If we mention tech jobs, IT jobs, or the tech economy, what areas of the country come to mind?

Silicon Valley? Seattle? Austin? Boston?

Well, there are signs that another major city is making a move for a seat at the tech industry's high table. It's Charlotte, N.C., and before you dismiss that assertion, consider some stats compiled by Charlotte Business Journal's Adam O'Daniel.

It used to be that Charlotte was a distant second to North Carolina's "Research Triangle" when it came to the tech industry, but O'Daniel says the Queen City is resurgent.

For instance, Google Fiber made Charlotte one of the first metro areas in the U.S. to get gigabit internet service. The demand for tech employees is in very high demand, and UNC's College of Computing and Informatics is now the largest tech program in the state, boasting $30 million in research funding.

Click here to check out O'Daniel's full story.