While Silicon Valley may be known as the foremost tech hub in the U.S., there are a number of other emerging hubs across the country. Many people interested in pursuing a career in tech are now considering cities like Los Angeles and Chicago.
Before you move to a new city to start your tech career, consider which cities have high-quality training programs that will help you learn the skills you need to thrive in the industry. Luckily for you, there are a number of excellent coding bootcamps all around the country—even in cities with nascent tech industries.
We’ve compiled a list of the top cities with high-quality coding bootcamps. This list will give you a sense of where you could break into one of the best tech jobs and provide you with information about some of the top coding bootcamps in those cities.
Let’s break down the top ten cities to attend coding bootcamp and explore some of the best training programs those cities have to offer.
1. San Diego, California
Silicon Beach may not be as well-known for tech as San Francisco or Palo Alto, but a number of major tech companies have set up shop there over the last few decades. The city is home to the renowned San Diego Zoo and the USS Midway—an aircraft carrier that is now a museum. Tech companies based in San Diego include Seismic, Walmart Labs, Human Longevity, CourseKey, and AstroPrint.
The top San Diego coding bootcamps include Thinkful, LearningFuze, LEARN Academy, and Origin Code Academy.
2. Miami, Florida
Miami, also known as the Magic City, is one of the most vibrant metropolitan areas in the country. Well-known for its diversity and party culture, Miami also has an emerging tech ecosystem. CareCloud, Dell, Papa, General Electric, and Emphasys Software are all hiring qualified tech talent for jobs in the region. The Magic City is also home to a number of great coding bootcamps.
The top coding bootcamps in Miami include the University of Miami Bootcamps, TechLaunch, and SunTraining Center. National coding bootcamps such as Thinkful and General Assembly have a presence there as well and offer both part-time programs and full-time, immersive programs.
3. Chicago, Illinois
While Chicago is perhaps most well-known for landmarks such as the Willis Tower and Millennium Park, those are only the start of what the Windy City has to offer. Summer festivals, Museum Campus, and the friendliness of local residents make Chicago a great place to live. A number of major tech companies are all based in the city, including Groupon, Cars.com, GrubHub, and Career Builder.
The top coding bootcamps in Chicago include Actualize, DESIGNATION, Starter League, and Fullstack Academy. If you’re looking to attend a national bootcamp, Thinkful, Coding Dojo, General Assembly, and Flatiron School all offer courses there.
4. Portland, Oregon
Tech may not be the first thing you think of when you think about Portland, but the city has a booming tech ecosystem. Portland has a reputation for its friendliness, picturesqueness, and its diverse food scene. It really has something for everyone. In addition, a number of tech companies have offices in or near the city: Google, Airbnb, Salesforce, and Oracle all have a presence there.
There are a number of top bootcamps in Portland. These include Alchemy Code Lab, PDX Guild, the University of Oregon Coding Bootcamps, Epicodus, and The Tech Academy.
5. Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia’s capital is among the fastest-growing metro areas in the US, attracting newcomers from around the country. Atlanta has a reputation for being a “city in a forest,” given its close proximity to dense forests, and being home to sports teams like the Falcons, Hawks, and the Braves. In addition, the city is also home to a thriving technology ecosystem.
There are a number of excellent coding bootcamps in Atlanta, which include: Tech Talent South, DigitalCrafts, Big Nerd Ranch, Atlanta Code, Thinkful, and Refcode. The local university Georgia Tech has also partnered with Trilogy Education Services to offer part-time and full-time web development programs.
6. Austin, Texas
Austin may not be the first place you think of when you’re asked to name tech hubs, but the city has a rapidly-growing technology sector and is home to a number of excellent coding bootcamps. Austin, located in the heart of the Lone Star State, is a unique and dynamic city with a lot to offer, from its classic Texas barbecue, to music festivals such as Austin City Limits and South by Southwest.
Like any good tech hub, there are plenty of top coding bootcamps in Austin, including Thinkful, Flatiron School, General Assembly, Coding Temple, Data Science Dojo, and Galvanize.
7. Denver, Colorado
Denver is one of the most exciting places in which an aspiring tech worker could start their new career. The Mile High City is famous for providing a vast range of outdoor activities to its residents, and for being at the base of the Rocky Mountains. The city also offers access to a thriving metropolis with excellent arts venues such as the Red Rocks Amphitheater and Denver Art Museum, and the city is home to the bustling Cherry Creek Shopping Center.
Denver is also home to a range of both local and national bootcamps. The best Denver coding bootcamps include Flatiron School, Galvanize, General Assembly, Turing School, DaVinci Coders, and Skill Distillery.
8. Seattle, Washington
Seattle has long been a major player in the technology sector. In recent years, the company has become home to a number of tech companies, in large part because tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon are based in the area. However, the thriving tech ecosystem is not all Seattle has to offer. The Emerald City has a bustling metropolitan center, easy access to forests, major sports teams, and more.
What’s more, Seattle coding bootcamps are some of the best in the country. General Assembly, Epicodus, Ada Developers Academy, Code Fellows, Galvanize, and The Tech Academy are just a few of the many top coding bootcamps based in the city.
9. New York, New York
New York City is one of the most vibrant and unique cities in the world. From the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, to Times Square and the New York Stock Exchange, there’s so much to do in the city. New York is also home to some of the best restaurants in the world, as well as a number of public parks such as Washington Square and Bryant Park.
That’s not all New York has going for it! The best NYC coding bootcamps include NYC Data Science Academy, Codesmith, BrainStation, General Assembly, App Academy, and Pursuit.
10. San Francisco, California
This list of top cities to attend coding bootcamp would not be complete without San Francisco. Fog City is at the center of some of the most groundbreaking innovations in the technology sector. It has a diverse culture that makes it a great place for anyone to live. What’s more, the number of tech companies in San Francisco is too long to list in this article. Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Electronic Arts, Apple, and Cisco are all based there, to name a few.
Just about every major bootcamp offers courses in this global tech hub. Bootcamps such as Springboard, Metis, App Academy, Thinkful, General Assembly, Flatiron School, and Hack Reactor all have a presence there. It doesn’t matter if you want to learn at a digital marketing bootcamp or a web development bootcamp—in both cases, you should be able to find a quality San Francisco bootcamp to get you where you need to be.
Clearly, there are a number of great cities with top coding bootcamps around the U.S. to jump-start your new career in tech. You may wish to consider Chicago if you want to live in a large metropolis, San Diego if you like ships and the water, Miami if you’re always up for a party, Portland if you are a food lover, and San Francisco if you want to be at the center of tech.