Over the holidays, Bay Area transplants should check out the tech industry in their hometown

I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 11 years before spending another three in London. My wife and I grew up in Midwest, which meant annual trips home for the holidays. Our nights were usually packed with family events or reconnecting with old friends. However, our days were not as busy or as interesting. In fact, getting out of my parents’ house would have done me some good (everyone has his or her breaking point). Grabbing coffee with a startup founder, local tech investor or just going downtown would have provided me with both a necessary escape and a look at how much had changed during the years that I’d been away.

For many Midwest cities like Indianapolis, Columbus and Pittsburgh a lot has changed. Trendy communities have sprung forth from neighborhoods once marred by industrial homogeny or urban neglect. Warehouses became gorgeous loft apartments and derelict old homes transformed into prime real estate. Good beer, coffee and food followed. The West Loop is a perfect example of how even established cities like Chicago or Minneapolis are changing to accommodate a workforce that is as likely to work for a tech company as it is on the exchanges or for a Fortune 500 company.

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Over the holidays, Bay Area transplants should check out the tech industry in their hometown