<p>From the mid-2000s through the late 2010s, San Francisco was a magnet for young graduates driven largely by Web 2.0 and the mobile tech boom. It was a cool city that boasted high-paying jobs and promised a breezy West Coast lifestyle.</p> <p>But in the past several years, younger workers have been ditching San Francisco for cheaper cities and better work-life balance. It started with a pandemic exodus, as workers moved to be closer to their families or to pursue a different lifestyle; then they steadily drifted toward Texas and Florida, where jobs were plentiful and rent was more manageable. In fact, a <a href="gensler.com/gri/city-pulse-2…">survey</a> by global architecture firm Gensler showed <a href="axios.com/local/san-francisc…">nearly half</a> of San Francisco’s young, childless adults were contemplating a move.</p> <p>And now an April <a href="jll.com/en-us/insights/innov…">report</a> from commercial real estate and investment management firm JLL shows there’s a third chapter in San Francisco’s migration script in which younger generations are moving to “welcomer cities” like Nashville and Orlando.</p> <p>JLL now defines Nashville and Orlando as welcomers because they still offer plenty of corporate job opportunities, but are more affordable than large cities. </p> <p>“Specifically, Nashville’s outsized cultural presence and Orlando’s favorable tax policy make them powerful magnets for talent,” <a href="jll.com/en-us/people/bio-bro…">Travis McCready</a>, head of industries, leasing advisory at JLL, told <em>Fortune</em>. </p> <p>McCready pointed out welcomer cities overall have a net migration rate of 5.2% over the past three years, while “anchor” cities like New York and the Bay Area grew just 0.6% from migration over the same time period.</p> <p>What this also means is welcomer cities like Nashville and Orlando are now legitimate contenders in the innovation economy, according to JLL, which tracks talent migration, office market dynamics, and corporate investment across 135 cities globally. </p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Will ‘welcomer cities’ stick?</h2> <p>Especially in the past few years, Gen Z has been flocking to more affordable cities just to get by during the cost-of-living crisis. Aside from places like Texas and Florida, many have made <a href="fortune.com/article/gen-z-mi…">moves to the Midwest</a>, where homes are about 30% cheaper than on the coasts. </p> <p>A 2025 <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="consumeraffairs.com/finance/…" target="_blank">ConsumerAffairs analysis</a> of U.S. Census Bureau and Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) data found that seven</span> of the 10 most accessible metros for young homeowners are in the Midwest. Unsurprisingly, California dominated the list of the least affordable metro areas for Gen Z.</p> <p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">A <a href="apartments.com/cost-of-livin…" target="_blank">cost-of-living comparison</a> by <a href="apartments.com" target="_blank">Apartments.com</a> shows the cost of living in San Francisco is 80.6% higher than in Orlando, and housing prices are 226.2% higher.</span> Compared with Nashville, San Francisco’s cost of living is 66.3% higher, and housing is nearly 150% more expensive. </p> <p>“The pull factors that drew people to affordability- and lifestyle-oriented cities [like Nashville and Orlando] are not likely to disappear, and people have built lives, bought homes, and put down roots in these markets,” McCready said.</p> <p>Corporate migration also reinforces why younger people are moving. In 2024, <a href="fortune.com/company/oracle/" target="_blank">Oracle</a> announced plans to establish what it called its “world headquarters” in Nashville, committing $1.2 billion in capital investment over a decade and pledging to add 8,500 jobs to the area, with Tennessee state leaders offering a $65 million economic grant to help offset costs. (Although <a href="fortune.com/2026/01/15/oracl…">recent reports suggest</a> Oracle is struggling a bit to attract workers to its office.)</p> <p><a href="fortune.com/company/starbuck…" target="_blank">Starbucks</a> also this spring announced it would debut a <a href="axios.com/local/nashville/20…">corporate hub</a> in Nashville, which would <a href="seattletimes.com/business/st…">reportedly</a> be 250,000 square feet, or large enough for up to 2,000 employees, according to <a href="costar.com/article/201867872…">CoStar</a>.</p> <p>“With these growth plans, we see Nashville, Tennessee, as an ideal location to open an office and establish a more strategic presence in the Southeast region of the U.S.,” Starbucks COO Mike Grams said in a statement.</p> <p>In Orlando, Travel Leisure made the decision to relocate its global headquarters downtown—a move McCready called “a signal worth paying attention to.” Boston-based cybersecurity firm SimSpace also moved its headquarters to Orlando this year, and global <a href="fortune.com/company/nubank/" target="_blank">banking</a> software company Temenos, AMD, and <a href="fortune.com/company/charles-…" target="_blank">Charles Schwab</a> have all announced expansions in Orlando in the past couple of years. </p> <p>Despite all of these moves, it by no means suggests cities like San Francisco or New York are dead. It just means they are competing more now with midsize markets. </p> <p>“What we are seeing in established hubs like New York and the Bay Area is a recovery, but it’s highly selective,” McCready said. “Demand is concentrating in places and spaces with high degrees of accessibility, visibility, and access to amenities. And the supply in those markets is genuinely constraining: Only about 9% of office space in the Bay Area and major anchor cities was built after 2020.</p> <p>“So even companies that want to consolidate in San Francisco or New York are competing for a very thin slice of truly desirable space,” he continued.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The office market math</h2> <p>For companies weighing a relocation decision, the numbers in emerging innovation hubs like Orlando or Nashville tell a compelling story. Nashville ranked among the top five U.S. markets for absorption-to-delivery ratios in 2025, with 35% of new supply absorbed last year, alongside New York, Charlotte, Seattle, and Phoenix. Class A rents sit at $43.52 per square foot, which is meaningfully below large-city rates but in space McCready describes as “genuinely competitive.”</p> <p>Orlando’s vacancy rate of 15.3% is well below the national average of 22.4%, and the market is seeing steady demand for high-quality, amenity-rich space. That stands in contrast to the Bay Area, where only about 9% of total office inventory was built after 2020, and where prime rents average $1,296 per square meter. Class A rents in a welcomer city (like Orlando or Nashville) average $627 per square meter, roughly half that figure, according to JLL’s data.</p> <p>“You are competing for very little space against very deep-pocketed incumbents” in San Francisco, McCready said. “Emerging hubs offer something increasingly rare: optionality. More modern inventory, more competitive rents, and—critically—talent pools that are growing, not just circulating.”</p> <p><em>A version of this story was originally published on Fortune.com on April 2, 2026.</em></p> <p>This story was originally featured on <a href="fortune.com/article/why-is-g…" target="_blank">Fortune.com</a></p> fortune.com/article/why-is-g…

