Reno has been compared to Silicon Valley, however three successful startups explain why they favor the biggest little city.

Rising rents and crowded freeways have put tension on the American Dream in the Bay Area. Tech giants have staked their claim in the region and are enticing not only startups, but talented people who are striving for something more. U.S. Census data taken in the Bay Area showed an emigration in 2016. Educated tech workers are moving out of the area and many of them are coming here to Reno.

VentureBeat talked to three Reno startups about their growth outside of the tech metropolis of Silicon Valley.

TrainerRoad

Nate Pearson founded TrainerRoad on the simple idea that he was a broke college grad who couldn’t pay

Reno has repainted its image and now it’s challenging Silicon Valley with its attractive business structure.

“There was only one place to go, and that was up,” said Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve.

In 2011, unemployment peaked at nearly 14% when Governor Brian Sandoval signed a law aiming to diversify the state’s economy. He recognized that gambling wasn’t enough to support the state’s economy and a sustainable workforce.

Reno has scored some big wins, starting with a new, highly automated factory run by Ardagh Group SA. The factory produces 3.5 million cans of tomato paste and other food products in just one day. In 2014, Tesla chose Reno out of six other locations to build its greatly anticipated Gigafactory. The Gigafactory is the largest in

Outside Magazine listed Reno as one of its “25 of America’s Best Towns Ever”.

The popular publication is focused on the outdoors and included Seattle, Kansas City, Bend, Austin, Boise, Kona and Fort Collins in the list. Reno was listed as the “best low-key hideout” in America.

Outside Magazine quoted: “Reno is home to the world’s tallest climbing wall (164 feet at BaseCamp, located at the Whitney Peak Hotel), year-round desert mountain biking, a half-mile long downtown whitewater-kayaking park and the 55-degree chutes at Mount Rose Ski Resort, just 25 minutes uphill from the slot machines.”

Here are some of our favorite things about living in Reno.

Water, Water, Water!

Not only is Reno incredibly close to Lake Tahoe (only a 20-minute

The world’s first high desert biome eco-district is planned for Reno, NV.

The initial phases have just been proposed by architect and developer Don J Clark Group in conjunction with the landscape architects Office of Cheryl Barton. A new $1.2 billion purpose-built neighborhood will transform West 2nd District in the heart of Reno.

By taking a series of underutilized lots, the project hopes to jumpstart an ecologically driven neighborhood with 1,900 housing units, 4,500 square feet of office space and 250,000 square feet of retail. Nearly 30 buildings will be included in the space and provide market-rate and workforce housing.

Courtesy of the Office of Cheryl Barton

Construction is aimed to connect to the surrounding nature by integrating

Google, Inc. has purchased 1,210 acres of land at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center.  

Per the documents filed last week in Storey County, the Silicon Valley tech giant spent nearly $29.1 million on the land in the same industrial park as Tesla. Governor Sandoval welcomed the high-profile company’s expansion into the state.

“Google is an internationally recognized and respected brand and one of the premier technology companies on the planet,” Sandoval said. “As with all businesses, the state stands ready as a willing and friendly partner in the development of this site.”

Several parcels of vacant land at the TRIC, just east of Reno, were snatched up by Google. One parcel is a whopping 662 acres and the other its slightly smaller

The Tesla Gigafactory plant outside of Reno is ramping up.

Tesla has hired more than 1,000 workers at its Reno location, according to the head of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development, and is on track to increase hiring goals each month. This workforce expansion expects the factory to have 3,200 workers by March 2018. Executive Director Steve Hill told the Senate Finance Committee last week during a budget review meeting that the California-based electric carmaker and energy company should be hiring 150 to 200 workers every month.

Grant Thornton for the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development conducted an independent audit that confirmed that Tesla was meeting all applicable targets. The state established the targets when it

What is all the hype about Reno? We’re here to tell you.

Northern Nevada has long-been known for being home to the largest alpine lake in North America, Lake Tahoe. But that isn’t all that the area has to offer. Reno lives up to its classic adage of being “The Biggest Little City”. From the views of the snow-capped Sierra Mountains to the tax-friendly business structure, it was easy to come up with 10 reasons we love living here.

1. There’s always something to do

The Reno-Tahoe region is blessed with 300 days of sunshine annually. Combine that with four distinct seasons and it is hard to stay indoors on just about any given day of the year. With the abundance of mountains, lakes, rivers, sun and snow, the range and choices of outdoor