Courtesy of TripAdvisor.

Facebook just announced its plans to establish an Oculus virtual reality research division in Pittsburgh, Google and Uber have expanded their presence here and as NEXTpittsburgh reported in December, our city currently ranks sixth in the U.S. for the number of tech companies funded by venture capital.

One more sign pointing to Pittsburgh’s growing “Silicon Alley” reputation is a new Huffington Post article entitled, Top 10 Cities Techies Should Consider Moving to In 2016, which includes a shout-out to NEXTpittsburgh.

Writing for HuffPo, author, entrepreneur and Self Publishing System Founder Tom Ayling, a PA native and Penn State grad, offers some insights for anyone thinking about making a move to a tech city: “Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

Pittsburgh landed the No. 8 spot on the HuffPo’s  list of “Top 10 Cities Techies Should Consider Moving to In 2016.”  Even if the writer refers to our city as Pitt — twice — and calls NEXTpittsburgh a startup. (Sort of? We’re a media company approaching our second anniversary on March 5 but whateverâ€Ĥ)

What’s behind his rankings? Describing our version of “Silicon Alley,” Ayling, a PA native and Penn State grad writes:

“It’s easy to try and pass up considering Pittsburgh as a place to move to, but that would be a mistake. With big name companies like PNC, Black Box and GlaxoSmithKline calling Pitt home, this city needs to be on your radar. You should really consider Pitt if you’re looking to land somewhere on the East Coast. With startup companies like Nextpittsburgh, it’s a place you should be excited for this big year of 2016. Notable startups are: BoXYZ, Schell Games and Sole Power.”

Ayling also provides some practical stats about living in the Burgh, including an average rent of $899 per month, and perks such as the top talent coming out of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh is sandwiched on the list between Kansas City (No. 7) and Nashville (No. 9), while longstanding tech mecca, San Francisco, nabs the top spot.

Ayling describes all 10 cities on his list as “in high demand.”

Read the entire list of Top 10 Cities Techies Should Consider Moving to In 2016.

Jennifer has worked at the Mattress Factory, Brooklyn Museum of Art and Dahesh Museum of Art and is co-author of Pittsburgh Signs Project: 250 Signs of Western Pennsylvania. She also is co-coordinator of Handmade Arcade. Musically, she is in a band called The Garment District and is a founding member of Brooklyn's The Ladybug Transistor.