SEATTLE, Washington
Population: 668,342
Unemployment: 4.1 percent
Sales Tax: 9.6 percent
Seattle is entering the conversation of great tech centers with its 12 percent tech job growth, a number that outpaces Silicon Valley, and it produces more tech patents than any city but San Francisco and San Jose/Sunnyvale. Yet it manages to meld new economy—home to Microsoft and Amazon—to old—Starbucks, Nordstrom and Expeditors International of Washington. And it’s one of the smartest cities anywhere, with nearly 60 percent of residents 25 or older having at least a bachelor’s degree.