Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is how to make the states in the Great Lakes area the most populous and economically powerful region in the United States. When I say Great Lakes region, I mean specifically Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. How do these states get to the point where the region is considered to be superior to the West Coast and at least equal to the East Coast in drawing immigrants, young people, and producing innovation and cultural capital such as books, TV shows, and movies set in the region?
POD: No earlier than 1940.
Extra Points: Have the Great Lakes maintain their manufacturing base while also transitioning to a knowledge economy. In other words, make it so that the region is designing the industrial technologies they then build in their factories.