Silicon Valley

What's so special about Silicon Valley?
Well, you could argue that this is where it all started - and it's still setting the tech agenda today. In the 1980s it was the boom town for technology start-ups but it has also spawned such behemoths as Apple, Cisco, HP - and more recently Google.

And hundreds of companies continue to ply their trade in the Santa Clara Valley to the south-east of San Francisco. It continues to be a fertile region for start-ups with LinkedIn, Second Life and NetSuite among those making waves.

The real strength of Silicon Valley continues to be its innovation, with new ideas and business models emerging all the time. Apple's top secret labs are here and it's where Google started out before seemingly taking over the world with its advertising-based business model.

But Silicon Valley is also where companies can get the funding they need to get their ideas off the ground. On University Avenue, East Palo Alto, there are stories of people waving business plans around in a bar and immediately being surrounded by people wanting to invest. In 2007, the Silicon Valley area attracted $10bn of investment. In contrast, Europe attracted a relatively paltry $7.2bn.

As Tech Hotspots judge Mark Kobayashi-Hillary says, "[It's] still the best place to get finance for hi-tech innovations."

Fellow judge John Higgins, director general of trade body Intellect, thinks the UK should learn from Silicon Valley. He said: "We in Britain would do well to take a leaf out of its book in terms of getting ideas and technology to market."

And for lawyer Simon Briskman there could be no other winner. "No matter how much I look for a more challenging choice for the number one spot, this is where it's still at," he said.

But WebSense CEO Gene Hodges believes there are now other places able to compete in terms of skills flow, including Bangalore in India and Beijing, China.

So for now, Silicon Valley is the hottest of all Tech Hotspots but its reign may be increasingly challenged.

Key tech companies Apple, Oracle, Sun, Google, SAP, HP, Adobe - and everyone else…

Key institutions Stanford, Berkeley.

Local salaries Software engineer $65,000 - the average Silicon Valley salary is almost $99,000.

Famous faces Sergey Brin, Larry Ellison, Larry Page, Steve Jobs.

Population 7.2 million for the San Francisco Bay area.

iPod cost $149 Source: CommSec, Apple.

Time zone GMT -8 hours.

Voltage and plugs 110V US-style.

How to get there Fly in to San Francisco International Airport.

Watch out for San Francisco's famous cable cars.

Places to stay, eat or drink The Fairmont, San Jose.

What you might not know The areas was known as the Valley of Heart's Delight when fruit orchards covered the area at the turn of the century.