Connect with peers on June 18th for our Virtual Council covering "Build Trust in the Age of AI." Learn more and register here: cvisionintl.com/events/counc… #CVisionIntl #SimSpace #Cybersecurity #AI #ProactiveDefense

Don't miss out! Jason Rivera, Field CTO at #SimSpace, is leading a webinar on securing the #MiddleEast against #AI-accelerated threats. ✅ Real attack simulations ✅ #AgenticAI in action ✅ Built for regional SOC teams 🗓️ June 16 | 13:00 GST 🔗 lnkd.in/eEQpPU-X

Join us: uscybergames.com/season-vi-o…

STARTNG SOON! 🛡️⚔️ What Blue Teams Wish Red Teams Understood (and Vice Versa) Featuring Rain Baker (@Nightwing), Steven Hullander (@SimSpace), Trey Bilbrey (@SCYTHE), and Jeremy Mill (@VaroBank), moderated by Chris Haller, US Cyber Team Attack & Defense Coaching Lead

Join us: uscybergames.com/season-vi-o…

Tonight at 8:30 PM EDT: 🛡️⚔️ What Blue Teams Wish Red Teams Understood (and Vice Versa) Featuring Rain Baker (@Nightwing), Steven Hullander (@SimSpace), Trey Bilbrey (@SCYTHE), and Jeremy Mill (@VaroBank), moderated by Chris Haller, US Cyber Team Attack & Defense Coaching Lead

🚀 Hiring: Principal Product Manager - SimSpace 📍 United States – Remote | 💼 Full Time | 🧑‍💻 Cybersecurity / AI | 🕐 16 hours ago - June 07, 2026 The company is looking for a Principal Product Manager to shape the future of cybersecurity through AI Proving Grounds. SimSpace delivers advanced realistic cyber ranges for training, testing, and validation. 📋 Responsibilities include: - Define product vision, strategy, and roadmap for AI agents, threat simulation, and platform capabilities. - Collaborate with engineering and cybersecurity experts on security automation and cyber tool efficacy. - Drive enhancements in cybersecurity training and testing platforms. 🔑 Requirements: - 8 years product management experience or strong cybersecurity background (red/blue teaming, incident response). - Deep knowledge of security tools, trends, and operations including penetration testing and threat detection. - Excellent communication and leadership skills. 📩 To apply: Submit your application here: jobs.ashbyhq.com/simspace-co… Rolling review. 🔗 Original post: linkedin.com/posts/hiring-re… ⚠️ DYOR! I don’t verify every job. If someone asks to run files (even from GitHub) or ask for payment 🚩 likely a scam. ❗️ I'm not hiring myself! I just sharing fresh web3/crypto/blockchain roles DAILY for all levels! 💡 For Interns & juniors → t.me/crypto_vazima_english 💼 Mid/senior jobs → t.me/web3_jobs_crypto_vazima #ProductManager #Cybersecurity #AI #RemoteJobs #Hiring #TechJobs #Product #Security #Web3 #Blockchain #Crypto #DevJobs #Engineering #RemoteWork #Jobs

