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As a long time Seattlite it seems perfectly obvious - this place went software crazy during the dot-com bubble and has only been getting more so over the last d

As a long time Seattlite it seems perfectly obvious - this place went software crazy during the dot-com bubble and has only been getting more so over the last decade. Amazon appears to be single-handedly redeveloping a long-neglected neighborhood adjacent to downtown; big glass towers and everything. It is visible, significant, and not a new trend. I'm actually surprised to hear Atlanta and Chicago have enough of a software industry going on to be noticed - from around here you'd think the software industry consisted of Silicon Valley first and Seattle second with New York ignoring Seattle and pretending to be a big deal because they can't imagine being anything other than the center of the universe, while basically failing due to their terminally uncool preoccupation with big money. Austin shows up on our cultural radar as a lesser tech center sometimes; I spent several years working remote for a company based there. Influence seems to have ebbed somewhat as the web has become ascendant.

BuckRogers 10y ago
I've been in Austin for 3 years now working my same job remotely back in Chicago- my takeaway is that Austin is fueled primarily by California money. I love the meetup communities here, strong Python and a larger Elixir meetup than most areas have. It's a pretty good place and I think its influence is growing. I like to see 'middle of the map' locales like Austin and Chicago doing well. We liked it so much in the NW that we were actually going to move to Portland or Seattle a few years back, but learning the facts about the Cascadia Fault has permanently spooked us. Other than that and maybe the weather it's fantastic (my wife prefers that dreary weather so it would work). While the midwest vibe is something that is intrinsic to who I am and I love the midwest, the PNW is my favorite part of the country. An absolute no brainer without that fault line. Civilized, clean, well-educated populace, strong economy.

BuckRogers 10y ago

I've been in Austin for 3 years now working my same job remotely back in Chicago- my takeaway is that Austin is fueled primarily by California money. I love the meetup communities here, strong Python and a larger Elixir meetup than most areas have. It's a pretty good place and I think its influence is growing. I like to see 'middle of the map' locales like Austin and Chicago doing well. We liked it so much in the NW that we were actually going to move to Portland or Seattle a few years back, but learning the facts about the Cascadia Fault has permanently spooked us. Other than that and maybe the weather it's fantastic (my wife prefers that dreary weather so it would work). While the midwest vibe is something that is intrinsic to who I am and I love the midwest, the PNW is my favorite part of the country. An absolute no brainer without that fault line. Civilized, clean, well-educated populace, strong economy.