GroupThink: Best Cities to Freelance From?

GroupThink: Best Cities to Freelance From?
Written by Samuel in GroupThink

Every few months, I'll see a magazine or TV show discuss "The Best 100 Places to Live." Some lists are generic and take several factors in account, while others are more specific, tailored to creatives, technologists, or urbanites. So let's ask this question today: In your mind, where is the perfect place for a freelancer to live and work? Keep in mind that freelancers like free wireless, public places to sit and work, technology epicenters, and relaxing in their off-time. So where would you live if you were a freelancer and had the opportunity? California? England? Stockholm? Speak your mind...

Note: As usual, one random commentor will get a Starbucks card for participating in GroupThink posts.

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Community Comments

Ryan Detzel
1/25/2008 1:44:07 PM

I can tell you it's NOT Boston! :-/ It's too cold here! I would have to say some tropical island or that's where I would like to setup shop anyways. Since I've only ever worked in Boston I don't know any different but I do hear these great stories about this 'free' wifi, starbucks on every block and NIcE places to work. :)

Oliver Lillie
1/25/2008 1:50:25 PM

Also NOT Finland... they screw over the self-employed people. royally.
I would however recommend, Coffs Harbour on the east coast of Australia. Beautiful beaches. take a lunch break and go swimming in the ocean for half an hour then come back all refreshed... awesome stuff. shame I'm no in Helsinki, but hey we do have some perks here too... the women are gorgeous. :-)

Kim Kinrade
1/25/2008 1:51:48 PM

I once heard Dr Wayne Dyer, the human potential guru, ask, "If you could live anywhere in the world you wanted, and never had to lack for anything, where would it be?"

Nova Scotia is great because you're never more than 30 minutes from the ocean or 15 from a lake. There's a major airport close and a traffic jam is still a two light wait. There are 7 World-Class Universities here and top-notch IT support. (Writers and a thriving film industry too)And the rest of the world hasn't found out about it yet like they have Colorado.

But Fiji's warmer. In answer to you and Dr. Dyer:
1. Fiji
2. Nova Scotia

Samuel
1/25/2008 1:54:35 PM

@Ryan - Heh...that's funny because most people rave about Boston. And being located right now in Wisconsin, I can tell you that we're all freezing here too (close to zero Farenheit this past week).

@Oliver - I've wondered about self-employed taxes in other countries. I'm just plain tired of taxes, especially his time of year...

@Kim - Nova Scotia sounds beautiful. And cold. I'm not sure if beautiful wins over cold thoughl.

Well, if nothing else, looks like this comment thread might be a "Where Not to Freelance" list as well :)

Sharon Hurley Hall
1/25/2008 1:54:42 PM

I'm putting in a bid for Bridgetown, Barbados. The re's no free wireless, but the telecoms work and the climate is great. In fact, you can go to the beach when you're not working all year round. Much better than the Midlands in the UK - brrr!

JaysGirl
1/25/2008 1:58:24 PM

Not Liverpool - no matter if we are Capital of Culture or not - can't wait to get out and move to Canada!

Sure, theres wireless places, but I wouldnt sit with anything expensive, as there are some idiots who love to rob or break things for fun. Great huh? lol.

Stay clear!

Samuel
1/25/2008 2:01:10 PM

First Boston and now Liverpool. All the preconceived notions of these "perfect" cultural cities is being ruined...

Barbados sounds nice right now in the dead of winter...

Chad Reitsma
1/25/2008 2:08:04 PM

I here Vancouver is where all the creative people go, I'm in Calgary right now and it's pretty good.

carl
1/25/2008 2:26:26 PM

I live in nashville. It has been rated as one of the top up and coming cultural centers in the world. Also, top 10 places for people under 30 in America. The arts have not developed as fast as other places and is fresh for new ideas and growth. Aside from a large part of the community not understanding the value of a well produced website or design there is plenty of room to expand. Nashville, or Music City, has a horde of musicians and performing artist waiting in line for album art and photography gigs.

Dustin Coates
1/25/2008 2:29:24 PM

Austin, hands down. A very creative, vibrant city with more wi-fi and public places to hang out. Cost of living is low, but there's a ton of culture and stuff to do. There's also a ton of like-minded people and you'll meet a lot of other freelancers.

