is basically a better alternative to the other mid-sized cities like St. Louis, Indy, Columbus, Milwaukee, etc.
Man, I've done RAGBRAI twice, and that is some great fun. I have the century patch from my second go on my messenger bag, and I get people stopping me to chat about RAGBRAI whenever someone recognizes it.
>> ... in the process of building a new Des Moines, a tech hub in Silicon Prairie...
Every story that comes out about every city has a statement like this. We've had different cities across the country trying to become "the Silicon Valley of XYZ" for the last 15-20 years. Have any of them done it? Considering we're still calling the effort "the Silicon Valley of blah blah blah", I think not.
I used to live in Philadelphia. I now live in Washington D.C. I've spent a lot of time in Baltimore. I wouldn't want any of these places to change from what they are to the "Silicon Valley of the East Coast". They should stay Philadelphia, Baltimore, and DC.
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the Valley is awesome. I've personally never been there. I hope it has its own culture that the people there are proud of and it's not trying to become "The NYC of California" or something like that. My complaint is that we get bludgeoned over the head with popular press talking about "diversity is good, we need to increase diversity", but it misses the biggest chunks of it when it's right in their face. There is still a lot of good left in local culture.
I agree, I think a lot there are a lot of really interesting places in the US that are interesting because of their own character, and not the potential to become the "next" SV or Brooklyn or whatever. I'd like to see more discovery and celebration of the rich culture that most American towns have.
It seems like it's already started a bit (see urban revival happening in some of the rust belt cities), but I think there's even more untapped value in a lot of our cities.
What's silliest is that these nicknames make no sense. Why call your town "Silicon __________" to refer to a scene where people are making iPhone apps? Where's the Silicon?
It's great to see people are starting to realize that there are opportunities inland in America, especially if you are bootstrapping and want some extra breathing room cost wise.
I spent most of my time in America in NYC and SF (originally from Canada), but recently moved out to Dallas for much of the same reasons. Had started a company so I wasn't tied to SF for work anymore and the cost of living in Dallas where housing was 10x cheaper tempted me to take a risk and come out here, and I have no regrets. More space, lots of things to do tech wise and arts and culture wise, especially if you seek it out and are intentional about it.
As a Brit, pretty much all I know of Des Moines is what I've learned from Bill Bryson, the first line of his book "Travels in Small-Town America" is "I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to."
So bizarre to read about my hometown like this. My friends and I growing up there in the '80s used to call it "Dead Minds Iowa". I've noticed some moving back, but for the most part a huge portion of my generation left Des Moines as soon as we could.
I am from Chicago, but went to school at Grinnell. We used to drive alternately to Des Moines or Iowa City on weekends for something different. I preferred Iowa City, but Des Moines was great too.
Anyway, my point is that the state of Iowa is this beautiful, underrated and amazing place. I have lived in a lot of places since graduating and have lived abroad for the past several years now. But, if I ever did go back State-side, I would probably try to find a job in either Iowa City or Des Moines. They are both lovely cities, for all of the reasons mentioned in this video.
I'm from Des Moines (now in SF); it has really matured in the last twenty years. It's a great place to live: inexpensive, nice people, plenty of space, definitely worth overlooking the stereotypes. Weather? You got it: feet of snow in the winter, hot in the summer, perfect in the fall and spring.
If looking for a city sized similarly to Des Moines, check out Grand Rapids, MI. Lots of great art, craft brews (Founders Brewing anyone?), and a small startup scene. You're also a 30 minute drive to Lake Michigan in the summer, which is nice when its warm enough to experience it :)
I currently live in Cedar Rapids, which is largely referred to as the "corridor" area; the region joining the "separate" cities of Iowa City, Coralville, Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha which are all sort of converging into one larger metro area as population and grow increases. We are about a 2 hour drive from Des Moines and there is a lot of collaboration happening across the state outside of just Des Moines.
There is huge growth happening in the tech sector within Iowa, but also in other areas, education, medical, insurance, agri-business, being a few of the key areas.
I've seen mention on here already of RAGBRAI and the bike friendliness of Des Moines; this is more true in the Iowa City/Coralville areas, and equally true in the main Cedar Rapids districts.
Here are some things that are more interesting though; the midwest has some of the lowest in the nation, and Iowa sits at an average unemployment rate of 4.5%. In terms of diversity; it may not have been that diverse 20 years ago, but these days Iowa is ranked as the 3rd most progressive state, right behind Massachusetts and California.
