KANSAS CITY—Virgin Mobile USA has decided to locate its permanent US headquarters at One Kansas City Place in downtown Kansas City, company officials say. The firm had chosen last year to relocate from Warren, NJ, to this Midwestern downtown and currently operates from a temporary office in One Kansas City Place. It just began the renovation of nearly 11,000 square feet of vacant space on a separate floor, and plans to hire up to 100 people.

The decisions give yet another boost to the high-tech reputation of both the city and its downtown, which has seen a lot of activity in recent years. Google, for example, chose in 2011 to roll out its new high-speed fiber in the metro area. And in response to the downtown's popularity among younger workers, residential developers have started constructing new multifamily communities in or near the CBD, sometimes on once-unused land along the riverfront.

“In addition to the dense cluster of inventive companies located downtown, the cost of commercial real estate and salaries are more attractive in Kansas City relative to both coasts, especially in NJ and CA where our former offices were based,” says Dow Draper, chief executive officer of Virgin Mobile. “Plus, Kansas City is home to a high-end talent pool and ranked high on national lists for places to live and work, which helps attract, hire and retain people that can put purpose and passion into working at Virgin.”