[tsuyoshi]

I don't think this is entirely accurate. I used to live in Seattle, and my parents currently live in Redmond (about a mile from Microsoft), but virtually all of the people I know in that area have nothing to do with Microsoft. It's dominant to be sure, but not absolutely everyone is affiliated with them.

Plus it's not all that remote. It is a typically boring suburb with tract houses and squat apartment buildings punctuated by strip malls, but it is only 20-40 minutes from downtown Seattle (I've done the trip many many times). I think living in Seattle and commuting to Microsoft via the 545 is a reasonable commute. I used to do something similar when I lived in Green Lake and worked in Kirkland.

But don't get me wrong, I agree that locating a major company there instead of Seattle, or at least Bellevue, is a mistake. I just don't think calling it a remote company town is a fair characterization.