Trish Duggan, a lifelong entrepreneur, community leader, and traveler, shares a list of the U.S. best cities for innovative business-minded individuals who are eager to make their dreams a reality. Factoring things like cost of living, unemployment, and the demographics of the population, Trish elaborates on where you need to be if you are ready to hit the ground running with your up-and-coming business idea.

1. 15 Entrepreneur
Epicenters
Best American cities for leaders
transforming tomorrow.
Learn.
Adapt.
Evolve.
Trish Duggan
Entrepreneur

2. Trish Duggan
Lincoln
Nebraska
Lincoln is one of a number of
Midwestern cities that is
particularly hospitable to
entrepreneurs due to low
costs of living, lots of
educated young people, and
a business-friendly politcal
environment. Lincoln also
enjoys a high availability of
small business loans.

3. Trish Duggan
Madison
Wisconsin
Madison is a great location
for people, especially young
people, looking to birth and
grow the business of their
dreams. There is a strong
presence of college-
educated young employees,
as well as a good cost of
living index for such a
metropolitan city.

4. Trish Duggan
Minneapolis
Minnesota
Minneapolis enjoys a
particularly business-friendly
environment., as well as a
high number of businesses
per capita and low
unemployment. Also worth
noting - there is a high
concentration of residents
between 25 to 34 years in
age, an ideal demographic
for entrepreneurs looking to
expand their ranks.

5. Trish Duggan
Seattle
Washington
Huge names like Boeing and
Microsoft tend to come to
mind when considering
Seattle, but a critical mass of
new entrepreneurs has also
made the city their home
and established it as a
hotbed of innovation.

6. Trish Duggan
Austin
Texas
Business incentives like tax
credits, fee waivers, and job
training all abound in the
Lone Star state for small
businesses. The culture of
the city is extremely
conducive to leaders who
are sick of mulling over an
idea and are ready to make
their dream a reality.

7. Trish Duggan
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City matches a
low overall unemployment
rate with a relatively much
more affordable lifestyle
than in urban centers of a
similar size. The city is also
home to a growing portfolio
of small business incubators.

8. Trish Duggan
Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania
Although the city is
traditionally associated with
industries like steel and
textiles, the new Millennium
has ushered in a new era of
innovation and technology.

9. Trish Duggan
Washington,
D.C.
Although the city will likely
always be dominated by
politicians as it is the nation's
capital, a new set of leaders
has also emerged in recent
years - entrepreneurs. The
stable economy and large
pool of highly educated
people make in an ideal
hotspot to launch new
business ventures.

10. Trish Duggan
Portland
Oregon
Known far and wide for its
free-spirited and alternative
culture, Portland has
embraced a booming
number of independent and
driven young people eager
to launch the companies of
their dreams in a city which
extolls the importance of
acceptance.

11. Trish Duggan
Atlanta
Georgia
Atlanta enjoys a low cost of
living, extremely convenient
transportation, tech hubs like
the Atlanta Tech Village, and
a diverse talent pool from
nearby universities like
Georgia Tech, Emory, and
Georgia State University.
Together, these factors creat
a promising new place to
start a business.

12. Trish Duggan
Tulsa
Oklahoma
The city supports "home
grown" companies and has
developed a business
climate that is particularly
friendly to entrepreneurial
activity.

13. Trish Duggan
Durham
North Carolina
The city is currently
benefiting from an explosion
of entrepreneurial activity.
Experts, including the
Obama Administration,
investors from Silicon Valley,
and top-tier talent from
across the country, recognize
that Durham is rapidly
becoming one of the key
tech hubs in the U.S.

14. Trish Duggan
Nashville
Tennessee
Nashville offers more than
just a rich musical history.
The charming southern city
claims an excellent cost of
living index and promising
positive trend in terms of job
creation.

15. Trish Duggan
Orlando
Florida
Although the tourism
industry may seem to reign
supreme, the city is in the
midst of a tech and startup
renaissance. New ventures
regularly migrate to office
spaces downtown and the
absence of an income tax
continues to be a major draw.

16. Trish Duggan
Omaha
Nebraska
One of the most affordable
options available, Omaha has
a business-friendly economy
and a very high number of
businesses per capita. There
are also a number of
excellent resources for
entrepreneurs, including
start-up accelerators and the
University of Nebraska.