High-Tech Times Article 025

Sand to Silicon to Success in the Digital Volcano

For those of you who work in high-tech  industries, I’m sure that you’ve heard of Silicon Valley in San Jose. Created in conjunction with Stanford University, Silicon Valley is considered the hub of technology in the United States.  But were you aware that there another fifty “Silicon,” “Web,” “Cyber,” and “Digital” high-tech meccas in the U.S., all promising jobs galore for technology-trained workers?

      The editors of Computerworld identified these 51 locales to showcase just how quickly our computer-based society is moving towards mandatory technology training for high school and college graduates:

State/City                  ____________  Nickname

Arizona

1. Phoenix                          Silicon Desert

2. Phoenix/Scottsdale               Telecom Corridor

California

3. Alameda                          Silicon Island

4. Napa Valley/Santa Rosa           Silicon Vineyard

5. Orange County                    Biotech Beach

6. San Francisco                    Multimedia Gulch

7. San Jose                         Silicon Valley

8. Santa Monica/Marina Del Rey      Media Del Rey

9. Santa Rosa/Route 101 Corridor    Telecom Corridor

10. Scotts Valley                    Silicon Village

11. Southern California             Silicon Freeway

12. Ventura/L.A. Counties           Digital Coast

Colorado

13. Colorado Springs                Silicon Mountain

Florida

14. Entire state                   Silicon Beach

15. Boca Raton                     Silicon Bayou

16. Indiantown                    Silicon Swamp

17. Perry                          Silicon Swamp

Georgia

18. Atlanta                        Silicon Crescent

Illinois

19. Chicago                        Silicon City

20. Champagne/Urbana               Silicon Prairie

Iowa

21. Iowa City/Fairfield            Silicon Prairie

22. Iowa City/ Des Moines          Silicorn Valley

Louisiana

23. Entire state                   Silicon Bayou

Maine

24. Portland                       Web Port

Massachusetts

25. Boston                         Cyber District

26. Cape Cod                       Silicon Sandbar

27. Hudson                         Silicon Hill

28. Boston/Route 128 Corridor      Silicon Corridor

Minnesota

29. Minneapolis/St. Paul          Silicon Snowbank

Missouri

30. Kansas City/St. Louis          Silicon River

Montana

31. Kalispell                     Silicon Glacier

New Mexico

32. North Albuquerque/Rio Rancho   Silicon Mesa

New York

33. Long Island                    Silicon Island

34. Manhattan                     Silicon Alley

North Carolina

35. Catawba County                 Telecom Valley

36. Raleigh/Durham                 Silicon Seaboard

Oklahoma

37. Payne County                  Silicon Prairie

Oregon

38. Portland                       Silicon Forest

Pennsylvania

39. Mountaintop                   Silicon Mountain

South Dakota

40. Sioux Falls                   Silicon Prairie

Texas

41. Austin                         Silicon Gulch

42. Austin (Ed Bluestein Blvd.)    Silicon Prairie

43. Dallas/Fort Worth             Silicon Gulch

44. Richardson                    Telecom Orchard

45. Dallas/Richardson              Telecom Alley

46. Houston                        Silicon Prairie

Virginia

47. Entire state                   Silicon Plantation

48. Northern Virginia/D.C.         Silicon Holler

Washington

49. Seattle                        Silicon Rainforest

50. Wenatchee Valley               Silicon Orchard

51. Whidbey Island                 Silicon Island

      High-tech employers are migrating to places where there are lots of space -- and opportunities. I was raised in Phoenix, and there were 40,000 people when we arrived there in the late 1940s. With more rattlesnakes than neighbors, it was hard to imagine that there would ever be much in the way of technology in Arizona. But today, with nearly four million people, Phoenix teamed up with Arizona State University in Tempe and the University of Arizona in Tucson, and has attracted a broad base of technology companies including Motorola, Intel, and Honeywell.

      How does Hawaii view itself? Are we the “Digital Volcano” of the Pacific? Do our state legislators and educators REALLY want Hawaii to benefit from the technology explosion? Can the University of Hawaii provide technology-competent graduates? These are all questions that must be answered before Hawaii will be viewed as a potential partner for high-tech firms.

      An important and interesting start was made in Hawaii last month. On September 23, the inaugural meeting of the Hawaii Technology Trade Association (HTTA) was held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Over 480 people attended, more than twice what we expected. Sponsored by the Estate of James Campbell and 23 other private-sector companies and state organizations, HTTA is a statewide effort for technology firms to speak with a single voice.

      I strongly recommend that you or your company join HTTA: it’s our best bet to bring technology firms into Hawaii. Check out the HTTA Web site at <http://htta.org>.

      See you next month.