🚨⚠️サイバー脅威がエスカレート中！日本企業は今、本気の防御体制強化が急務です🛡️💥 Nikkei Asiaに「Cyber Initiative Tokyo2025」にて大反響だったIDのSimSpace Cyber Range講演の英訳記事が掲載されました✨ ps.asia.nikkei.com/cit2025/i… ☑️米空軍＆MIT出身者が開発 ☑️米サイバーコマンド・世界200超の組織・大手銀行が採用 ☑️現実のビジネス環境を完全再現した仮想ネットワークで、40種以上の攻撃を自動シミュレーション！ ☑️低コストで繰り返し実践演習が可能に 教室だけの学習じゃなく、本物の戦闘力が身につく次世代サイバートレーニングです🧑‍💻🔥 CYBER INITIATIVE TOKYO 2025でも大注目のこのソリューション、ぜひ今すぐチェック 👇 idnet.co.jp/service/simspace… 貴社のサイバー防御は本当に「実戦」レベルですか？ 未来を守る一手、ここから始めましょう🌟 #サイバーセキュリティ #NikkeiAsia

【日経ビジネス電子版に掲載されました📖✨ 】 special.nikkeibp.co.jp/atclh… 2025年12月2日～3日に開催された「Cyber Initiative Tokyo2025」にて大反響だったIDの講演が日経ビジネス電子版に掲載されました🔥 米軍でも採用されている本格サイバーレンジ「SimSpace」を活用し、机上ではできない“実戦レベルの防御演習”を実現する方法を徹底解説📝 日本の企業・組織が直面するリアルな課題と、最先端の解決策がここに💡 🔗IDのページはこちら👇 special.nikkeibp.co.jp/atclh… ぜひご覧ください💁‍♀️ #日経ビジネス #サイバーセキュリティ

SimSpace relocates from Boston to Orlando wftv.com/news/local/simspace…

This morning I addressed SimSpace on the importance of cybersecurity and how Florida can get to work to address rapidly evolving cyber threats. We must take the security of our state extremely seriously. Providing for the safety of Floridians now while preparing our state for the future is not a part time job.

Great morning well spent speaking at the SimSpace Summit. Cybersecurity is no longer solely a technical matter; it is a critical issue of national security, economic security, and public safety. Florida recognizes the stakes as a high-value target and is advancing proactive, resilient defenses through public-private collaboration. Appreciate the opportunity to address this group of leaders shaping cyber defense.

💡この動画で学べるポイント💡 ・日本のセキュリティ予算、なぜ「人材」へ向けるべきなのか ・米サイバー軍が共同開発した「SimSpace」の圧倒的な再現性 ・最新40種以上の攻撃パターンを自動再現する演習の仕組み ・「能動的サイバー防御」を実現するための実践的アプローチ

【IDグループ注目YouTube🎥✨】 🚨日本のサイバー防御体制は、本当に大丈夫と言えるでしょうか？ 今、軍事レベルの攻撃が日常化してるのに…「最低10回は本格演習しないと実戦スキルは身につかない」って本当？😰💦 【サイバーイニシアチブ東京2025】で大反響だった講演ダイジェスト✨ 米サイバー軍・政府・超大手金融がこぞって導入する世界最高峰のサイバーレンジ「SimSpace（シムスペース）」を徹底解説📝 これを見ないと、2026年のサイバー戦に取り残されるかも…？ 今すぐチェックしてください👀 youtube.com/watch?v=YElYyz9j…

📨 Nueva API de mensajería para el AWS SimSpace Weaver App SDK Comunica tus aplicaciones de simulación directamente dentro de SimSpace Weaver. aws.amazon.com/es/about-aws/… #Simulation #RealTime #SDK #AWS #RoxsRoss

Love and Simspace

9/11 for everyone’s storage but im going to be obsessed with playing love and simspace

cekikikan ini mah love and simspace