As a software developer, I’m constantly hearing people talk about California. Silicon Valley and San Francisco are the places to be. And increasingly people are talking about New York as a tech city as well. These are wonderful cities for technology. There are tons of startups, established companies, venture capitalists, like minded people, and constant tech events. Add that to the beautiful weather in California or the massiveness of New York, and what’s not to love?

A few years ago when we started FadingRed, Brittany and I were living in Chicago. Neither of us had anything that was really keeping us rooted in Chicago, so we discussed moving to San Francisco and starting our company there.

At the time, I’d never been to California, but I’d always heard good things. Throughout college, people talked about moving out west like it was the promised land. No more cold weather, beaches, job opportunities, relaxation, etc. It seemed like there was a never ending list of reasons why California was the place to be. So when we talked about starting our company there, it was a really exciting possibility. Ultimately we chose to stay in Chicago, though, and I wouldn’t go back on that decision.

Chicago is not a city that people think of when they think tech, but that doesn’t mean that there’s no tech here — there certainly is! There are developer meetups for people in various tech scenes, great conferences are held here, we’ve even got some big named companies here as well. And as for the weather, well I enjoy the seasons — we go from grilling to ice skating, and the winter really isn’t that bad. So what makes Chicago better than San Francisco? Technology isn’t all around you all the time.

I’ve been out to San Francisco a few times now, and it doesn’t take long for the pervasive presence of technology to wear on me. You just can’t escape it. In coffee shops people are talking about their next product idea. On the way to lunch, you hear people discussing nitty gritty implementation problems. You could, of course, explore the cultural side of the city and enjoy restaurants, museums, music, etc, but you’re still pretty likely to happen upon a bit of technology during your journey.

When I leave the office, I want to leave work behind. Now, it’s not that I don’t enjoy what I do. I do. But I also enjoy so many other parts of life. I want to have a break from tech so that it’s refreshing to come back to it the next day. Even when I hang out with coworkers or other people who write software, it’s nice to take a break and talk about life rather than just what’s new in the tech world. Here in Chicago, I feel like I can have that break when I need it. When I grab a cup of tea, I can sit and just enjoy the peaceful murmur of the conversations around me without my brain firing on all cylinders. And as mentioned previously, when I’m in the mood for a good tech meetup, we have those too. There’s really nothing not to love about this city. It’s the perfect place for me at this point in my life.

In the end, this is not a why my city is better than your city article. The takeaway is this: consider your city or town as a good alternative to one of the big tech cities, because it is. There’s no reason you can’t have the best of both worlds, and chances are it’s already in your backyard. Go enjoy!