

Ask HN: Thoughts on the Bay Area versus other locations? - kurtvarner

I know this has been discussed a lot in the past, and I'm not trying to beat a dead horse... but I'd like to get the input of people who have lived both in SF and other locations (assuming that you were involved with startups while in both locations). What are the advantages and disadvantages of both? I'm very seriously considering moving to SF from LA for better opportunities within the startup world.<p>Also, if you know of any good posts that discuss this topic, please share!<p>Many thanks!
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edomain
San Francisco & the Bay Area exist at the center of the Startup universe. It's
just the way it is.

I have lived in San Francisco and now live in Chicago and run my own startup-
but NorCal is definitely the best place on Earth to be. There are other great
places- but IMO the best is still Northern California

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kurtvarner
Why did you leave then? I'm always curious as to why some people move away
from SF if they want to run a startup.

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edomain
Oh for a variety of reasons- cost of living being one. Chicago is expensive-
San Francisco is REALLY expensive. haha. Although East bay is affordable

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edomain
Saying, "If SF is a better environment for startups the cost of living should
be a small trade off" doesn't work.

Everything depends on your personal situation. If you are launching a startup,
LAUNCH IT. You don't need to be in SF.

If you want to live where the center of the startup universe is, if you want
to not be able to swing a dead cat around your head without hitting another
entrepreneur, if you like it 60-65 degrees almost every day of the year, SF is
the place for you.

You don't NEED to be in SF to launch a startup unless your service/product is
narrowly defined as SF residents using it. Plenty of startups move to the Bay
Area when they need funding- but...you can always visit and check it out
yourself.

I'd say, launch your startup now. That is key- forward momentum.

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kurtvarner
Completely agree about starting now... and I have. I'm on my second startup.
No one should delay starting because of location alone.

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edomain
right on- and good luck!

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rdouble
One big advantage is if you fall on your face you can get a job at Google or
Twitter or some other smaller startup. I've found in other places if all goes
wrong you're stuck trying to get a job as an IT administrator.

I really liked the weather in the Bay Area but most people I know from LA do
not. I enjoyed going to Marin and Santa Cruz, and biking and skateboarding in
San Francisco.

That said, I left. It's hard to explain exactly why I left. Although I loved
SF, I always had a feeling of impending doom. The social dynamics were also
weird to me.

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kurtvarner
Good point about working for other companies. Just curious, where did you
relocate to, and are you still involved with startups?

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rdouble
I worked in NYC for a couple years and now I just travel around and make
iPhone apps for fun.

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edomain
When you say you are considering moving, "for better opportunities in the
startup world," what opportunities? Are you looking for a job? Starting your
own company?

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kurtvarner
I'm speaking in terms of founding and growing a startup.

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edomain
You can do that anywhere- do you need capital? Then yes, SF has more (and
easier) sources to find for capital. But really if I were you I'd build the
thing first- you can always move later if you have to.

The biggest thing about building a startup is GET STARTED :)

