A daily look at life on the job by TIME's Lisa Takeuchi Cullen

Best cities for telecommuting

I don't know. The idea behind a list like this puzzles me. Isn't the point of telecommuting that you could do it from anywhere? Why would Silver Spring, Md., be a better telecommuting hub than Naples, Fla.? Maybe it's a little more pleasant to hang with a laptop on the beaches of Malibu, but if your cozy home office is located in a split level in Bayonne, N.J., wouldn't you consider that your ideal telecommuting zone?

Anyway, a website called CartridgeSave has compiled such a list—and found that many mobile workers chose to live in some really expensive places. Why?

Cost of living is just one factor in the big picture of how people choose where to live. Other factors include job opportunities, entertainment options, access to cultural activities and the quality of life in the city. Work-at-home techies may be drawn to cities where rents are cheap but they may also weigh their decision against the availability of tech expos in the city, the number of Internet cafes in the area and the general community support for telecommuting individuals.

Check it out. Did your hometown make the list?

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