Hotter Than Ever
Startups roaring back to old tech hotbed - Top Stories - MSNBC.com
Two years after selling his blogging startup to Google, Evan Williams is back. And so is SoMa."Roaring" is no exaggeration. I'm in this neighborhood several times a week, and the transformation from the graveyard it was two years ago to the hustle-bustle-busy place it is today is one of the more shocking aspects of the tech recovery. New faces, new biz, new eateries, it's almost as if the dot.bomb never exploded here. There's even some burgeoning geek-yup nightlife, and a throbbing Apple store. In fact, if you're in the market for some old Victorian houses that have been converted into rentals, this wouldn't be a bad area to check out.The 33-year-old entrepreneur has moved on to his newest passion, podcasting. But not far: At Brannan and Second streets, his new company's location is just three blocks from his old one, both of them smack in the heart of the South of Market district known as SoMa.