Jermaine Jude
1/25/2008 2:30:22 PM

For those that like snow seasons.. I'm gonna recommend Denver.. We have a very tech savvy environment when it comes to some of the small perks we like soo much. But Since I'm from the Caribbean and don't ski... I'm thinking the west coast some where.

Katie
1/25/2008 2:45:04 PM

TORONTO. I've never lived in a city with so many entrepreneurs. When you know there are entrepreneurs, you know there are potential clients :) I also find that there are small design firms willing to subcontract designers when needed :)

Although I'd honestly love to freelance somewhere without snow so I can occasionally run whenever I want when I need to release some steam from work stress :) Perhaps I'll research that, before I make the complete leap to a full time freelance lifestyle ;)

Adam Bard
1/25/2008 2:48:27 PM

I'm in Victoria BC right now, which is nice because it's about the only city in Canada that doesn't spend winter under a thick snow cover (In fact, it hasn't been cold enough to snow at all this year). But, it's a bit dull. So, I'd say Vancouver - almost as nice, better skiing, very tech-savvy, a strong market, decent public transport, and a good urban environment in general. If I had to stay in one place, it would probably be there.

Samuel
1/25/2008 2:55:41 PM

Nice strong showing from Canada it seems. How are taxes and cost of living up there?

Daniel
1/25/2008 2:58:42 PM

Seattle, WA

I moved here just over three years ago for a contract position. I've since had a salaried job here and now I'm doing freelance. The work flow has been quite steady with just word-of-mouth.

Employment, contracting, and freelance for web design has been very very good to me here.

Contrary to popular belief it doesn't always rain here. The summers are incredibly beautiful and today (as it has been the last few days) it's sunny out without a cloud in the sky and mid 40's.

There are some things I don't like about the Seattle area, but the job/freelance market certainly isn't one of them.

Adam Bard
1/25/2008 3:10:41 PM

I'll be honest - Taxwise, I'm still riding on my leftover education credits (tuition deductable), so I haven't run into any major tax losses. It's generally accepted that taxes here are a bit higher than in the US, but things like not having to worry too direly about health insurance probably make up for it.

You are required to claim 5% GST (General Sales Tax aka Federal Sales Tax) and PST (Provincial Sales Tax, 7% in BC) on your services, if you make over X amount from that service. Most people won't object if you add that on top of your rate, since we're used to the taxes. But, it's something that freelancers who move to Canada probably find out the hard way come tax time.

Cost of living on the West Coast: $1000 per month in rent will get you a quite nice single apartment in Victoria. You can go as low as $400, but below $600 you're in basement-suite territory. For Vancouver, add 20%.

Rob M
1/25/2008 4:07:35 PM

I'd definitely say Vancouver as well. One of the best parts, IMO, is just about every pub in the city now has free wireless. I honestly get more work done in 30 minutes sipping a beer than I get done in 4 hours in my home office.

And when I get bored of the pubs? Heck, I've sat on the beach working a few times. There's almost always a wireless connection "somewhere"...

And there's plenty of reasons Vancouver seems to always get the "Most Livable City in the World" awards...it's really true. I've been to enough other cities to love it here.

Davide
1/25/2008 4:11:32 PM

ROME, Italy. what else?

Britne
1/25/2008 5:00:27 PM

I'm hoping it's London... otherwise my plans for life are going to suck. =)
St. Louis - just okay. Downtown has a free wifi zone. Some nice parks. Too much crime. Works for now, I guess.
But someone better step up and tell me London is great for freelancers. I have dreams, you know?

Mark
1/25/2008 5:14:55 PM

I'd have to throw another vote in for Seattle. Most coffee shops have free wireless (except starbucks, but I have tmobile internet so I get internet there too), all the libraries have been redone in the last 5 years or so, so they are very nice quiet environments to work in ... plus free wireless. Some of the large book stores (Barnes and Noble) have nice places to work ... most of my work is not in seattle so can't comment on that yet. And there are tons of great non-work activities to do here too.

