Looking For a Home for Your New Business?
Here are the top 10 options for entrepreneurs searching for a place to base their business and live.
As you begin your entrepreneurial business venture, ranking high in the list of big decisions you need to make is to locate a place to live and work that will give your up and coming business all of the opportunities it needs to take off. Your city of choice needs to not only be a place where you have everything at your disposal to get your business going, but also a place where you will feel at home, with a culture and community that fit your lifestyle.
In no particular order, here are 10 fabulous towns that will be a great home base for your budding entrepreneurial endeavors. Full of thriving small businesses, and vibrant communities to boot, these are our top choices for the new entrepreneur to call home.
Columbus, Ohio
Ohio’s capital offers low living costs and is one of the most affordable cities to call home in the country. Combine that with a bustling small business community and a special “small business concierge” the city employs to help startups get into business, and you’ve got a great place to set up shop.
Denver
Natural beauty isn’t the only big draw when considering a move to Denver. The city also boasts one of the highest small-business-to-large-business ratios of all American cities, as well as lower than average living costs. Tech companies have recently begun springing up in the city, thanks to special incentive programs offered by the local government.
Austin, Texas
Known for its community and unique culture, Austin has been attracting new small businesses in droves lately. Tech companies will find Austin especially welcoming, as it’s one of the places in the nation where Google Fiber is being constructed. The city even holds semi-monthly tech happy hour networking events. No personal or corporate state income taxes are also a big draw.
Salt Lake City
Thanks to its nine universities, you’ll find no shortage of educated and talented people waiting to join your workforce in SLC. Low cost of living makes the city extremely affordable, and the city is also on the list to become a hotspot for Google Fiber, making it another great choice for tech startups.
Nashville, Tennessee
While Nashville may be known as a music capital, it’s got ample opportunities for small businesses as well. Low cost of living and low business startup costs make the city a great choice, and they even have a nonprofit Entrepreneur Center to assist you every step of the way.
San Francisco
The City by the Bay has long been touted as one of the country’s best places for entrepreneurs, and with good reason: a huge and talented work force (nearby Stanford and the UC Berkeley offer plenty of great candidates), great culture, and prominent tech community all help to make it a great place to start.
Portland, Oregon
With its relaxed atmosphere and gorgeous setting, Portland has been drawing young entrepreneurs looking for a high quality of living and low startup costs. Portland has a highly educated workforce, and is notoriously a great place to start environmental or tech based businesses.
Seattle
Long known for its coffee culture, Seattle has also become home to a number of tech giants, including Microsoft. An educated workforce and large number of small business make the Emerald City a prime place to headquarter.
Oklahoma City
OKC is home to nearly double the national average of small businesses. Low living and business costs are bolstered by the city’s incentive programs that offer cash back to businesses that create new positions, and it also has a special funding opportunity for small business startups.
Atlanta
Atlanta is the country’s eighth largest economy, and contains the third largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies. There are also more than 30 colleges and universities in the area, making for a highly educated workforce. The ATL is currently experiencing a vibrant startup culture, and with its low cost of living, is a great option for entrepreneurs.
