Northwesterners--Individualistic, Entrepreneurial, or Both?

Statue of Lewis and Clark at the End of the Lewis and Clark Trail in Seaside, OR

Are Cascadians individualistic, entrepreneurial, or both? This and other questions came to mind as I read an article posted by Portland professor Paul Metzger earlier this week (first at Christ & Cascadia and later at Uncommon God, Common Good). Metzger begins by naming the explorers Lewis and Clark, describing them as "rugged individuals" and "risk-taking entrepreneurs." "Their spirit is in the air," suggests Metzger, in the culture of the Pacific Northwest--including our churches. After throwing in "anti-institutionalism" as a third "challenge," Metzger brings up popular writer Donald Miller, who "no longer attends church regularly." The implication is clear: Miller, a former Portlander, has been negatively influenced by the culture of Cascadia.

I have no interest in Donald Miller's church-attendance habits. I do, however, find Metzger's cultural analysis interesting. Here are some thoughts it provoked in my mind.

• Is the Pacific Northwest any more individualistic than the rest of American society? Sure, children here learn about Lewis and Clark in school (the city in which I live--Vancouver, Washington--is on the Lewis and Clark Trail); but it seems a stretch to think that the famed explorers are pioneers of contemporary culture. In any case, Lewis and Clark were more clearly rugged frontiersmen than "rugged individuals"--there were two of them traveling together, right? Apparently, they did not think it best to go it alone. As evidence of Lewis and Clark's "spirit in the air," Metzger points to the Northwest's many "cafes, bistros, tearooms, and micro-brew pubs." Entrepreneurialism? Yes. Individualism? No. These gathering places reflect an appreciation for community.
• Should individualism and entrepreneurialism (not to mention anti-institutionalism) be conflated--lumped together in the same breath? Does "entrepreneurial" have the same negative connotations as "individualistic"? When I hear "entrepreneurial," I think "innovative"--not "individualistic." Certainly, there are entrepreneurial individuals; yet there are just as surely entrepreneurial communities as well. (And although anti-institutionalism might be caused by individualism or entrepreneurialism or both, it might also be caused by institutions losing the trust of the people they serve.) 
• If my first two thoughts are worth thinking, then it follows that more entrepreneurial churches in Cascadia will generally fare better than more individualistic churches in Cascadia. Research conducted by James Wellman supports this conclusion; Wellman found that entrepreneurial churches are doing relatively well in the Pacific Northwest. My review of his book Evangelical vs. Liberal: The Clash of Christian Cultures in the Pacific Northwest can be read here.