I freelanced out of Cape Town for 5 months, AWESOME place to work. The city is absolutely gorgeous, and cost of living, while high for Africa, is relatively low compared to Seattle. (Tourist season rent is very very high) The raw beauty of Cape Town is awesome. Internet ... not so much free. Though you can get HSDPA cellular modems and pay 50 bucks for 2 gigs a month, not to bad if you aren't downloading like crazy.

Mark

Richard Beu
1/25/2008 5:51:41 PM

NEW ORLEANS - The city is coming back. With so many businesses that are reopening or are new, the freelance market is great. The culture is amazing. Jazz, Mardi Gras, the festivals.

Richard

Paul D
1/25/2008 6:59:50 PM

Brighton, UK is pretty good.
We've got a kicking freelancers network in the farm (www.brightonfarm.com).
We're less than an hour from London, and half and hour from gatwick (should one need to jet set).
The climate is great (ok, I come from Donegal in Ireland where it is mostly wet...).
There's a thriving 'new meedja' community.
Sure there are taxes but there's always the caymans...

dianewb
1/25/2008 9:22:46 PM

Gonna have to put in another vote for Denver. Nice small-town feel in a tech-friendly city with great museums and five sports teams (Go Rockies!). No traffic to speak of (I'm from Chicago). Wi-fi seemingly everywhere.

And did you know that Denver is considered the Napa Valley of beer? What more could you ask for?

Garth
1/25/2008 10:09:55 PM

I live in Auckland, New Zealand and I love it. I'm primarily here because I'm doing my degree at Auckland Uni but it's a nice place to be freelancing too.

New Zealand is a wonderful place to live but from a freelancing perspective, our internets are a bit lacklustre. As I understand it, we have only 1 pipe coming in (from Australia) and there's a privatised company (Telecom) that has a stranglehold on broadband, so there isn't much competition to speak of.

Internet problems aside I love Auckland as a place to live - heaps of parks, beaches everywhere, lots of cafes and mostly good weather.

Whilst your city is important, I think what you make of your office is more important. I'm lucky to have this view outside my study and I love gazing into when I feel like daydreaming:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15260967@N03/2220221930/

Apologies for the poor exposure - it was outrageously sunny and my camera is a bit poo.

@Samuel - I don't know if you've done something like this before but an article on setting your office/study up for freelancing would be very interesting. Perhaps you could do it in the GroupThink format and everyone could share their ideas (in a very Lifehacker fasion).

Sonali Agrawal
1/25/2008 10:55:00 PM

I would like to go for Minneapolis, Minnesota. It's a beautiful place,though it snows in winter like anything. And that's when you can relax, drink tea/coffee and make your creative juices flow. No Internet problem, lot of parks and cafes, and lake views. After all its a city of 10,000 lakes. I wish I could go back there.

Samuel
1/25/2008 11:47:42 PM

I think some people are wired to always see other places as "greener grass." I think I'm one of those people and have spent time in the US South(Atlanta), Northeast(New York state), and Midwest(Saint Louis, Minneapolis,Milwaukee). I also have done time in a few Asian countries and every location did have its perks. But for whatever reason, places like California, England, Ireland, South Africa, and especially New Zealand sound great to me (liked the picture, the suggestion, and the SpongeBob, Garth).

Jeffry Degrande
1/26/2008 4:31:04 AM

For me that would definately be Joao Pessoa,Brazil. Just relocated here 2 months ago from Belgium. What a difference. Plenty of wifi & Internet cafees scattered all over the city and fairly descent Internet access from my home^H^H^H^Hoffice as well. And nothing beats hanging out on the beach in the shadow of a palmtree with some cold coconut milk.

James Pearson
1/26/2008 5:53:45 AM

@Britne - London is ok for freelancing, but consider this:

1. Taxes are insanly high, and everything except breathing is taxed (Breathing Tax expected later this year)

2. The strong pound makes any work from outside the UK not worth it. £1 = $2, so your working half price if your working for a US client.

3. Property prices and rent prices are insanily high. Think New York prices, but in GB Pounds

4. Its Grey all the time, except 3 days in July we call Summer - and we didn't even get those 3 days last year (Government cutbacks I guess)

Personally I'm thinking Melbourne, Australia for myself, anyone got any thoughts?

