Report: Top Tech Capitals

Tech, for obvious reasons, is among the more amorphous of industries. And six months after Bisnow first brought you a look at five sizzling tech corridors, it’s time for an update. Here are five standouts (in no particular order with the exception of Silicon Valley, #1) from a recent CBRE report.

Silicon Valley
No underdog upsets here. The valley’s steroidal growth continues apace, which is becoming an issue with locals wary of their towns becoming company towns. But at this point, no checks on expansion seem likely to significantly temper it.

Washington, DC
Boston is commonly seen as the frontrunner among East Coast tech capitals. But despite its reputation as a one-horse political town, the national’s capital placed five spots ahead of Boston on the CBRE list. Credit former mayor Vincent Gray for much of DC’s success. His ambitious initiatives to bolster tech include the (somewhat controversial) mapping of an official start-up corridor.

Oakland
It’s no surprise that the city of 400K across the bay from San Francisco ranked as the top small-sized tech markets. A number of nimble start-ups, not to mention young workers, priced out of the increasingly exorbitant SF have set up shop here. Count on Oakland to absorb much of the urban migration of Silicon Valley firms looking to capitalize on the millennial craving for dense downtowns.

Philadelphia
It didn’t break the top 10, but the City of Brotherly Love (above) made some waves with its disproportionately potent tech sisterhood. While women make up just 23.8% of “tech talent occupations” nationwide, they comprise 31% of the pool in Philly.

Edison, NJNamesake Thomas would be proud. The renowned inventor's former stomping grounds—he came up with the phonograph here—is back at the technological vanguard. Presumably thanks to NYC refugees (or recent graduates of nearby Princeton University), the town of 98K outranked much bigger rivals like Columbus; Portland, Oregon; and Charlotte.