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The Midwest has crappy weather, and rich people as a rule don't like crappy weather. This alone will prevent many investors from moving to the Midwest. Geograp

The Midwest has crappy weather, and rich people as a rule don't like crappy weather. This alone will prevent many investors from moving to the Midwest. Geographically, Texas and the east coast near North/South Carolina are the most likely places for the next silicon valley. Both are in proximity to large population centres and have relatively good weather, cheap COL, low taxes, and plenty of 'natural beauty' type things that rich people like. Hills, driving distance to ocean, forests, etc... I lived in the Midwest and IMO it's mostly cold flat and boring endless farmland with little natural beauty and no access to large water bodies outside of Chicago area. It also has high taxes and cost of living. Not really anything attractive about starting business is there.

mieseratte 9y ago
As a lifelong South Carolinian, I sincerely doubt the next Silicon Anything will arise here. Texas, I can see.
- forgotpassagan 9y ago
  North Carolina has the 'triangle' area which has seen huge growth for many years. Texas has Austin, which is probably the closest to SV of any place I've ever been. It looks so much like SV you could probably confuse the two in pictures
  - Yhippa 9y ago
    My bet is on the Raleigh-Durham triangle, Atlanta, or Austin.
    - forgotpassagan 9y ago
      Same. Except I'm not as optimistic about Atlanta because the state is mostly poor and it's farther from the huge cities on the upper east coast. NC and Texas are both booming state-wide and have 'world cities' in reasonable driving distance.
strictnein 9y ago
Better make sure to let the residents of MN, WI, and MI know that the only way to access a large body of water is to go to Chicago.
- bluedino 9y ago
  Michigan's shoreline, at 3,288 miles is "more than any other state except Alaska"
santaclaus 9y ago
> rich people as a rule don't like crappy weather All those well-heeled Manhattanites might have something to say about that.
- tbrock 9y ago
  Manhattan doesn’t have bad weather at all. It’s pretty well rounded. Some days a little too hot and some days a little too cold but never heat as oppressive as Georgia or cold as frigid as Maine.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    It's certainly not California in that regard. Winter may not be like Maine and Summer may not be like Houston, but August in Manhattan can get pretty unpleasant. There's a reason wealthy New Yorkers summer in the Hamptons. And, while it's warmer and less snowy than Boston or Chicago in the winter it definitely gets its significant snowstorms.
    - eric_h 9y ago
      > but August in Manhattan can get pretty unpleasant For me it's not even the heat that's the problem, it's the goddamn smell of hot garbage. At least the outer boroughs are better in that regard to Manhattan.
      - ghaff 9y ago
        Yeah it's not just the temperature per se which wouldn't be so bad if you were out in a forest someplace. But the garbage, all the people, etc. that make a dense city pretty unpleasant when the mercury creeps up.
- cylinder 9y ago
  NYC doesn't have a bad climate. Every season is enjoyable except for early Spring when you are just sick of jackets and barren trees. Summer can be gross in the middle of Manhattan due to the density and trash smells, but Brooklyn was just fine. Snow is an issue if you live in the suburbs and need to drive everywhere, I'll grant you that. Miami Beach and even Cancun are a short flight away. Source: nostalgic ex-NYer now living somewhere with a "good climate."
danvoell 9y ago
"no access to large water bodies outside of Chicago area" - source?
muninn_ 9y ago
Rich people live in places like New York City, Boston, D.C., Chicago, and Toronto. The weather isn't that big of a deal to most people. Not being close to the mountains or ocean can be kind of a drag. And as a rule, rich people don't like spending money if they don't have to. Developers are expensive in high cost of living areas and largely don't need to live there in order to do their job. You can pay a developer in Pittsburgh $100k and they'll love you for that salary, whereas you're barely scraping by in other locations. I also think your critique of the "Midwest" is not fair. Unfortunately the term has come to be associated with states like Nebraska, which are without question boring, flat, farmland, but states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania are full of beautiful areas with quite a bit to do. Additionally, the "Midwest" does not have a high cost of living, unless you mean Chicago itself (which still does not have a high cost of living compared to other actual high cost of living cities) and there are 5 states that border the Great Lakes.
mikestew 9y ago
no access to large water bodies outside of Chicago area The great state of Michigan would like to have a word with you. It also has high taxes and cost of living. Wait a minute, are we still talking about the Midwest of the United States? Because high taxes and COL are the last two things I think of when I think “Midwest”. But cold, flat, and boring I’ll grant you. I don’t live in Indiana anymore for good reason.
- freehunter 9y ago
  Yeah, if you want forests and driving distance to an absolutely massive body of water, Michigan is the place for you. It's anything but boring fields, especially along the west coast.
- cableshaft 9y ago
  Illinois does have high taxes. Cost of Living isn't too bad (especially compared to SV), but taxes are definitely high.
  - justin66 9y ago
    Top rate in CA is 13.3%, in IL it's 5%. (although the page I'm looking at suggests of CA: If you earn $50,000 a year, you'll only pay 9.3 percent.)
    - cableshaft 9y ago
      You're looking at income tax only. Illinois has other taxes that are very high. In particular, their property taxes are the highest in the nation (along with New Jersey). As I'm unfortunately discovering, as I'm looking to buy my first home here. This article asserts that Illinois has the highest overall tax burden in the nation: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-has-highest-overall-tax-burden-in-the-nation/ https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-has-highest-overall-... Also this article shows Effective total state and local taxes in 2017. Illinois ranks the highest at $8,011 median per household, while California ranks almost at the bottom, at $4,774: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-to-be-a-taxpayer/2416/ https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-to-be-a-taxpayer...
nightski 9y ago
Hah! Minnesota has 10,000+ lakes and tons of natural beauty. We have a lake cabin/home that we visit year round. I LOVE winter here, couldn't live without it. Yes, I love the cold. Dress properly and it is quite enjoyable. I'm by no means "rich" but I make well into six figures in software and I love this area and would find it hard to move anywhere else. Occasionally I visit one of my clients that is in Silicon Valley. While California is absolutely gorgeous in certain areas I find the highways and dreary brown awful for the most part. The only time I really enjoy it is in very early spring (Feb-Apr) when it is green for a short period of time.
- yesimahuman 9y ago
  Same with Northern Wisconsin. The beauty is hard to beat.
- irrational 9y ago
  I feel the same way, only about western Oregon/Washington. There really are places that it is possible to make six figures while being surrounded on all sides by tons of natural beauty, but SV isn't one of those places.
- legohead 9y ago
  I don't know why people keep bringing up the weather. I moved from OK to CA because there was nothing to do in Oklahoma, especially for someone with a family. There is an endless amount of things to do in California. I can drive a couple hours and ski, or 20 minutes and surf. Plus all the amusement parks, museums, amazing national parks, Mexico close by, and just what not. The weather was an unexpected bonus for me.
  - jonny_eh 9y ago
    All true, but for me the most unexpected surprised about living here (specifically the Bay Area) is the relative lack of mosquitos. Coming from Ontario, that is a huge change!
    - 9y ago
agandy 9y ago
How do you explain NYC if rich people don't like crappy weather?
- lazerpants 9y ago
  They all have houses in FL, SC, Caribbean, Bahamas...
  - forgotpassagan 9y ago
    Lol this is so true. Everyone I knew had relatives or a small place somewhere warmer
vforgione 9y ago
> proximity to large population centers The Chicago metro area has almost 9.5 million residents, 2.8 in the city proper. The larger Great Lakes Basin, depending on how you look at it, has anywhere from 35 to 60 million residents. > cheap COL Chicago can be pricey, but almost every other major city in the region is around 20% less costly than Austin (using Austin since it's got the largest pull of your mentioned alternatives).
hockeybias 9y ago
The more people that share your view the better for those of us already here. Spread the word! ;)

