The ingredients for starting a business depend on many things and all of these, plus more, can be acquired or maintained through a prime location. A business’ location needs to provide a customer base, geographical amenities, sustainable price points, and a culture that caters to the start-up’s needs. Bethesda, Maryland has been a leader in a lot of these areas for some time. The city has been recognized for its ability to support startups in 2008 from CNN’s Money(1), 2015 from Entrepreneur Magazine(5) and 2017 from Livability(2). This is not including the many lists it has made in areas such as education, living standards, and amenities(2). Bethesda has many key reasons for entrepreneurs to get excited. For example, the city’s infrastructure is very efficient and highly ranked among public transit systems in the nation(2). It’s affordable for pedestrians and convenient for motorists. Many commuters go through Bethesda to get in and out of the city and to some parts of Virginia. This allows for a lot of traffic and pedestrians to participate in local businesses as well as effective transportation routes for growing economies.
NIH, Johns Hopkins Suburban Hospital, Lockheed Martin, and other highly skilled businesses lead the way for their industries, and makes Bethesda a hot-spot for industry clusters including biotechnology, healthcare, life sciences, sustainability, information technology and more(6). As these industries demand highly educated workers to fill spots, income levels rise, and the potential for bigger and more frequent spending on local amenities increases. This puts more revenue into the local economy, which is always good for small businesses. There are many institutions and organizations to bolster this innovative spirit, including Bethesda Green, which provides business support to sustainable startups and helps businesses of all sizes measure and improve their social and environmental impact.
The city is not only good for businesses, but also for employees. There are countless restaurants, bars, workout studios, and more, all within walking distance of each other. This makes after-work hours enjoyable for anyone looking to work or live in the city. Bethesda has an assortment of amenities for retaining the citizens it attracts, including fine real estate, a major metro line, space for parking, pet accommodations, grocery stores, plentiful outdoor spaces, parks, and a low crime rate(6). Bethesda has also invested in a downtown plan to be put in effect in the coming years(4). The plan will emphasize many aspects of the city that Bethesda residents have wanted to improve- including sustainability of city infrastructure and spaces, involvement of more citizens from different demographics, community connection through public and outdoor spots, and accessibility of amenities(4).
All in all, Bethesda boasts many features that make it particularly well-suited to starting a business or organization. From amenities to transportation to the nature of the industries themselves, Bethesda is a modern city that keeps up with the inspiring leaders it houses.
