[cfallin]

> Keep in mind the very term Silicon Valley comes from chip companies (Fairchild, Intel, etc.) who came to SV because it was cheap, open farm land.

It's funny you mention Intel here -- since the 70s/80s they've continued to expand in Hillsboro, Oregon (a suburb of Portland), where they bought a lot of cheap farmland. It's worked really well for them and the ~16k people they employ in the state. The only downside is a sort of "employer lock-in" for the employees, especially the more specialized ones.

[mjmahone17]

> The only downside is a sort of "employer lock-in" for the employees, especially the more specialized ones.

That downside is not a downside for Intel. Having employer lock-in keeps costs down and turnover low.

[shrikant]

Back in 2005, I was accepted into Portland State for a grad CS programme, and I recall a large chunk of the accompanying leaflets read like a giant recruiting advert for Intel. I never gave it much thought back then because I wasn't going there anyway, but your point sort of explains it!