mieseratte 9y ago

As a lifelong South Carolinian, I sincerely doubt the next Silicon Anything will arise here. Texas, I can see.

forgotpassagan 9y ago
North Carolina has the 'triangle' area which has seen huge growth for many years. Texas has Austin, which is probably the closest to SV of any place I've ever been. It looks so much like SV you could probably confuse the two in pictures
- Yhippa 9y ago
  My bet is on the Raleigh-Durham triangle, Atlanta, or Austin.
  - forgotpassagan 9y ago
    Same. Except I'm not as optimistic about Atlanta because the state is mostly poor and it's farther from the huge cities on the upper east coast. NC and Texas are both booming state-wide and have 'world cities' in reasonable driving distance.

strictnein 9y ago

Better make sure to let the residents of MN, WI, and MI know that the only way to access a large body of water is to go to Chicago.

bluedino 9y ago
Michigan's shoreline, at 3,288 miles is "more than any other state except Alaska"

santaclaus 9y ago

> rich people as a rule don't like crappy weather All those well-heeled Manhattanites might have something to say about that.

tbrock 9y ago
Manhattan doesn’t have bad weather at all. It’s pretty well rounded. Some days a little too hot and some days a little too cold but never heat as oppressive as Georgia or cold as frigid as Maine.
- ghaff 9y ago
  It's certainly not California in that regard. Winter may not be like Maine and Summer may not be like Houston, but August in Manhattan can get pretty unpleasant. There's a reason wealthy New Yorkers summer in the Hamptons. And, while it's warmer and less snowy than Boston or Chicago in the winter it definitely gets its significant snowstorms.
  - eric_h 9y ago
    > but August in Manhattan can get pretty unpleasant For me it's not even the heat that's the problem, it's the goddamn smell of hot garbage. At least the outer boroughs are better in that regard to Manhattan.
    - ghaff 9y ago
      Yeah it's not just the temperature per se which wouldn't be so bad if you were out in a forest someplace. But the garbage, all the people, etc. that make a dense city pretty unpleasant when the mercury creeps up.
cylinder 9y ago
NYC doesn't have a bad climate. Every season is enjoyable except for early Spring when you are just sick of jackets and barren trees. Summer can be gross in the middle of Manhattan due to the density and trash smells, but Brooklyn was just fine. Snow is an issue if you live in the suburbs and need to drive everywhere, I'll grant you that. Miami Beach and even Cancun are a short flight away. Source: nostalgic ex-NYer now living somewhere with a "good climate."

