I think Silicon Valley got its boost from all the big chip makers in the early days, which led to an excess of resources (so you could get stuff at a discount,

I think Silicon Valley got its boost from all the big chip makers in the early days, which led to an excess of resources (so you could get stuff at a discount, or get high-tech services at a reduced price as well) an abundance of talent either camping at the gates, leaving companies, or being cast off. It was those factors that created the microcomputer industry. It wasn’t some planned educational push or government mandate, it was mainly a bunch of individuals finding a inroad to do some cool stuff and building up from that. Actually Detroit has some opportunity it is a place with lowering costs and a pre-installed big utility/service infrastructure, depending on what resources are available I am sure some creatives will start building some sort of niche there.