@Totem Polar is in the Spokane area, in the tri-cities area of WA State. It's about as far as one can get from Western WA and still be in the same state, though the city and university politics are somewhat similar to Seattle, with very attenuated overlaps. 10 miles from there in practically any direction, you are verging on completely opposite attitudes. The dark-skinned folk out there would surprise a lot of southern dwellers with how conservative they are.