The Economic Resource Council has concluded that much of our growth will come from the recruitment of small, growing companies in the 415 and 510 area codes.

They will be lured here by Nevada County’s natural lifestyle and small town appeal, according to Jon Gregory, executive director of the ERC.

“The size of the company…needs to be 10-100 employees,” he told The Union. “The length of time in business, at least 3 years, and the area code of origin would either be 415 or 510.”

It seems odd they would focus on San Francisco (415) and Alameda (510) counties while ignoring San Mateo County (650), but the ERC will face the same hurdles wherever it tries to recruit up-and-coming companies on the coast. They include:

WORK FORCE: The Bay Area is loaded with the knowledge workers young companies need to succeed, people you won’t find in Nevada County. They have to pay sky-high prices in the Bay Area to get the people they want; forget about getting them to relocate.

HIGHER EDUCATION: Santa Clara County became Silicon Valley in large part because Stanford University was there to encourage and support the high-tech risk takers of the ’60s. Stanford and Cal are major attractions for somebody looking for a place to start a business because they can provide the support and contacts needed to succeed.

VENTURE CAPITAL: You don’t have to look far in the Bay Area for investors with money to invest in the next hot idea. You won’t find that kind of money up here; the big money apparently goes into shopping centers.

LIFESTYLE: When Mark Zuckerberg came to California to start Facebook, he headed straight for Silicon Valley for the reasons listed above, and because it has a vibe that is welcoming to unconventional 20-something thinkers. Entrepreneurs in their 20s and 30s might like the idea of living in a place like Nevada County, but not until they’re in their 40s.