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Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

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Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#21

Post by wyclif »

If you're interested in alt-startup US cities, here's my list of places I would be interested in if I were a founder or early employee:

1. Boulder 2. Austin 3. Omaha 4. Des Moines 5. Reno (the real sleeper, but just look at the low, low business tax rate and proximity to SF).

The above list isn't meant to be chiseled into stone—it's just a thought experiment on my part and I'm interested in what others think the pros/cons of these towns would be. The obvious con would be the lack of proximity to investor and startup networks and that ecosystem.

Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#22

Post by pm »

desas wrote: post #17

As a Brit, pretty much all I know of Des Moines is what I've learned from Bill Bryson, the first line of his book "Travels in Small-Town America" is "I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to."

I do remember that line - Bill Bryson is gold. The other fact I remember is that Slipknot originated there.

Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#24

Post by jeffwass »

brandnewlow wrote: post #20
moron4hire wrote: post #9

>> ... in the process of building a new Des Moines, a tech hub in Silicon Prairie... Every story that comes out about every city has a statement like this. We've had different cities across the country trying to become "the Silicon Valley of XYZ" for the last 15-20 years. Have any of them done it? Considering we're still calling the effort "the Silicon Valley of blah blah blah", I think not. I used to live in Philade…

What's silliest is that these nicknames make no sense. Why call your town "Silicon __________" to refer to a scene where people are making iPhone apps? Where's the Silicon?

Agree 100%, and also the Silicon theme is getting tired.

At least here in London they're now calling the Old Street tech hub 'Tech City' instead of 'Silicon Roundabout'.

Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#26

Post by rsync »

wyclif wrote: post #21

If you're interested in alt-startup US cities, here's my list of places I would be interested in if I were a founder or early employee: 1. Boulder 2. Austin 3. Omaha 4. Des Moines 5. Reno (the real sleeper, but just look at the low, low business tax rate and proximity to SF). The above list isn't meant to be chiseled into stone—it's just a thought experiment on my part and I'm interested in what others think the pros…

I think Minneapolis should be on that list. I don't live there anymore, having moved to the SFBA.

I don't live in an urban area, but if I did I think it would be MPLS.

Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#27

Post by cjf4 »

moron4hire wrote: post #9

>> ... in the process of building a new Des Moines, a tech hub in Silicon Prairie... Every story that comes out about every city has a statement like this. We've had different cities across the country trying to become "the Silicon Valley of XYZ" for the last 15-20 years. Have any of them done it? Considering we're still calling the effort "the Silicon Valley of blah blah blah", I think not. I used to live in Philade…

I agree, I think a lot there are a lot of really interesting places in the US that are interesting because of their own character, and not the potential to become the "next" SV or Brooklyn or whatever. I'd like to see more discovery and celebration of the rich culture that most American towns have.

It seems like it's already started a bit (see urban revival happening in some of the rust belt cities), but I think there's even more untapped value in a lot of our cities.

Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#28

Post by sixbit »

It's great to see people are starting to realize that there are opportunities inland in America, especially if you are bootstrapping and want some extra breathing room cost wise.

I spent most of my time in America in NYC and SF (originally from Canada), but recently moved out to Dallas for much of the same reasons. Had started a company so I wasn't tied to SF for work anymore and the cost of living in Dallas where housing was 10x cheaper tempted me to take a risk and come out here, and I have no regrets. More space, lots of things to do tech wise and arts and culture wise, especially if you seek it out and are intentional about it.

Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#29

Post by wyclif »

rsync wrote: post #26
wyclif wrote: post #21

If you're interested in alt-startup US cities, here's my list of places I would be interested in if I were a founder or early employee: 1. Boulder 2. Austin 3. Omaha 4. Des Moines 5. Reno (the real sleeper, but just look at the low, low business tax rate and proximity to SF). The above list isn't meant to be chiseled into stone—it's just a thought experiment on my part and I'm interested in what others think the pros…

I think Minneapolis should be on that list. I don't live there anymore, having moved to the SFBA. I don't live in an urban area, but if I did I think it would be MPLS.

A friend of mine just moved to Minneapolis from the DC area. Incidentally, we were talking about this just yesterday and he told me he was surprised at how good the public spaces are there: lots of nice parks, walking/biking paths, urban infrastructure, bookstores, cafes, libraries, &c.

Downside is the winter, but I guess that's what Thinsulate was invented for.

Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#30

Post by rb12345 »

jeffwass wrote: post #24
brandnewlow wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's silliest is that these nicknames make no sense. Why call your town "Silicon __________" to refer to a scene where people are making iPhone apps? Where's the Silicon?

Agree 100%, and also the Silicon theme is getting tired. At least here in London they're now calling the Old Street tech hub 'Tech City' instead of 'Silicon Roundabout'.

It always was, officially. It's just that everyone else ignored that and called it "Silicon Roundabout" regardless.
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