Why northwest is so liberal?

[Huckleberry Finn]

Can someone to explain why Northwest states (I mean only Washington and Oregon) are fairly liberal? Huge majority of population is white and there is a little minorities. (quite much Asian though) So there is no "natural" reason for this blooming of liberalism.

Of course Democrats' support is concentrated Seattle's and Portland's metropolitan areas, but there is also pretty liberal areas in Washington rural coast region (some poor fishing villages, I assume) and in western Oregon. In Dave's election maps there are lot of red colour in these rural areas at least since 1960. (As your know there is no countylevel information before 1960 in Dave's pages)

[Huckleberry Finn]

Yep! I am also interested about origin of liberalism in San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere North California coast region.

[Huckleberry Finn]

 I suppose that there was economy boom in Northwest. Right? But how you explain these rural liberals?

[Huckleberry Finn]

But already in 1960 election Kennedy won almost all Washington and Oregon rural coast region counties, But he didn't win in Seattle and in Portland!