We have huge incentives for technology, start-up accelerators, local tech conferences, low cost of living, local re-investment. Personally, I hate the "Silicon Prairie" term, because it means that people turn it into a us vs them sort of comparison. In terms of raw numbers, more successful start-ups are going to come out of California; or I would certainly hope so since the population of the state is in excess of 38M whereas as Iowa is just barely over 3M. However in terms of your chances of success; these days I think the odds are probably in your favor in Iowa.
I'm just some dude, and I've had beers, dinner, or just visited with CEOs of many of the tech businesses (long established & start-ups) and the thing is these are great people. They still relate to their humble beginnings and they want to give back and grow business right here. They are so approachable, and I think this is in large part due to the fact that the lines aren't as long because we are still small.
Right now I seriously have to give a shout-out to Eric Engelmann, founder of the Iowa Startup Accelerator and the CEO of Geonetric. He is an all around great guy, who has done so much for this area and continues to do so, and there are too many more around here to name.
Is it Hipster? Some yes, some no. Is it a great place to be right now? Unequivocally; Yes. But you don't have to join us; we'll continue to do just fine on our own. If you do though; you just might fall in love.
To end with; here's some links to a few things that are happening in Iowa
I agree, I would love to see more diversity in Des Moines but I think this is more a function of size; a smaller metro can't have a community of every culture.
I have been waiting for a good Cuban place for far too long!
But it's not like there is a complete lack of diversity. There are large numbers of Vietnamese and Bosnian immigrants living in the city to name a few.
The last thing that Berlin needs/wants is more hipsters from NYC. The amount of resentment by the German people for that group is pretty high. Go to a nightclub, they'll deny you entry if you don't speak German or look American.
[+] [-] rquantz|11 years ago|reply
Ok, I haven't seen Mannheimer's place, but something that matches this description just opened up across the street from me in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I guarantee that the hipsters who opened it didn't have a budget greater than $12 million, and nobody was thinking about this neighborhood more than a few years ago.
In other words, while New York can be a hard place, things still happen here, artists still live here and produce amazing work, and it's hard to imagine there's a better place for performing artists to work anywhere in the US. For some reason, there has been a move recently to declare the big coastal cities impossible to live in, yet they remain great places to live, which is why so many people want to live here.
On the other hand, if you're going to start a company and have an extremely limited budget, by all means do it somewhere other than NYC or SV. Artists need an audience. A tech company just needs an internet connection.
Edit: also, I want to address this quote: "In the world of hipsters, is there anything more ironic than coming to live in Des Moines, as opposed to living in Brooklyn?"
Anyone still talking about irony with regards to hipsters clearly has no idea what the kids in Bushwick are doing. These are the most earnest people you can imagine.
[+] [-] ritchiea|11 years ago|reply
That said I'm really curious what just opened up in Bushwick that matches the description of the social club in the article.
[+] [-] dr_|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] couchand|11 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] etjossem|11 years ago|reply
Lack of diversity is a serious problem; most people in Des Moines were born there. From a startup perspective, there's also not much of an investor ecosystem, and some companies struggle to find local funding. It's a smaller and more homogenous city, with everything that entails.
[+] [-] davidw|11 years ago|reply
The opening bit of this book talks about that: http://www.billbryson.co.uk/index.php/the-lost-continent/#ex... (click on extract to read)
"I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to. When you come from Des Moines you either accept the fact without question and settle down with a local girl named Bobbi and get a job at the Firestone factory and live there for ever and ever, or you spend your adolescence moaning at length about what a dump it is and how you can’t wait to get out, and then you settle down with a local girl named Bobbi and get a job at the Firestone factory and live there for ever and ever."
[+] [-] yitchelle|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Jemaclus|11 years ago|reply
But nobody here really seems to be comparing the two. If I live in SF/NYC and I want to move to Des Moines, what are the upsides? What are the downsides? Sure, Des Moines is a nice place with fun stuff -- but so are a hundred other cities in the US. What makes Des Moines different or a good enough draw to make me leave SF?
Lower rent? I can get that almost anywhere else. Hipsters? There are plenty of those here. Big social clubs, nice restaurants, a music scene? I have that here, too. Bike-friendly? So is the Bay Area (downtown SF notwithstanding) Nice weather most of the year? Same as the Bay Area.
What's the big draw to Des Moines? Or Portland? Or Austin? Why would I pick any of those places over SF or NYC or anywhere else?
I don't think it's enough to say "NYC/SF is expensive. You should move to Des Moines, because we're great." I think you have to really make a case that life in Des Moines is going to be better than where you live now, or else I have no reason to uproot my life and move, yeah?