danvoell 9y ago

"no access to large water bodies outside of Chicago area" - source?

muninn_ 9y ago

Rich people live in places like New York City, Boston, D.C., Chicago, and Toronto. The weather isn't that big of a deal to most people. Not being close to the mountains or ocean can be kind of a drag. And as a rule, rich people don't like spending money if they don't have to. Developers are expensive in high cost of living areas and largely don't need to live there in order to do their job. You can pay a developer in Pittsburgh $100k and they'll love you for that salary, whereas you're barely scraping by in other locations. I also think your critique of the "Midwest" is not fair. Unfortunately the term has come to be associated with states like Nebraska, which are without question boring, flat, farmland, but states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania are full of beautiful areas with quite a bit to do. Additionally, the "Midwest" does not have a high cost of living, unless you mean Chicago itself (which still does not have a high cost of living compared to other actual high cost of living cities) and there are 5 states that border the Great Lakes.

mikestew 9y ago

no access to large water bodies outside of Chicago area The great state of Michigan would like to have a word with you. It also has high taxes and cost of living. Wait a minute, are we still talking about the Midwest of the United States? Because high taxes and COL are the last two things I think of when I think “Midwest”. But cold, flat, and boring I’ll grant you. I don’t live in Indiana anymore for good reason.

freehunter 9y ago
Yeah, if you want forests and driving distance to an absolutely massive body of water, Michigan is the place for you. It's anything but boring fields, especially along the west coast.
cableshaft 9y ago
Illinois does have high taxes. Cost of Living isn't too bad (especially compared to SV), but taxes are definitely high.
- justin66 9y ago
  Top rate in CA is 13.3%, in IL it's 5%. (although the page I'm looking at suggests of CA: If you earn $50,000 a year, you'll only pay 9.3 percent.)
  - cableshaft 9y ago
    You're looking at income tax only. Illinois has other taxes that are very high. In particular, their property taxes are the highest in the nation (along with New Jersey). As I'm unfortunately discovering, as I'm looking to buy my first home here. This article asserts that Illinois has the highest overall tax burden in the nation: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-has-highest-overall-tax-burden-in-the-nation/ https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-has-highest-overall-... Also this article shows Effective total state and local taxes in 2017. Illinois ranks the highest at $8,011 median per household, while California ranks almost at the bottom, at $4,774: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-to-be-a-taxpayer/2416/ https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-to-be-a-taxpayer...

nightski 9y ago

Hah! Minnesota has 10,000+ lakes and tons of natural beauty. We have a lake cabin/home that we visit year round. I LOVE winter here, couldn't live without it. Yes, I love the cold. Dress properly and it is quite enjoyable. I'm by no means "rich" but I make well into six figures in software and I love this area and would find it hard to move anywhere else. Occasionally I visit one of my clients that is in Silicon Valley. While California is absolutely gorgeous in certain areas I find the highways and dreary brown awful for the most part. The only time I really enjoy it is in very early spring (Feb-Apr) when it is green for a short period of time.

yesimahuman 9y ago
Same with Northern Wisconsin. The beauty is hard to beat.
irrational 9y ago
I feel the same way, only about western Oregon/Washington. There really are places that it is possible to make six figures while being surrounded on all sides by tons of natural beauty, but SV isn't one of those places.
legohead 9y ago
I don't know why people keep bringing up the weather. I moved from OK to CA because there was nothing to do in Oklahoma, especially for someone with a family. There is an endless amount of things to do in California. I can drive a couple hours and ski, or 20 minutes and surf. Plus all the amusement parks, museums, amazing national parks, Mexico close by, and just what not. The weather was an unexpected bonus for me.
- jonny_eh 9y ago
  All true, but for me the most unexpected surprised about living here (specifically the Bay Area) is the relative lack of mosquitos. Coming from Ontario, that is a huge change!
  - 9y ago

agandy 9y ago

How do you explain NYC if rich people don't like crappy weather?

lazerpants 9y ago
They all have houses in FL, SC, Caribbean, Bahamas...
- forgotpassagan 9y ago
  Lol this is so true. Everyone I knew had relatives or a small place somewhere warmer

vforgione 9y ago

> proximity to large population centers The Chicago metro area has almost 9.5 million residents, 2.8 in the city proper. The larger Great Lakes Basin, depending on how you look at it, has anywhere from 35 to 60 million residents. > cheap COL Chicago can be pricey, but almost every other major city in the region is around 20% less costly than Austin (using Austin since it's got the largest pull of your mentioned alternatives).

hockeybias 9y ago

The more people that share your view the better for those of us already here. Spread the word! ;)