Austin: Silicon Hills
Austin has continued to rise in the ranks of the top cities to work in tech in the USA. The city has become a melting pot filled with innovation and excitement for those working with Technology. It’s become a city full of civic-minded individuals working within the Technology industry.October 2018
Since Dell was founded in the mid-1980s, Austin has continued to be a growing hub for tech companies, start-ups and entrepreneurs alike. Silicon Hills has been the name given to Austin, a tribute to Cali’s Silicon Valley and the rolling hills in western Austin. Several big names in tech have followed Dell’s example, with the likes of Hewlett Packard, Intel, Cisco, IBM, Apple, eBay, Oracle, and Facebook all establishing HQ’s or offices in the area in recent years.
A report came out recently that Austin is the Number 3 tech city in the nation according to CompTIA who released a report ranking the top tech cities in the USA based on factors such as job openings, salaries and overall cost of living. Following cities Charlotte and Raleigh in North Carolina, Austin came in third. To give you an idea of how great Austin is…the “Software Capital of the Country”, AKA San Francisco, came in 5th place…and San Jose in 4th…
The city has become a melting pot filled with innovation and excitement for those working with Technology. It’s become a city full of civic-minded individuals working within the Technology industry. This is due to several factors:
- Access to local tech talent is high because of the University of Texas.
- 5,500 start-ups and tech companies that call Austin their home.
- Great conferences and events such as South by Southwest and InnoTech.
- In 2017, $950 million in collective funding, with BorrowersFirst raising $100 million.
- No state income tax.
- Cost of living is 3.4% lower than the national average.
- In the past year alone, 37,500 tech jobs were created
Can’t drive? Is your budget being drained by transportation? No worries! Getting around Austin is fantastically easy, fun and cheap when commuting via scooter! The city has been taken over by scooter companies such as Lime and BIRD – enabling those to travel short-medium commutes with ease after downloading the app.
Trust us – this is one of the best ways to travel and one of our personal favorite ways to get around Austin!
“Austin’s healthy tech sector, access to local talent, and sense of community among tech professionals are qualities attracting companies and talent far and wide.”
So what companies are hiring in Software right now? These are the top 10:
- BlackLocus
- SailPoint
- AlertMedia
- Keller Williams Realty
- Social Solutions
- ThousandEyes
- Shopgate
- HomeAway
- Forcepoint
- BigCommerce
- Blackbaud
Company perks that are available to those working in technology within Austin?
- Free fitness programs, unlimited vacation days, juice bars (at companies like Kendra Scott), nail bars, charity efforts, generous PTO, commuter benefits, quarterly events (such as Lake House Day at BlackLocus), company events (such as private concerts and happy hours at OutboundEngine), free parking and catered meals (at companies like RetailMeNot, Inc.), team building activities, time off for volunteering, companies like HomeAway offer a free vacation rental stay per year with 4 weeks of paid vacation plus 10 paid holidays.
According to Built in Austin, these are the best places to work in Austin:
- HomeAway
- BigCommerce
- Social Solutions
- Civitas Learning
- RetailMeNot, Inc.
- uShip.com
- SecureLink
- WP Engine
- HotSchedules
- Ping Identity
- Blackbaud
