"There are so many pretenders to the throne, so many Silicon Islands, Silicon Glens or Silicon Prairies," he said.

To sell to consumers, Gateway has tailored its marketing message with a quirky individualism, positioning itself as an unusual company on the "Silicon Prairie."

A major reason is the culinary influence of nearby Chicago and its prosperous suburbs, including a burgeoning high-tech belt known as Silicon Prairie.

The Austin area is nicknamed the "Silicon Hills" and the north Dallas area the "Silicon Prairie".

Thanks to the university and a number of well known technology startup companies, it is often referred to as the hub, or at least a significant landmark, of the Silicon Prairie.

The Telecom Corridor in Richardson is usually considered an area within the Silicon Prairie.

An area of the Midwestern United States is often referred to as the Silicon Prairie.

If the future has a headquarters, it's less Dallas than Austin, the capital turned Silicon Prairie.

During this time, Dallas became known as Texas's Silicon Valley, or the "Silicon Prairie."

Texas present: the Silicon Prairie, where venture capitalists and software engineers roam.