Pittsburgh an emerging high tech market (Wilkinsburg, Rochester: tech jobs, universities, living)

[BrianTH]

Courtesy of a poster at another forum:

High-Technology Industry U.S. Office Outlook l Jones Lang LaSalle



Pittsburgh writeup:

http://www.us.am.joneslanglasalle.co...Pittsburgh.pdf

As we have discussed before, Pittsburgh isn't the most concentrated place in tech, which is fine with me, actually (diversification is good). But it is a good source of growth for us.

[BrianTH]

Oh, and there is a Paris of Appalachia vibe to that map--or as I would put it, evidence that Pittsburgh is the de facto capital of its own region in between the Great Lakes and Northeast coast.

[globalburgh]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Oh, and there is a Paris of Appalachia vibe to that map--or as I would put it, evidence that Pittsburgh is the de facto capital of its own region in between the Great Lakes and Northeast coast.

Good observation. That's a big deal in terms of talent pool.

[FreightTrainRunning]

I probably wouldn't still be in Pittsburgh if the tech industry wasn't so strong here. I'd have set off for Mountain View or Seattle years ago. We've got a great array of start ups here, just off the top of my head there's: Avere, ModCloth, ShowClix, SongWhale, CombineNet, Dynamics, Panasas, YinzCam and Vivisimo. And then there's national/international companies with sites here like Google, NetApp, ECI Telecom, Apple, General Dynamics, Disney, Toshiba, Netronome. Now if we could just build some office space for companies to locate in ...

[Velvet Jones]

Pittsburgh has always been hi-tech, it is just that more of the money came from established companies then start-ups and VCs. With CMU and Pitt plus a large number for Fortune 500s, that helped create a strong base in the region. The collapse of the industrial base hurt the overall progress, but it did not completely destroy it. As others have said, I would have never stayed in the area after college if it had not been for the strong base. Finding a tech job around here has always been relatively easy compared to other similar sized markets.

[ForYourLungsOnly]

strange to see that Pittsburgh and Chicago are the only emerging hi-tech industries in the rust belt sector. I guess Cleveland still leans toward healthcare for the most part

[Velvet Jones]

Originally Posted by ForYourLungsOnly

strange to see that Pittsburgh and Chicago are the only emerging hi-tech industries in the rust belt sector. I guess Cleveland still leans toward healthcare for the most part

There are smaller cities out there that also could be on the list. Rochester, MN and Fargo, ND are both making big pushes to bring in tech jobs, as are several cities in Iowa. Near sourcing to take advantage of the lower cost of living.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by globalburgh

Good observation. That's a big deal in terms of talent pool.

Indeed. Lots of universities and such in the area, and yet not a lot of competition for that talent.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by GeneW

Now if we could just build some office space for companies to locate in ...

I have this vision of the underutilized corridor between Penn and the Busway, East Liberty to Wilkinsburg, becoming Pittburgh's mini Silicon Valley . . .

[ForYourLungsOnly]

Originally Posted by Velvet Jones

There are smaller cities out there that also could be on the list. Rochester, MN and Fargo, ND are both making big pushes to bring in tech jobs, as are several cities in Iowa. Near sourcing to take advantage of the lower cost of living.

yep there are quite a few. Lots of smaller cities outside of minneapolis and chicago too. i think the midwest/rustbelt are making a comeback in more nuanced ways, slowly but surely (i know minneapolis isnt really rust belt, but you get the gist).