In this showdown, we pit the two coasts against each other in a head-to-head duel to see which one rules for IT managers and executives. Everyone knows that in these two regions geeks rule, most parents explain their child’s career by saying say “my kid’s into computers” and somebody’s always stuck in traffic. But how do the locales stack up in a coast-to-coast showdown? From IT salaries and educational institutions, to climate and real estate, there’s much to debate about which is the best spot for an IT career. Top Number of U.S. IT Employees WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST Numbers 1 and 2—San Francisco and Los Angeles Numbers 3 and 4—Washington, D.C., and Boston Brain Trusts WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST Cal Tech, Stanford MIT, Carnegie Mellon Tech Nickname WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST Silicon Valley—Legendary The Rte. 128 Corridor—Lame Big Kahunas WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST Cisco, Google, HP, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Sun EMC, IBM Storied VCs WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Greylock, Benchmark Capital Battery Ventures, Atlas Ventures Culture Club WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST Liberal, laid-back and status-conscious Uptight, ultra-competitive and status-conscious Show Me the Money! WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST Senior Software Engineer / Developer / Programmer salary: $105,662 (San Francisco) Senior Software Engineer / Developer / Programmer salary: $96,961 (Boston) Real Estate Reality WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST Saratoga, Calif.—Median home price $1.4 million Wellesley, Mass.—Median home price $1.1 million Next: Comparisons on climate, coffee and technology-related accessories—and the winner of our matchup. Weather Forecast WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST Constant sunshine and cool Pacific breezes year round Hazy, hot and humid summers and Nor’easter blizzards in the winter Coffee Snobbery Factor WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST Will drive miles to find a Starbucks Swears by Dunkin’ Donuts, which is on every corner Signature Commuting Road WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST Highway 101 in San Francisco—Nightmare! Rte. 128 through Waltham, Mass.—Only a bad dream! Preferred Vehicle WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST Toyota Prius Hybrid Volvo Cross Country Regional Rep WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST Where “working-class millionaires” struggle to make ends meet The “Least” Coast Chances of Marrying a Tech Gazillionaire WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST High, especially if you hang around golf and yacht clubs Low, unless you meet him or her while still a grad student Must-Have Tech Exec Clothing Items WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST T-shirt, jeans, Teva sandals, leather jacket, messenger bag Blue Oxford shirt, khaki pants, deck shoes, ski jacket, briefcase Hip-Hop Rivalries WEST COAST EDGE EAST COAST Snoop Dogg, Suge Knight, Dr. Dre Tie (Can’t we all just get along!) Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, Jay-Z, 50 Cent WINNER: WEST COAST! SOURCES: CIO.com; Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco; Gaebler.com; Payscale.com; CNNMoney.com; Wikipedia. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe Related content feature Gen AI success starts with an effective pilot strategy To harness the promise of generative AI, IT leaders must develop processes for identifying use cases, educate employees, and get the tech (safely) into their hands. By Bob Violino Sep 27, 2023 10 mins Generative AI Generative AI Generative AI feature A fluency in business and tech yields success at NATO Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer speaks with Lee Rennick, host of CIO Leadership Live, Canada, about innovation in technology, leadership across a vast cultural landscape, and what it means to hold the inaugural CIO role at NATO. By CIO staff Sep 27, 2023 6 mins CIO IT Skills Innovation feature The demand for new skills: How can CIOs optimize their team? By Andrea Benito Sep 27, 2023 3 mins opinion The CIO event of the year: What to expect at CIO100 ASEAN Awards By Shirin Robert Sep 26, 2023 3 mins IDG Events IT Leadership Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe