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Forget Silicon Valley. When it comes to technology companies,Atlanta; Austin, Texas; and Boise, Idaho, are where it's atthese days. We checked to see what kinds of companies are boomingin these burgs, what attracts entrepreneurs to the cities and whatareas will be growing over the next decade.
Atlanta
Metro population:4.26million
Telecommunications, software development, transportation logistics,biosciences and manufacturing are all major technology areas towhich Atlanta has staked a big claim, says Hans Gant, senior vicepresident of Economic Development with the Metro AtlantaChamber of Commerce.
Gant also sees a trend toward foreign technology companieslocating in Atlanta. "We have focused our efforts onattracting and growing what we call 'Industries of theMind,'" he says. Established research institutions (likeEmory University and Georgia Tech), a major international airport,incubators and a large support-services infrastructure make Atlantaan attractive big-city location for technology entrepreneurs.
Austin, Texas
Metro population:1.25million
Austin boasts about 1,800 technology companies, some 1,100 of whichare small businesses. Carolyn Stark, executive director of thenonprofit advocacy group AustinTechnology Council, says the hot areas are softwaredevelopment, semiconductors, chip design and manufacturing. Starksees future growth in nanotechnology, biomechanics, clean energyand wireless. "Austin has a strong venture capital community,the legal and accounting systems to support start-ups, a gooduniversity with technologies coming out of it and a nice quality oflife," Stark says. Incubators and a pool of retired techexecutives offering expertise to the growing companies add toAustin's reputation as a hotbed of technology.
Boise, Idaho
Metro population:467,000
Shirl Boyce, vice president of economic development with theBoise MetroChamber of Commerce, says Boise is home to more than 300technology businesses, including Micron, which was founded there.Says Boyce, "We're really trying to promote and help[technology] entrepreneurs because we are a very entrepreneurialcommunity."
Boise is somewhat isolated, but the quality of life, lowelectricity and gas costs, and a budding engineering program atBoise State University are feeding growth in software, research anddevelopment, and the silicon industry.
