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I've lived near Richmond my whole life, and moved to SF within the last 2 years. I have friends who live and work in Tech (in Richmond). Getting a new job can
by ejcx 10y ago
I've lived near Richmond my whole life, and moved to SF within the last 2 years. I have friends who live and work in Tech (in Richmond).
Getting a new job can be hard. Your options for big companies that hire tech people in the area is GE, Altria (Phillip Morris if you're okay working for a tobacco co ), CapTech, UPS, VCU... But it isn't like Google, Apple, etc. Your options for smaller companies are bad. Some startups have popped up there over the years but they have pretty unanimously been bad.
You get paid less. It's harder to advance in your career. You can't really get by without a car like many do in bigger cities.
Richmond is a very nice city, and I enjoy going back there for a week every June, but to call it a New Silicon City is crazy. Sure you can buy a house if that's what you want to do. There's a reason talented engineers flock FROM these areas, though.
- quantumhobbit 10y agoI'm in Richmond too. It is a great city. Very affordable, youngish, a fun mid sized city. We probably have more microbreweries per capita than anywhere else in the US. But I do feel like we are flyover country as far as tech is concerned. Compared to northern VA we might as well not exist. However I do think it is a good place for startups if only because there is an outsized amount of talented engineers stuck in corporate jobs here. It shouldn't be hard to poach some of them before they give up and move to SF or DC. Especially easy if you offer nationally competitive salaries.
- ejcx 10y agoI agree with your assessment completely. I actually want to start a startup in Harrisonburg VA, but there are problems with starting one in the area. It's much harder to raise money. There are very few investors there who can help you. There's less of a support system to help you. Fewer potential customers in the area. It's tough out there. Very nice city, great beer for sure, low cost of living, very little opportunity if things go south for you.
- warlox 10y agoYou can't hire the people working for megacorps if your company is in Virginia because they are more likely than not bound by noncompete clauses. Only California throws them out as a matter of public policy, which is one of the main reasons why Silicon Valley is where it's at.
- rtpg 10y agoIs GE competing with Twitter though? How broad do non-competes get?
- thesimpsons1022 10y agonever been to richmond but i could see it being a problem if a lot of their companies are in the same industry. a lot of these smaller tech hubs have only 1 or 2 "types" of companies.
- jdavis703 10y agoAre non-competes a thing out there? All the contracts I've seen when I was working in VA have barred taking code, customers, etc with you when you leave. But I never encountered one of those "you can never work at a company that uses computers after you've worked with us" clauses.
- dtnewman 10y agoI'm not a lawyer, but I'm pretty sure this is only true if you are looking to compete with the megacorps, which probably isn't the case if you are a startup. It's called a non-compete, because it means you can't work for a competitor. Having to do with tech doesn't make you a competitor.
- warlox 10y agoA noncompete typically bars you from holding any type of related position within a specific radius of your employer.
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- TomatoTomato 10y agohttp://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2016/11/01/which-u-s-cities-have-the-most-microbreweries-per-capita-infographic/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2016/11/01/which-u...
- quantumhobbit 10y agoI stand corrected. Still it does seem like we have as many breweries as Starbucks out here.
- myowncrapulence 10y agoWe probably have more microbreweries per capita than anywhere else in the US. That would actually be Portland, OR with 52, more than any city in the world. Richmond isn't even on the map to be honest..
- sgnelson 10y agoPortland OR has 52 microbreweries per person? That's pretty darn amazing. You guys might want to check yourselves into a rehab program, because you may have a slight drinking problem. (the above is sarcasm. But let's teach people what per capita means.)
- snappy173 10y agolooks like they are 5th. 2nd in Oregon. 2nd among Portlands, even. http://blogs-images.forbes.com/niallmccarthy/files/2016/11/20161101_2016_Breweries.jpg http://blogs-images.forbes.com/niallmccarthy/files/2016/11/2...
- theoh 10y agoThey're apparently very tiny; many are reportedly more like nano or femtobreweries.
- myowncrapulence 10y agoI realized my mistake after I posted, but my point still remains. Richmond isn't even close to the top.
- santaclaus 10y agoPortland, OR has the most total. Portland, Maine actually has the most per capita (followed by Boulder, CO and Asheville, NC). [1] [1] http://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2016/11/01/which-u-s-cities-have-the-most-microbreweries-per-capita-infographic/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2016/11/01/which-u...
- IndianAstronaut 10y agoRichmond also has mountains and beaches within a 2 hr radius. Quite a nice place.
- RandomName2020 10y agoYou still are living near to Richmond (the other Richmond, though).