Ask HN: Best cities to live in?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2054567

by hella • 16 years ago

9 14 16 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Let's say this: male, single, 24 years old, web/mobile developer, passive income covers all expenses, desire to start tech startup.

I know the default answer is silicon valley. But what are the other cities that I might look into, worldwide?

(For those interested: my plan is to live a short period of time in each promising city.)

spooneybarger2• 16 years ago

Buenos Aires.

Austin.

NYC.

ichverstehe• 16 years ago

Coincidentally, I'm moving to Buenos Aires in the middle of January. Do you have any tips to share?

spooneybarger2• 16 years ago

What sort of tips?

hajrice• 16 years ago

For people, like me, who are into living cheap and who don't really care about how far away they are from VC's/Angels/etc I'd suggest you visit:

* Bangkok - you can find hotels starting at $10/night and probably cheaper in other places around Thailand...I'd suggest you check out the "remote" places near the ocean, I hear it's much cheaper.

* Budapest - great city; cheap to live in, people seem pretty nice .. especially women from South East Europe.

* Istanbul - Greaat culture; the people are soooo nice, crime rates are really low...I remember when I visited and went to eat at a local restaurant the owner was very nice, we had a nice chat, he asked where I was from..and soon after as I asked for the check, he said no no no, please, please, it's taken care of. I'm not saying everyone there is like that, but it semeed to me that almost everyone was so welcoming.

I'm going to be moving and living in a few cities, if you'd like to talk more, ping me(hajrice@gmail.com), I'd be glad to talk more.

Good luck!

dfrankow• 16 years ago

Seattle seems like a good place to start up, though I haven't lived there.

SimonStahl• 16 years ago

you just wanna live there for a while not found a company there, right? then i would add these cities to your list:

madrid

zurich

perth

vancouver

thenbrent• 16 years ago

Amsterdam NL - great for tech community and the cultural experience

Melbourne AU - also good for tech and culture, though it is closer to what you're used to (I'm assuming American)

New York US - hard to beat as a city

Important tips:

- live only in cities where you speak the local language, but visit countries where you don't.

- expect your productivty to be reduced by about half. Learning to live in a new country is surprisingly time consuming and the simplest of things can take hours.

- make sure you have at least a small social group (2+ people) or way to break into a social group in the new city.

I've lived in 4 cities across 3 countries in the last 2 years and in my opinion, moving to a foreign country while beginning a startup is like trying to swim while juggling.

I still say go for it, it'll be an experience, but starting a business is hard enough without having to learn to live in a new city, so if that is your ultimate goal, stay close to what you're familiar with.

phugoid• 16 years ago

My own experience is that there's a world of difference between moving between cities every few months (with a home base), or actually living somewhere for a few years. The former is more expensive, but far less hassle and lighter on the soul.

Your view of a city will be vastly different depending on the length of your stay there. I thought Dubai was great on my first three-day visit.

Check out Taipei. It's vibrant, colorful, accessible, and lacks the heavy greyness I felt in mainland China. I dream of going back.

pasbesoin• 16 years ago

It's a bit dated, but Ang Lee's "Eat Drink Man Woman" is set in early '90's Taipei. I've never been, but the film seems to match somewhat my ex-roomate's experiences there.

It's also a quite enjoyable film.

jaxn• 16 years ago

I really like it here in Nashville, TN and the cost of living is lower than most of the other cities mentioned. We have a lot of momentum behind tech entrepreneurship here right now too.

smoody• 16 years ago

As an adult, I've personally lived in Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, New York City (where I now reside), Los Angeles, and Boulder, Co. If I had to chose one, I'd chose Boulder. Why?

- Great tech scene.

- Great VCs (Brad, Ryan, and the rest of the Foundry Group are a great bunch of guys).

- Great weather (unbelievable amounts of sun every year).

- Amazing hiking just 10 minutes outside the city. Go a little farther out (30-45 minutes) and you can follow some trails that will take your breath away (figuratively and literally :-).

- Great skiing close by if that's your thing.

- Great food -- not a ton of choices, but some good choices.

- Very quick and easy access to a major airport with cheap daily parking (about 45 minute drive and if you take the tollway, you'll never -- and I mean never -- have any issues with traffic).

- Easy access to both the east and west coast.

The downside is that Boulder is a bit homogenous. There isn't a lot of racial/ethnic diversity in my humble opinion.

ldayley• 16 years ago

The business and personal tax structure in Colorado is also better than the other choices listed above. I'll second Boulder, with Seattle as a close second (if being coastal or in a bigger city are more important to you).

keiferski• 16 years ago

Gonna throw this one out there:

Pittsburgh. It's cheap (REALLY cheap) compared to most cities and has a large talent pool of college kids (Carnegie Mellon and Pitt). Not the most exciting place to live, but for starting a company, it's probably one of the better choices. Less distractions + bad weather = lots of work gets done.

tunaslut• 16 years ago

London. Pick up a book like Hawksmoor on your way in. Live by the river. Drink in some history.

Ask HN: Best cities to live in?

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