No. 30

San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

Affordable housing, business incentives, and jobs—especially high-paying ones in finance, cybersecurity, tech, and defense—are drawing workers and entrepreneurs alike. Meanwhile, two local billionaires are busy boosting development. Graham Weston, co-founder of Rackspace, donated $15 million to expand the University of Texas at San Antonio and is nurturing a tech district in town. Kit Goldsbury, former owner of Pace Foods, is behind the massive Pearl District redevelopment. And the startup scene is as diverse as the city’s residents: Headline-grabbing companies include Mailgun Technologies (an automated email platform for developers spun off of Rackspace), Merge Labs (a VR-product creator), and WellAware (an oil and gas data platform).