One thing Portland really doesn't have compared to the other West Coast cities is a good university. (Sorry Portland State, it's true). I don't see that being fixed anytime soon, so that's always going to cause a problem for recruiting new grads.
I don't hire strictly based on paper and education (being a high-school dropout type) but for many bright people, that is their best entry into CS and engineering. We'll have to work with PSU to increase the breadth and depth of their students - the really good news, no disagreement from them!