“Location, location, location,” is a popular expression for a reason. Where you decide to base your company can have a major impact on your business, especially if you’re starting a tech company. That’s why we put our research hats on to find five cities that seem like great spots for you begin your quest to rule the tech world.

1. Austin, Texas

South by Southwest is hosted here for a reason. Austin is a hip and entrepreneur-friendly spot for small tech businesses to thrive. It’s ranked eighth as the best places for business and careers in good part because of its young talent and culture that is dedicated to pushing innovation forward.

Austin is home to over 2,000 tech companies and startups. Austin isn’t just invested in pushing forward new ideas. It also cares a great deal about encouraging small business to succeed. CCC expanded its company in Austin because of the city’s culture and “its support for incubating startups and the existing tech talent in the marketplace,” according to Reza Rooholamini, the chief architect and VP of research and development and data sciences. You may also enjoy this: Texas doesn’t have individual or corporate income tax.

2. Portland, Oregon

You probably have hipster stereotypes running through your head right now, but put that aside. Portland is undeniably a promising tech town (they’ve even made a video about it). It’s not just that it’s a hot, up-and-coming spot in the tech world that should make it a draw for your small business. It’s the city’s strong, supportive community that helps young businesses succeed.

3. Denver, Colorado

Colorado has been a booming place for tech startups and small businesses, with a recent report listing several worthwhile spots in the state. Denver in particular is a city blessed with lots of small business in “high-growth industries” and is extremely supportive of entrepreneurship. The state is “witnessing tech industry expansion to a degree not yet seen this business cycle,” said Katie Murtaugh, a senior research analyst with CBRE Group Inc. Tech companies, like Apple and Facebook, moved into more than 472,000 square feet of space in Denver in 2018.  Plus, you still get the perks of the nearby town of Boulder, also a major start up spot.

4. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is becoming a popular place for tech and research and development jobs. Reuters reports these types of jobs exceeded those in the iron and steel mills for the first time in 2014. It’s emerged as a city extremely supportive of new tech business ventures and a healthy job pool. There’s not just Carnegie Mellon University providing talent, but Google and Apple are expanding in the city.

5. Seattle, Washington

The home of Microsoft and Amazon is a very, very good place to start a business. Why? CBRE ranked Seattle second in its Tech Talent report. The city saw a 19.4% increase in its talent labor pool from 2012 to 2017. And 23,600 tech jobs added between the same time frame. Big companies mean it’s not just a healthy place for mentoring small businesses like yours (and who doesn’t want the insights of a Microsoft big honcho?) It is also one ripe with potential buyout opportunities for those looking to sell their successful start-ups.

Which is something you should keep in mind, because we have no doubt your business is going to succeed.

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