At the turn of the millennium 20 years ago, leading U.S. real estate think tanks were certain that technological advances would drive a great migration rivaling the Industrial Revolution in the first half of the 21st Century. Up to 70 million office workers were expected to be freed from traditional workplaces, which would inspire them to seek a better and more affordable quality of life by leaving congested coastal cities in favor of new growth cities, exurbs and smaller towns with great amenities like resort areas and college towns.

That mass migration has yet to materialize, and the prediction had been largely forgotten. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and employees in certain sectors, including tech, began proving they could hit or exceed performance marks even in a work- from- home (WFH) environment. Major corporations like Salesforce, Google, Twitter, Zillow and Facebook that have hundreds of thousands of workers – many in congested, expensive East and West coast cities — have said their workers can keep working from home until next summer, or maybe forever.

Those WFH decisions have spawned efforts like the recent One America Works’ virtual recruiting events that are primarily focused on finding WFH spots for Silicon Valley dwellers, who may or may not relocate. It’s given renewed vigor to local initiatives like Powderkeg’s TechProfile and TechPoint’s next iteration of the Red Carpet Experience, which seek to bring back talented Hoosiers who’ve left the state and encourage others to give Indiana a look.

For those already planning to return to what is shaping up to be the nation’s next great tech hub, Central Indiana has 13 words: “Welcome home. Let us know how we can help you make the move.”

We could offer a ton of subjective reasons why Indiana is great for those without a prior tie to the region and don’t yet know all that the Hoosier state has to offer. But we don’t need to. Others, without a hometown bias, have done that for us.

Take a look at these 14 data-driven reasons why Indiana should be every tech worker’s destination point.

  1. Indianapolis is the 17th largest city in America, but it still has an approachable, small-town feel where it’s not difficult to get advice from veteran entrepreneurs and tech leaders. 
  2. Nearby Fishers was just ranked the best city in America for Remote Work.
  3. Fishers is just one of many great Indiana communities that have rolled out welcome mats to new workers, and four are listed in the 30 great, affordable small towns for first-time homeowners in America.
  4. Zillow ranks Indy 4th in the country for cities with untapped potential for tech companies to grow.
  5. Indianapolis is far more affordable than larger tech hubs: 94% less expensive than Boston; 42% less than New York City; 41% less than San Francisco and 28% less than Chicago.
  6. The median house price in Indy is $153K vs. $1.4M in San Francisco; top tier home price is $247K in Indy vs. $2.2M in San Francisco.
  7. Smart Asset ranks Indy as one of the country’s best cities for women in tech.
  8. Large enterprise companies like Raytheon, Cummins, Eli Lilly and others are eager to fill tech jobs and TechPoint helps speed that process along.
  9. Smart Asset ranks Indy as one of the best cities for new college grads.
  10. USA Today determined Indianapolis is one of the 50 best places to live in the U.S. based on the job market, value, quality of life, desirability, and net migration.
  11. SmartAsset reports Indy is one of the best places to work in tech-based on available jobs and salaries.
  12. Chief Executive ranks Indy as one of the top 5 best places for business.
  13. M25 calls Indy one of the best startup cities in the Midwest.
  14. Indianapolis offers 145 daily departures from the country’s best airport to 50+ nonstop locations; less than two hours to NY, Chicago, DC and Boston.

Makes you want to come home to Indiana, doesn’t it? Still need convincing? Let us know what you want/need to know to make a move.