It is interesting that you mention Portland there. Portland somehow doesn&#x27;t seem to have the same serious intellectual culture that you see in the upper midwest (Chicago, Twin Cities, Wisconsin, Michigan). Silicon forest and fledgling start up scene notwithstanding, Portland doesn&#x27;t have the educational institutions (UIUC, Chicago, Northwestern, U Mich, U Wisc, U Minn are all among the top STEM schools in the country) that the midwest offers. The lack of top universities in Portland is a bigger handicap than the locals would like to admit. It will be interesting to see if there are any long term trends that are likely to change this.