Brad Pyne
1/26/2008 9:52:41 AM

I'm located in Michigan, near Detroit. Good client base and pretty nice environment. If there was one place I could move and do freelance full time I would probably pick Nashville or New Orleans.

simplestupid
1/26/2008 11:02:02 AM

I am located in Maldives. And its quite cool to work from home here. No taxes. Bills are a little high. But plenty of sea + fresh air = relaxation.
So I like it here very much

Michael Flarup
1/26/2008 12:48:55 PM

Im perfectly happy being based off Copenhagen, Denmark. Ofcourse the most obvious reasons being my education and my friends and family there, but it's a nice clean, safe city with that scandinavian touch. Inspiration seems to be abundant there.

Adjo
1/26/2008 1:04:18 PM

I used to freelance in Vancouver until I moved up the coast... Now I work from my lovely cabin on the ocean and ferry over to Vancouver maybe once a week to meet with clients. For me, the best place to freelance is Sechelt, BC!

Medford
1/26/2008 4:00:19 PM

The best cities to freelance in are the bigger ones. Hannover is going to be a struggle compared to Hamburg. It is also down to your skillset or the circles you exist in. If you are in the know or are in the right industry current will determine whether you get hooked.

You would have to be doing something seriously wrong not to be able to scrap an existence or better in any of the major, cool hots spots of the planet. Berlin, Paris, Helsinki, Barcelona, Vancouver, San Franciscowhatever...are great, yes it's cool to chill in a park coding or designing , then go surfing on the local cool beach and then go and have lunch in a cool cafe but who really does that? Ok maybe 1% of the coolest design / developer kids but for most mortals it's about griding the stone in front of a desk getting the work done and taking it from there. What you environment has to offer is a by-product as long as you are getting paid.

Steve Jabs
1/27/2008 1:17:55 AM

I currently live in Pittsburgh, PA, USA and find freelance to be pretty easy here. I live in the same building as one of the few Starbucks that have free wireless so internet is never a problem. Finding clients isn't terrible tough either. I really do have a huge love and hate relationship with Pittsburgh though. I like a lot of the little places in and around Pittsburgh but I hate the city in majority.

I am however in May moving to Lake Buena Vista (Disney World basically), Florida. I'm hoping that finding clients in the Orlando and Kissimmee area will be fairly easy. We'll see... Can anyone shed any light on the situation down that way?

Joohliah
1/29/2008 9:52:27 AM

Very interesting post that is !

@ Paul D : I LOVE Brighton UK, I went quite a few times there on holidays (yes, some people go to the UK for holidays…! :P), but I never thought of actually living and working there… Interesting thought :)

Apparently Canada's great for freelancing… but how's the cultural side ? I currently live in Paris, France (Europe, Planet Earth) and find it amazing to have that many museums and live music shows just a few blocks away.

Good points for Paris : great cultural background, both classical architecture and modern design / graphic arts. Quite "small" : I only move around by bike and it's really no problem (no more than 10km from end to end). Cultural diversity with people from loads of different countries. The Louvre & all other museums. Obviously, we have amazing croissants for breaks :D

Taxes : I put aside 50% of everything I earn for social fees and taxes, and I usually get 20% back at the end of the year. With that I have social security.

Bad points for Paris : weather's ok but not THAT great. Pollution in the summer, cold and grey in the winter (like right now). Traffic jams if you move around by car. Flats are getting expensive (but I hear it's nothing compared to London) : around 1200€ for 3 medium sized rooms. I feel like the freelance way of life is not very common here… not many people work in cafés, and Starbuck has only just started a few years back. Like for the £, the € is quite high right now, and makes it difficult to work with the states… (1€ = 1,477$)

Otherwise… any hints about Stockholm and Tokyo/Japan ?

Rodrigo Mejía
1/29/2008 10:56:01 AM

I wont tell you where... but for two years I,ve lived in a small town in Mexico, near mountain, river, beach, great coffe places... and for the moment I wouldn't have any plans for moving to any other place :)

Gordon Cieplak
1/30/2008 1:56:29 PM

I second the vote for Boston not being in the running.

