[allenp]

As others have mentioned there is a large Intel fab (and other smaller fabs) in the area. I suspect this gives them insights into the feasibility of success there and also means there is an existing talent pool to draw from. It basically de-risks the investment. There are probably only a handful of likely places to do this - OR, CA, AZ, TX, maybe NY. Intel building in OH is more difficult from a bootstraping perspective.