(Genuinely curious -- I'm not gonna stay in SF forever, but I have no idea where I'd want to go next.)
[+] [-] BuckRogers|11 years ago|reply
I'm going to be honest, I know DSM well and if it were so great I'd be there now. I'm not sold on the growing hype train about DSM, and the cheap cost of living is an excuse for employers to give you lower wages. It's a nice, progressive city though.
So yes, the best part about DSM is that it is a nice city, albeit a bit small. Part of the influx of people are younger Iowans gathering there as the other cities/towns have gone bust.
As an individual with gainful employment, stay where you are unless you're made an offer in DSM. I can't honestly recommend anyone pack up and make the move without. A lot of employees run around that city with the same few insurance companies on their resumes. It's just a very small market.
The short answer to your question IMO is that in the 'midwest revival' cities group, it's one of the best choices. It's better for a founder than it is as an employee though.
I'm also looking to put down some roots at this point, Seattle, Chicago and maybe Portland are in the running. If you're from the west coast I personally would pick Seattle.
For myself, I'm likely returning to Chicago to put down roots and buy a home, as a robust public transportation system means more to me than any other metric. Spending half my life in traffic isn't something I'm willing to accept.
I think you're spot on though with questioning the hype.
[+] [-] yeldarb|11 years ago|reply
For me it is about the community. I like building things. Here, in addition to building my own startup, I am part of a group of people working to build a great ecosystem. It's exhilarating and inspiring to be surrounded by other people who are working together to make Iowa a great place to live. Being a part of shaping that nascent identity is a good feeling.
That's, of course, not the only reason to live in Des Moines. The reasons, priorities, and motivations are different for everyone. I've heard everything from people moving here to raise a family (low crime, great public schools) to cost of living (paired with the low unemployment the standard of living way more than averages out), to the hundreds of miles of public bike trails, to the growing music and arts communities, etc.
But really, it is hard to know whether Des Moines is the right place for you since I don't know you. It may not be, but I love it here.
It is also always interesting to read outside perspectives. David Byrne (of Talking Heads fame) recently wrote about Des Moines and I think it captured a lot of the small "quality of life" details that are hard to pin down without experiencing them from a fresh perspective. http://davidbyrne.com/des-moines
[+] [-] couchand|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] curmudgeon224|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wyclif|11 years ago|reply
1. Boulder 2. Austin 3. Omaha 4. Des Moines 5. Reno (the real sleeper, but just look at the low, low business tax rate and proximity to SF).
The above list isn't meant to be chiseled into stone—it's just a thought experiment on my part and I'm interested in what others think the pros/cons of these towns would be. The obvious con would be the lack of proximity to investor and startup networks and that ecosystem.
[+] [-] santaclaus|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] _nullandnull_|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jmervin|11 years ago|reply
While there has long been a surprisingly sizable population of engineering professionals living in and working OUT of the area, over the last few years an enthusiastic startup business culture has emerged.
There are multiple incubator / co-working facilities, a convenient airport, beautiful environment and as you note, a favorable tax structure.
Tesla, along with the gaming and defense industries, should really be just anchor businesses in a much deeper technology ecosystem. Reno very much has this potential.
As you say, a real sleeper.
[edit: mobile-typo]
[+] [-] eli|11 years ago|reply
I personally think the value of being in a hot well known startup city is overrated. My startup is in DC and we're doing fine.
[+] [-] rsync|11 years ago|reply
I don't live in an urban area, but if I did I think it would be MPLS.
[+] [-] armenarmen|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] couchand|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] klunger|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] larrymyers|11 years ago|reply
The tech scene is like many other mid-sized cities in the Midwest: small, growing, but not ever close to the major tech hubs. If you're going to bootstrap a company and want to have a low cost of living it's not a horrible place to do so. Dwolla strikes me as a bit of an anomaly in the city, as most of Des Moines is insurance companies and agribusiness (which is no joke, especially if you like embedded programming and GPS).
You absolutely have to own a car, and in the past few years something resembling bad traffic has started to appear as the sprawl north and west of the city accelerates.
Des Moines is basically a better alternative to the other mid-sized cities like St. Louis, Indy, Columbus, Milwaukee, etc.
[+] [-] cushychicken|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] moron4hire|11 years ago|reply
Every story that comes out about every city has a statement like this. We've had different cities across the country trying to become "the Silicon Valley of XYZ" for the last 15-20 years. Have any of them done it? Considering we're still calling the effort "the Silicon Valley of blah blah blah", I think not.
