[jsiarto]

Great comments above on the "sorting" that seems to be happening in America. Personally, these Silicon-X names are dumb. I especially dislike New York being called "Silicon Alley" as there aren't really any alleys in NYC (this is why the trash is put on the street). Chicago, however, has alley ways and so that name might be more fitting for the windy city.

[potatolicious]

"Silicon Alley" specifically refers to the thin stretch of Broadway between the Flatiron and SoHo, which were home to a large number of startups. NYC's startup scene is now substantially more spread out but the name stuck.

The "alley" refers specifically to the original thin corridor, not any literal alleys.