A Garden State city is working on a plan to become the "Silicon" Valley of the East.

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Officials in Hoboken are working with Stevens Institute of Technology and the group New Jersey Tech Meetup on a number of projects designed to lure technology businesses and entrepreneurs to town.

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer says, "We've established a tech task force where we're working on what are the things we can do in the short-term, what are the things we can do in the long-term to establish our community as a tech hub…I think there's an opportunity to create new jobs - create that space where potentially new companies can start-up and create new jobs in Hoboken, and potentially expand within a network."

She says city officials will soon approve a pilot agreement to establish a high-tech café in a building on the waterfront.

"It will be a place where we'll have classes and workshops. We're talking about doing do-it-yourself electronics workshops for families…We want it to be a place where the community comes together, sparks ideas, and helps people to better understand technology…We want to create that atmosphere that helps to facilitate companies starting up and building out - and if they don't have space in Hoboken then they move on to other parts of the state."

Zimmer adds, " I think this can be very exciting, very fun, and I think it's a great opportunity to increase the digital literacy in Hoboken and spark ideas and potentially create new jobs…We're just one square mile, but we've got a lot to offer and we're trying to attract new start-up companies…And we want companies to stay in Jersey as well."

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