Whether you’re fresh out of college or considering a new opportunity elsewhere, chances are there’s a promising startup near you—or if you prefer, thousands of miles away. Likewise, if you’re an entrepreneur looking to launch your own startup, you’re no longer limited to Silicon Valley, the Silicon Prairie, the Silicon Slopes, or any of the other “Silicon” locales established a decade ago.
You can’t, however, just throw a dart at a US map and expect overnight success. The non-tech press tends to put forth the narrative that the entire country is in the middle of a constant startup explosion—but this isn’t necessarily true. Previous hotspots have cooled, and new ones have popped up in unexpected areas (North Dakota, anyone?), which means compiling a definitive list requires some number crunching.