Starting a business is hard enough. But pursuing your dream in an entrepreneurially friendly place makes it easier to turn a winning idea into reality. That’s why we canvassed the U.S. to identify ten of the best cities to start a business.

We first looked at large metropolitan areas with high concentrations of small businesses and track records of incubating successful start-ups. Then we checked in with the U.S. Patent Office to pinpoint cities that in 2010 boasted patents issued per 10,000 residents near or above the national average of 1.8. We also sought out cities with a good amount of private venture capital already invested in start-ups, courtesy of data from ZoomProspector.com.

Finally, in a nod to the tight budgets that many entrepreneurs face, we included a cost-of-living score from the Council for Community and Economic Research that’s specifically calculated for the self-employed. A score below 100 means a city has a lower-than-average cost of living for entrepreneurs. Depending on your business, access to seed money, creative talent and other resources can justify setting up shop in an expensive locale.

Take a look at our list of ten of the best cities for entrepreneurs.