At the start of the boom, Seattle, San Jose and San Francisco were the unchallenged leaders as the best place for tech workers to nest and build careers. In recent years, the cost of living in the Bay Area exploded, and those very high salaries just don't go as far for workers there. The quickly rising housing market took its toll. And many women were turned off by the widening gender pay gap.

That left an opening for cities like Columbus, Ohio and Dallas — and they took it.

Read the full story at ciodive.com.