Stupid behavior like this is the reason for which drones will find progressively more regulation and resistance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmD3rXUR1Tw
The supply of idiots seems limitless.
The aviation school at Grand Forks, ND is well known and the article is not kidding about the number of countries it attracts. It was a natural fit to move into drone piloting.
Maybe Stillwater, OK with the first UAS graduate program will vie for that title.
Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach Florida seems far more likely. http://daytonabeach.erau.edu/
Also tons of near by land and open ocean, as well as NASA and government contracting engineers already co-located and a bunch of other great universities nearby or with satellite campuses in and around Orlando / Daytona.
Being able to fly 365 days a year helps too.
Realistically, the Pacific Ocean and insanely high concentration of engineers in sv seems like the most likely place for long-term drone innovation.
Weren't quadcopters formerly developed by boston dynamics ?
Article is behind paywall.
I think a serious benefit ND has, aside from the established reputation and money put in is space. I can't really think of somewhere in Silicon Valley (or near by) that has the lack of population, lack of airspace traffic, and lack of local / state / federal ordinances that would allow this degree of freedom.
Silicon Valley has it's strengths, but it can't be ground zero for everything.
Honestly, if the NUMI plant wasn't in Fremont, I could see the majority of Tesla being not in the bay area (one could argue the battery plant in NV is such a shift).