The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce Salutes these fine sponsors

• Cellular Communications
• Communications
• Telecommunications
• Internet Services
• Computers

Mix a trendy college town with a touch of sophistication, and what do you get? Cyberville. That's what a lot of local dot com companies are calling Charlottesville with its fast-growing technology sector. Some technology workers and entrepreneurs come to town to get away from big city life. Others are U.Va. grads who never left the city. Either way, they are all young, talented, and enthusiastic.

The Downtown Mall is ideal for these young workers as a place to start their businesses and technology careers. Businesses are close enough to coffee shops and music stores that workers can hang out with friends from other companies during lunch breaks. And apartments on the upper floors of these businesses provide an easy commute to work. Even more important, the area is home to many well-off business executives who can pump money into young start-up companies. The result is a diverse range of young technology businesses flocking to the area. These businesses range from dot com companies devoted to games and music to computer programming firms. 

City leaders are preparing to implement policies that will maintain the growth of the technology industry. By cutting taxes and fees for tech companies who set up shop here, city leaders hope to make the area a technology zone. The city is working with developers to turn one mile on West Main St. between downtown and the University into a high-tech corridor. Infrastructure for high-speed data access and transfer already exists in the local area.

Making Charlottesville an even more ideal place to start or move a technology business is the cooperation among local technology firms. Three local organizations foster communication among technology firms, including the Neon Guild, the Virginia Piedmont Technology Council, and the Charlottesville Venture Group.

With its small-town charm and historical setting, Charlottesville attracts new businesses each year. From large to small and old to young, the variety of firms that call the area home is enormous. And the Chamber works hard to establish ties among the local business community. Entrepreneurs and huge corporate firms looking to relocate will enjoy everything Charlottesville's economy has to offer. This means that local residents have great employment opportunities in the area, and these opportunities grow daily.