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by blahblahblah
5549 days ago
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I've always been somewhat puzzled as to why NYC is the software development hub that it is. It's easy to get why the Bay area is such a powerful draw for developers. It's the one place in the continental U.S. where the climate is perpetually perfect, so it's only natural that people want to live there and it's inevitable that people with rare and valuable skills that can command high salaries will congregate there. It's not as clear to me what the draw is for NYC since the weather there is as bad or worse than Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, or Milwaukee and the cost of living is higher than those Midwestern cities. It seems like Boston should be a bigger software hub than NYC just on the basis of the proximity of MIT and Harvard and the intellectual community that fosters. On the basis of desirable climate (and astonishing natural beauty), it seems like Honolulu ought to be a major software hub, but it isn't. What's NYC's secret of success as a software hub? |
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(B) Many more creative types than just developers are attracted to NYC such as fashion, tv, finance (if you don't think CDOs are creative then look closer).
(C) Because of the diversity of people you get really interesting experiences and ideas you couldn't get anywhere else. The Bay Area's idea of diversity is hackers that like to wear black t-shirts vs VCs that like to wear Polos.
(D) For being a much bigger city, New York is much more compact time-wise because you don't have to drive everywhere, which makes it fundamentally more liveable.
And (E) as for Boston, as an MIT alum currently still in the Boston area, I can tell you that nobody wants to stay here after graduation....the city is tiny and the bars close at 1 AND it's freezing 8 months out of the year.