And so on. You don't hear that now, in Atlanta or anywhere else. They all seem refreshingly realistic. I think that is, in part, because so many of those sexy, venture-backed companies in RTP, Austin, Atlanta and Reston have been blistered. It's also because of the success of RTP, Austin, Atlanta and Reston.
Success means more companies, more jobs, more money.
All that means more people, which means more traffic, more pollution, more stress, more anonymity and less open space. The smaller cities don't want that stuff. In fact, they sell themselves as antidotes to the harrowing, impersonal lifestyle of the bigger metros. Ask Ernest Andrade . He's heading up the city of Charleston's efforts to lure tech companies into the historic downtown.