I have a startup in a state which is very much a flyover: so much so that our license plates read "New Mexico, USA", to assure people that we are, in fact, part

I have a startup in a state which is very much a flyover: so much so that our license plates read "New Mexico, USA", to assure people that we are, in fact, part of the union. I moved from LA to Santa Fe a year and a half ago and started a company. Was able to buy a 3 bedroom house, big yard, nice neighborhood, walking distance to restaurants, brewpubs, and a grocery store for ~$1500/month, and got a couple roommates which puts our monthly cost at $400. That's a lot of runway. There is a lot of underutilized talent here since there aren't a lot of traditional jobs, and we have two national labs within an hour of us (Los Alamos and Sandia) that feed in a steady supply of engineers and scientists. All of this has created a startup scene both here and in Albuquerque an hour away filled with companies doing really interesting things, none of which are trying to build the next great way to deliver more ads to people. And being able to get outside the city in 20 minutes to go hiking, skiing, etc. is pretty amazing after working through LA commutes. There are things I miss about LA (the ocean!), but there are just so many advantages to having a startup here that now I couldn't see it any other way.