I'd say NYC is pretty rocking if you like the social networking game and don't mind living in a decaying loft out in Brooklyn if you don't want to pay more than $1000/month for rent.

Def. not a place for the chill freelance lifestyle though.

James
1/31/2008 12:19:16 AM

Los Angeles, for sure. You have the beach, year round great climate, snowy mountains just one hour away. There are beautiful people here and last but not least, lots of work!

Jordan Isip
1/31/2008 12:52:04 AM

Another vote for Seattle, WA. Seattle = Tons of coffee shops = Free Wireless. Also there is a great web design/development community.

christophr
1/31/2008 3:56:02 AM

Portland, Oregon is the best, in my opinion!

Zinni
1/31/2008 8:14:28 AM

Chicago is a pretty good city for freelancers. If you are in need of some jobs, it is insanely easy to hook up with smaller agencies and get relatively steady work. If I was not already working in a small shop, I would definitely be freelancing. But it is ok, because there is more than enough moonlighting opportunities.

Sam
1/31/2008 8:57:19 AM

I'm having a blast living in Chicago, it's very tech friendly. I supplment my freelance income with coding temp work at various agencies around town. The social scene here is also very good to meet new people and business contacts, it seems everyone is always in need of a website.

I am curious about Denver - I'm looking for a change from the midwest for a while, and I'm glad it's well received for freelancers.

Brent Kearney
1/31/2008 10:55:10 AM

Banff, Alberta. Go skiing in the morning, do client work during the day/evening. In the summer, replace skiing with rock climbing or mountain biking. Theres no smog or noise, and there are gorgeous views in every direction.

Marilyn
1/31/2008 11:34:09 AM

I'm in Vancouver. While there are a ton of coffee shops and pubs with wireless, the 10 months of gray skies and rain stifle my creativity and I seem to always have a cold.

The cost of living is quite high here in comparison to what clients expect to pay.

I'm hoping to find a sunny location to relocate to!

Aaron
1/31/2008 7:07:10 PM

@James

I currently live in Melbourne and it is a great town. Winter can be a bit bleak, but besides that its is a awesome city to live and work in. I'm a freelancer and have had no shortage of work since going solo 16 months ago.

But I must say, I'm in Japan at the moment, and Tokyo could almost persuade me to move here ...

africaeconomist
2/1/2008 12:01:37 AM

If you had a choice in Africa it would be Cape Town. Lots of universities, variety of lifestyle options, but yes we are battling a bit with the broadband.

Paul Ocal
2/1/2008 1:47:10 AM

I really want to move to NY or London.
Im based out of Orange County as of now... we'll see what happens...

John
2/3/2008 12:58:52 AM

San Diego California. Plenty of nice weather year round - and I can take a surf break to stretch the limbs.

Lots of small agencies here too - and most look to freelancers at one point or another.

Mostafa Mourad
2/3/2008 3:34:48 AM

Cairo, Egypt :D
All public places over here are equipped with wireless connection. plus the warm stable weather!

Prices in Egypt are low compared to Europe and USA, which means you can live like a king from freelancing!

Keeshia
2/11/2008 2:50:01 PM

Judging by where I *have* been, I would say Nashville, Dallas, Austin, Las Vegas, or places like San Diego and Seattle. Quite possibly Chicago as well. I've not spent too much time yet on the east coast, but I know it's definitely not here in Norfolk, VA hah! Unless you're designing for the military ;)

Where I haven't been... I'm all for London, or anywhere in either Ireland or Germany.

John
2/12/2008 3:11:31 PM

I live in Orlando, and it is a great hub to find business all throughout Florida and the Southeast.

Tons of cash flow, thousands of small and medium sized businesses growing and dying everyday.

The best part is if your job requires a commute once a week or so, it's under 4 hours to anywhere else in florida... 1.5 to tampa, 2.5 to west palm, 3 to miami... you get the idea. Not like there's not enough business in Orlando itself though.

Gil Megidish
2/13/2008 4:10:12 AM

I vote for Tel Aviv, Israel.

