The midwest is very aware of the tech industry, even if large numbers of hackers in one place are harder to find there (due to population density). Awareness is

The midwest is very aware of the tech industry, even if large numbers of hackers in one place are harder to find there (due to population density). Awareness is probably lower among working class people, but even they usually have smart phones these days. It's not SF, but there's a really nice tech scene here in NYC. Who cares about the finance people? I don't care if NYC's #1 most famous industry is tech. Rank #2 or #3 or #4 is fine too, just so long as there's a decent enough amount of it going on to enjoy.