Attractivity of Boston for highly qualified employees (Cambridge, Washington: condos, loans)

[dr_fly_a_lot]

Hi there,
we (i.e. European Company) are thinking about setting up an office at the US East Cost or in the Great Lakes are and are not sure which place would be attractive for highly qualified (and therefore well paid) US employees. Important is also the combination with good flight connections.

We are considering Boston/Cambridge at the moment, but are not sure if New York, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, Atlanta etc. would be more attractive for a US citizen.

Which area on the East cost (NC and further north) or in the Great Lakes area would you consider as the most attractive?

Thanks a lot for your answers
Dr_Fly_A_Lot

[vannakc]

Do you mean attractive as in the scenery and city looks beautiful or do you mean a city that a attracts, draws in, a lot of workers?

[dr_fly_a_lot]

Attractivity in terms of potential white-collar employees wanting to live here and therefore being willing to relocate to this place (if they are not already living in this area).

Very best regards
Dr_Fly_A_Lot

[CityGirl52]

Boston and Cambridge are extremely diverse and quite the place to live these days, more than ever before. It's where a lot of white collar employees want to live not to mention where they absolutely need to live due to all the companies that are here right now; never mind the companies that need to be here in the near future, such as yours!

If you decide to have your company here, there certainly wouldn't be any problems whatsoever with finding these type of employees that you're looking for! After all, when it comes right down to it? The very best schools in the United States are right here in Boston and Cambridge. A lot of people end up settling here, as a result. There's a large number of young professional people living here now, as I speak that you'd be crazy not to have your company based here!

Boston as well as Cambridge both have a certain style to them compared to New York and some of the other cities on your list. For one thing, it's much smaller here of course but it's also extremely quaint here and there's a certain charm about it around here that the other Cities you listed can't and don't seem to have because they don't have what these two cities always had and probably always will have. I positively know that if you conducted an interview on the streets of Boston and Cambridge? You'd find most of your employees! That's how positive I am about it, where I'm a native here! The young people that are here now are from all over this great country and Europe and they're living here now, more and more and you know? There's no let up on it in sight that we can see ever happening! This is where the highly qualified young people want to live and really? Can you blame them? They're an hour away from the mountains if they want to take off for a skiing weekend. They're a little over an hour away from the shores of Cape Cod for their summer weekend get aways. The 4 seasons are here in New England and there's nothing in the rest of the country, quite like it, if there is, then you'll have to correct me, but I doubt it! There's absolutely incredible cuisine in both Boston and Cambridge, with wonderful entertainment complexes, restaurants, cafes and bistros. There's unique boutiques and shops in both of these areas with incredible Museums and top educational facilities throughout both Cities and beyond. In fact, the new "Institute of Contemporary Art" just opened this past week on the waterfront and it was a big hit!

Boston and Cambridge are geared to being extremely vibrant and hip cities and they don't even have to try! Not to mention being first class areas of the country to have a business in, you'd be kind of crazy not to consider it here! Good luck with your search and do let us know where you decide on!

[Parsec]

Setting up the poll in the MA forum will skew the results towards Boston. I don't know if you've posted this poll in other state forums as well. (Most) of the cities you mentioned above would have an adequate supply of qualified workers. I think you should also consider how the laws regulating your business would be different in each state.

[smarty]

Wow! I can vote more than one city... hehe

Boston has so many people across the pond. They will feel just like home.

[ontheroad]

I think Parsec has a good point. Posting in MA will attract people who are more favourably inclined to this State.

I'm going to vote for NYC as I've worked in both Boston and NY and while NYC may have its downside(s), it certainly atttracts people from all over the country and world. It is also accustomed to setting up businesses from abroad.

Originally Posted by Parsec

Setting up the poll in the MA forum will skew the results towards Boston. I don't know if you've posted this poll in other state forums as well. (Most) of the cities you mentioned above would have an adequate supply of qualified workers. I think you should also consider how the laws regulating your business would be different in each state.

[Elizabeth G]

A European company seeking to establish a branch in a US city might also consider Philadelphia.
In the past five years, Philadelphia has been experiencing a rapid revitalization, especially in Center City (downtown areas) and University City (area just west of downtown, where Penn and Drexel U. are located).
The city now offers tax abatement for construction projects, and many high-rise condos have been built downtown on formerly abandoned lots or in renovated buildings.
Now downtown has many more residents than just a few years before as these condos are selling well. Most residents now are professional people, both singles and young families. There are also many retired professionals.
University City has become very inviting with many renovated Victorian houses, upscale restaurants, and shopping. The University of Pennsylvania offers low-cost loans for full-time employees to buy houses in the area. Penn also, in a joint venture, established Penn Alexander, a high-quality public school, which has also encouraged many families to buy property in the area.The University City District established its own foot and bicycle patrol to supplement the work of the local police department. It has become a safe and popular area to walk. The Science Center now offers 26,000 jobs, and a major tech company has just established an office in University City. The U of Penn Hospital and Children's Hospital are also major employers in the area.

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Thank you , and best wishes.

[NY'er lost in MA]

Public transportation up here is a weakness. In all honesty- NYC would be a better attraction for employees. I have lived in both!

A friend just moved to Chicago and I think it also would be a higher draw than Boston. You mentioned flights- Logan isn't particularly strong when it comes to routings. NYC has 3+ airports and Chicago is not only a hub, but a major connector- east/west.

But not to dismiss Boston- this area is good for some industries: tech and obviously medical, and education.