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I think it is purely cultural. However, I do not believe that political leanings have much to do with it. Take Texas for example.

Houston is the energy capital of the world -- and it is quite conservative in comparison to California.

Though we don't see it discussed here on HN that often, but Texas is home to a lot of innovation, both in Energy, Petroleum, and Medical.

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The overwhelming majority of tech in Texas is centered in Austin, a very liberal thinking island in the middle of Texas. So culturally yes.

I believe you are incorrect on both counts. The Texas Medical Center and the Energy sector in Houston are massive industries that have created tons of large companies. Just not the hacker news type, they actually have solid revenue, ipo, and continue making money.

Austin as a liberal island is also a bad Texas stereotype. I live in Austin now but was born in El Paso which has been an entrenched democratic stronghold for decades. San Antonio, Houston(most diverse city in the US), and Dallas are all also blue-voting urban areas. The Texas state constitution is just notorious for giving rural districts a lot of power and blatant gerrymandering.

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