In this showdown, we pit the two coasts against each other in a head-to-head duel to see which one rules for IT managers and executives.
Everyone knows that in these two regions geeks rule, most parents explain their child’s career by saying say “my kid’s into computers” and somebody’s always stuck in traffic. But how do the locales stack up in a coast-to-coast showdown? From IT salaries and educational institutions, to climate and real estate, there’s much to debate about which is the best spot for an IT career.
Top Number of U.S. IT Employees |
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WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
|
| Numbers 1 and 2—San Francisco and Los Angeles |
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Numbers 3 and 4—Washington, D.C., and Boston | |
Brain Trusts |
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|
WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
|
| Cal Tech, Stanford | MIT, Carnegie Mellon | ||
Tech Nickname |
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|
WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
|
| Silicon Valley—Legendary |
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The Rte. 128 Corridor—Lame | |
Big Kahunas |
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|
WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
|
| Cisco, Google, HP, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Sun |
|
EMC, IBM | |
Storied VCs |
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|
WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
|
| Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Greylock, Benchmark Capital |
|
Battery Ventures, Atlas Ventures | |
Culture Club |
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|
WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
|
| Liberal, laid-back and status-conscious |
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Uptight, ultra-competitive and status-conscious | |
Show Me the Money! |
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|
WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
|
| Senior Software Engineer / Developer / Programmer salary: $105,662 (San Francisco) |
|
Senior Software Engineer / Developer / Programmer salary: $96,961 (Boston) | |
Real Estate Reality |
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|
WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
|
| Saratoga, Calif.—Median home price $1.4 million | Wellesley, Mass.—Median home price $1.1 million | ||
Next: Comparisons on climate, coffee and technology-related accessories—and the winner of our matchup.
Weather Forecast |
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|
WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
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| Constant sunshine and cool Pacific breezes year round |
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Hazy, hot and humid summers and Nor’easter blizzards in the winter | |
Coffee Snobbery Factor |
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|
WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
|
| Will drive miles to find a Starbucks | Swears by Dunkin’ Donuts, which is on every corner | ||
Signature Commuting Road |
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|
WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
|
| Highway 101 in San Francisco—Nightmare! | Rte. 128 through Waltham, Mass.—Only a bad dream! | ||
Preferred Vehicle |
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|
WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
|
| Toyota Prius Hybrid |
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Volvo Cross Country | |
Regional Rep |
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|
WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
|
| Where “working-class millionaires” struggle to make ends meet | The “Least” Coast | ||
Chances of Marrying a Tech Gazillionaire |
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|
WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
|
| High, especially if you hang around golf and yacht clubs |
|
Low, unless you meet him or her while still a grad student | |
Must-Have Tech Exec Clothing Items |
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|
WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
|
| T-shirt, jeans, Teva sandals, leather jacket, messenger bag |
|
Blue Oxford shirt, khaki pants, deck shoes, ski jacket, briefcase | |
Hip-Hop Rivalries |
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|
WEST COAST |
EDGE |
EAST COAST |
|
| Snoop Dogg, Suge Knight, Dr. Dre |
Tie (Can’t we all just get along!) |
Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, Jay-Z, 50 Cent | |
WINNER: WEST COAST! |
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SOURCES: CIO.com; Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco; Gaebler.com; Payscale.com; CNNMoney.com; Wikipedia.
