Birmingham and Huntsville named ‘up and coming’ tech hotspot

Last week, the popular digital site Livability  named Birmingham and Huntsville number two on their Beyond Silicon Valley: 5 Up-and-Coming Tech Hotspots list.

According Livability’s profile, the site explores what makes small-to-medium sized cities great places to live through proprietary research studies. They also  examine topics related to community amenities, education, sustainability, transportation, housing and the economy.

Other cities making the Beyond Silicon Valley list included:

Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska
Ame and Des Moines, Iowa
Raleigh and Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri

In its story about Birmingham, Livability recognized many of the Magic City’s success stories and the fertile creative atmosphere that has been created by Innovation Depot. Here is an excerpt from the story:

The state’s most populous city, Birmingham, has also received a lot of attention for its recent growth in the tech sector. Through the work of Velocity Accelerator, the Innovation Depot, and others, the city has seen successful start-ups launch, such as grocery delivery service Shipt and Daxko, software for health and wellness organizations.

Just last month Bham Now reported about Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator program.

Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator Program launches its second year

On the other end of the I-65 corridor, Livability recognizes the growth in tech jobs in and around the Huntsville region. Recent studies by Zip Recruiter and Bloomberg show explosive job growth in the Rocket City.

Separated by only 90 miles, could Birmingham/Huntsville become the next “Southern Silicon Valley?” Let’s hope so.

What are is your opinion? Did Livability get the ranking right?