Travis Oberlander covers startups and entrepreneurs in his hometown of Los Angeles for The Startup Cafe. Follow him on Twitter for updates on tech business in Los Angeles

For years the common belief was that the only place to start a tech company is in Silicon Valley. Startups outside of the Bay Area were largely overlooked or ignored. Lately, that myth has been exposed, and startup ecosystems have sprung up all across the United States. Cities not normally referred to as "tech hubs" have started to draw the attention of the media and the public.

In the tech world, my hometown of Los Angeles, California has long been considered the red-headed step child of its more successful northern counterpart. However, in recent years, a number of legitimate startups have set up shop around the city. In response, Los Angelenos have started to embrace, define and build a startup ecosystem. In the process, we've learned a few lessons.

1. Don't Try to be Silicon Valley

It does nobody in your community any good if you build your startup with an eye on "bigger" or "better" cities. Embrace the uniqueness of your city or community; if you truly want to found a Silicon Valley startup, it's best that you do it there.

Los Angeles is the capital of entertainment. New York is the king of media. Raleigh-Durham is a leader in life sciences. What industry is your region known for? Focus on that and involve the leaders of those industries in the startup ecosystem.

2. Work Openly

The process of bringing together entrepreneurs has been made exponentially easier by the coworking phenomenon. If done right, these spaces become incubators for new businesses and help drive job growth in the area.

CoLoft, in Santa Monica, has become the unofficial hub of tech startup activity in Los Angeles. On any given day, you're bound to see entrepreneurs working side-by-side chatting, giving advice and even collaborating on projects. These coworking spaces also become the site of hackathons, meetups and startup weekends.

3. Get Creative With Regular Events

Mixers and parties are easy, but they can become monotonous and don't always provide the best environment for building relationships. Organizing meetups, demo days and startup weekends are great ways to drive creativity and collaboration. However, you shouldn't limit yourself to only these types of events. Think outside of the box. Try activities that don't involve "work."

Entrepreneurs in Seattle can, weather permitting, go on day hikes into the foothills of the Cascades. Hackers from Durham can organize weekend pickup games against their Chapel Hill counterparts. Look to your local area for inspiration and when in doubt, browse through Meetup.com for more ideas.

4. Find a Local Evangelist

A local celebrity VC can be a huge asset, but it's only a part of the equation. Recognize the local entrepreneurs who are dedicated to spreading the word about your community. Embrace what they're trying to do and support their efforts. These people will attract fresh talent and reach out to leaders elsewhere to promote your engaged and thriving community.

Aside from advocate entrepreneurs and VCs, back up the efforts of blogs and media interested in campaigning for your region. Los Angeles has the tireless efforts of Ben Kuo at socaltech.com and Efren Toscano at TechZulu. Portland has Rick Turoczy at Silicon Florist. Who's the blogger in your locality that's eager to write about your startup?

5. Pay it Forward

Finally, realize that as a community you're all in this together. Openly support new entrepreneurs or startups in need of help. Also, don't be reluctant to celebrate the successes of others. These companies can become patron companies and, if they've grown out of your engaged startup community, will give back to the young startups not just through capital but through business development. Sometimes all it takes is one success to raise the tide for others.

There's never been a better time to foster a local startup community. With the right ingredients of dedication, collaboration evangelism and support, you'll set your startup ecosystem on a path for continuing success for decades to come.

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Image courtesy of Flickr, Kid's Birthday Parties