After visiting many major cities around the world, I can say with confidence, that Israel is the place to be. There's why:

1. All pubs and all cafes have free wifi access.

2. If you sit in cafes during daytime, there's a 95% chance you'll run into somebody who's running an Israeli startup (happens to me almost every day!)

3. It feels more like a calm place, find a cafe that plays your taste in music. And the food is great!

4. If you're Israeli, you have a backup plan automatically. Even if you quit your day job, you can qualify with 3 months of salary and work on your startup. And your insurance never goes kaput, you can still keep your policy, which is how it works in the USA.

I love it here.
I love Tel Aviv.
I love my cafe (currently faving The Streets on King George.)

Cheers :)

Yair Bar-On
2/13/2008 4:28:43 AM

I'm with Gil, I also vote for Tel Aviv.
For the last 2 years I run my business from coffee places in the city.
My office has thousands of branches and every day I can pick a new one.
+
Having my office in Tel Aviv makes me work in an office with the most beautiful girls in the world!

Kris
3/24/2008 1:19:27 PM

Since I didn't see it mentioned (for very good reason), I didn't see any cities in Kentucky listed, I should throw my input out here. I am near Lexington and it has its ups and downs. First, the ups, it is insanely inexpensive to live here and even though it's 'hick-land', there are still a fair share of start ups and established firms - especially if you look in Lexington and Louisville and/or you establish yourself in a niche market that is big in the state such as tourism and equestrian industries. The downsides, however, are pay rates and knowledge levels. Many people in the area focusing on a start up, or just now wanting an online presence seem to have no clue what a website entails or what it generally goes for. Word of mouth is big here, so if Billy Dean heard that his counsin's son's friend can make him a website for $300, you have to be able to compete with that. They aren't technically advanced enough in general to know the value of the work. I can understand wages being lower since the cost of living is lower, but I've had people demand an e-commerce site for $200-$500 - ridiculous.

When school is finished, I am actually looking at Indianapolis, Indiana. I was raised there, its downtown is growing but not massive - yet. They are farther advanced technology wise so the rates would be closer to par. Also, if someone were to be in the niche markets of anything in the medicine and healthcare industries, Indianapolis is the spot.

Jonabyte
3/27/2008 7:25:56 AM

I am near Toronto, and it is not a bad place, overall we are the most taxed ppl in the world I think, but I still love living here.
But I would like to set it up so I can work from someplace sunny in the cold months..:)

Christopher
4/2/2008 7:09:54 PM

I see a few votes for Minneapolis and even Indy (got family there). I like them both. Plus Denver or Vancouver.

I'm in the Twin Cities and the thing that I'd like to add is that unless you really need a lot of face time with a client, it doesn't matter where you live.

In the past four years I've had only a handful of local clients. The rest are scattered all over the world.

I have a Canadian client who lives in Anguilla. The reason? Zero taxes. Saves him tens of thousands of dollars per year. Compare that to Toronto, Montréal, New York, or London.

My advice? Live where you want, not where you think the work will be.

Kyle Patrick
5/22/2008 7:48:36 PM

Regarding taxes in Vancouver area. One poster mentioned paying PST. Last time I checked, custom work was not PST applicable, but off the shelf was. So you might have to charge PST on a bought template, but customization is not PST. Also GST only kicks in over a certain limit per year.

Ramon
5/27/2008 11:03:30 AM

I know I'm late, but heck, I wanted to put in two cents. I feel that Atlanta is one of the best cities to be in. It's a growing city... the urban sector is exploding, so is the suburban life. Tens of thousands of businesses open up each year, all needing freelancers to get the jobs done. The music scene is enormous... so there's always an up and coming DJ, artist, or band that needs creative directions. Clubs are huge here! There's money to be made everywhere. 24 hour coffee shops all around. Waffle house around every corner. It's great for freelancing. Only down side is transportation... cars are a def. plus, so your networking better be on point.

luciana
5/29/2008 10:20:35 AM

BUENOS AIRES is the best. i´m brazilian but i moved to buenos aires at 2004. and i think here is the best city to work and learn about design in latin america.

Jesús
7/1/2008 12:22:48 PM

Granada or Malaga, in southern Spain.

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