where people were making up rules on the fly. Independent and open to people with different beliefs. Of course, like the rest of the US, racially segregated and still that way to a greater extent than you might think given its generally left-leaning politics nowadays. That hasn't always been true either; the region has been a hot bed of neo-Nazi activity, labor violence, anarchist organizations. You see it playing out today with the Proud Boys/Patriot Prayer (Washington) and Antifa (Oregon) clashing on the streets in Portland, while a block or two way people sip lattes and eat at expensive restaurants.

Never a dull moment. ;)