Jacksonville, FL

Perhaps more surprising than the tourism industry here— which contributes $3.2 billion annually to the local economy—is the steady growth of the city’s advanced manufacturing, financial services, financial technology, logistics, and health care sectors. Local tech accelerator PS27 invests in companies like BlueWave Technologies, maker of a device that uses ozone to sterilize orthotics and prosthetics, and Docity, a telemedicine platform. The city is home to more than 20 health care facilities, including outposts of the Mayo Clinic as well as the University of Florida’s innovative proton therapy cancer treatment center. But lest you think only retirees live here, Millennials are arriving in droves—particularly to the hipster 32204 ZIP code: Riverside, Five Points, and (wait for it) Brooklyn. RentCafé found this ZIP code to have the sixthhighest growth in Millennials, after ZIP codes in L.A., Manhattan, and Portland, Oregon. The city, along with four other agencies, recently applied for a $25 million federal grant to spearhead a high-tech innovation corridor, which would feature autonomous shuttles and interconnected sensors like smart lighting systems and flood-warning sensors.