And then there’s what might be called the “cool” factor — which Indianapolis, at first glance, would seem to be lacking.

Bob Stutz, chief executive of Salesforce.com’s Marketing Cloud, which is based in Indianapolis, came to the fast-growing company from Microsoft, and lived in Amazon’s hometown, Seattle. When Salesforce asked him to move to Indianapolis, his first thought was, “You’ve got to be kidding.”

But if Mr. Stutz’s experience is any indication, the oddsmakers may have to recalculate Indianapolis’s chances. Since moving to the city 16 months ago, Mr. Stutz said, he has been “amazed.”

“Indianapolis has done what may be the best urban redevelopment I’ve seen in this country,” he said. “Everyone here is aligned with making Indianapolis a successful place for technology companies. The people are tremendous, very friendly, polite, with a strong work ethic.”

With over 1,700 Salesforce employees there, Indianapolis is now home to the company’s second-largest office outside its San Francisco headquarters. In May the company moved into the Salesforce tower in downtown Indianapolis, the tallest building in Indiana, representing a commitment from the company that “we’re here to stay,” Mr. Stutz said.