Prior to the growth of Internet technologies, business corridors were not planned, nor were the businesses in them actually linked, says Kenneth E. Corey, professor of urban regional planning and geography at Michigan State University in East Lansing. They grew randomly as highways brought together suburban and exurban areas of towns like D.C. and Baltimore. The exciting thing about IT-driven technology and electronic commerce is that they bring even the smallest place and smallest enterprise into the possibility of global linkages and commerce. Spinning Off Small Businesses Initially, small-city corridors began with large companies or universities as their anchors. These days, smaller tech businesses are setting up shop nearby for a variety of reasons.
Finances are one.
The quality of life is second to none in the United States. Infrastructure costs also are lower. Bothell, Wash., a former bedroom community 40 minutes from Seattle, is part of the state's Interstate 405 tech corridor. It attracts biotech startups that like the idea of saving on costs to build lab space with extra ventilation, running water and facilities for medical waste disposal, says Tom Ranken, former director of the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association. Another reason is the spin-off phenomenon.