I used to live in Philadelphia. I now live in Washington D.C. I've spent a lot of time in Baltimore. I wouldn't want any of these places to change from what they are to the "Silicon Valley of the East Coast". They should stay Philadelphia, Baltimore, and DC.
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the Valley is awesome. I've personally never been there. I hope it has its own culture that the people there are proud of and it's not trying to become "The NYC of California" or something like that. My complaint is that we get bludgeoned over the head with popular press talking about "diversity is good, we need to increase diversity", but it misses the biggest chunks of it when it's right in their face. There is still a lot of good left in local culture.
[+] [-] cjf4|11 years ago|reply
It seems like it's already started a bit (see urban revival happening in some of the rust belt cities), but I think there's even more untapped value in a lot of our cities.
[+] [-] brandnewlow|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sixbit|11 years ago|reply
I spent most of my time in America in NYC and SF (originally from Canada), but recently moved out to Dallas for much of the same reasons. Had started a company so I wasn't tied to SF for work anymore and the cost of living in Dallas where housing was 10x cheaper tempted me to take a risk and come out here, and I have no regrets. More space, lots of things to do tech wise and arts and culture wise, especially if you seek it out and are intentional about it.
[+] [-] desas|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bsenftner|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] klunger|11 years ago|reply
Anyway, my point is that the state of Iowa is this beautiful, underrated and amazing place. I have lived in a lot of places since graduating and have lived abroad for the past several years now. But, if I ever did go back State-side, I would probably try to find a job in either Iowa City or Des Moines. They are both lovely cities, for all of the reasons mentioned in this video.
[+] [-] mcav|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lil_cain|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] programminggeek|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] brohoolio|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] vital101|11 years ago|reply
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=grand+rapids%2C+mi+vs+d...
[+] [-] sneak|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bigtunacan|11 years ago|reply
There is huge growth happening in the tech sector within Iowa, but also in other areas, education, medical, insurance, agri-business, being a few of the key areas.
I've seen mention on here already of RAGBRAI and the bike friendliness of Des Moines; this is more true in the Iowa City/Coralville areas, and equally true in the main Cedar Rapids districts.
Here are some things that are more interesting though; the midwest has some of the lowest in the nation, and Iowa sits at an average unemployment rate of 4.5%. In terms of diversity; it may not have been that diverse 20 years ago, but these days Iowa is ranked as the 3rd most progressive state, right behind Massachusetts and California.
We have huge incentives for technology, start-up accelerators, local tech conferences, low cost of living, local re-investment. Personally, I hate the "Silicon Prairie" term, because it means that people turn it into a us vs them sort of comparison. In terms of raw numbers, more successful start-ups are going to come out of California; or I would certainly hope so since the population of the state is in excess of 38M whereas as Iowa is just barely over 3M. However in terms of your chances of success; these days I think the odds are probably in your favor in Iowa.
I'm just some dude, and I've had beers, dinner, or just visited with CEOs of many of the tech businesses (long established & start-ups) and the thing is these are great people. They still relate to their humble beginnings and they want to give back and grow business right here. They are so approachable, and I think this is in large part due to the fact that the lines aren't as long because we are still small.
Right now I seriously have to give a shout-out to Eric Engelmann, founder of the Iowa Startup Accelerator and the CEO of Geonetric. He is an all around great guy, who has done so much for this area and continues to do so, and there are too many more around here to name.
Is it Hipster? Some yes, some no. Is it a great place to be right now? Unequivocally; Yes. But you don't have to join us; we'll continue to do just fine on our own. If you do though; you just might fall in love.
To end with; here's some links to a few things that are happening in Iowa
http://www.iowastartupaccelerator.com/
http://uipartners.uiowa.edu/deviowa
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6uYhe4TzHsCNjNWVlhDMXAwVFE... (Mapping Venture Capital In Iowa)
http://www.welchavenue.com/ (Iowa only start-up news)
http://siliconprairienews.com/ (Midwest start-up news)
[+] [-] A_COMPUTER|11 years ago|reply
Most of that diversity is comprised of low-wage agribusiness, factory work or meat-packing labor.
[+] [-] unknown|11 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] percentcer|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] msoad|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] yeldarb|11 years ago|reply
I have been waiting for a good Cuban place for far too long!
But it's not like there is a complete lack of diversity. There are large numbers of Vietnamese and Bosnian immigrants living in the city to name a few.
[+] [-] sneak|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] monksy|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jrcii|11 years ago|reply
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