Need for architectural conservation practice in U.S. Pacific Northwest

I was curious if there were any opinions on the need for
architectural conservators in the Pacific Northwest? I'm currently
in a graduate program studying architectural conservation, and have
been eyeing the prospect of starting my own practice in the Pacific
Northwest at some point in the future as my skill set grows.

>From my admittedly brief survey, there aren't many architectural
conservation specialists in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.
Certainly the built environment is relatively new, but Portland,
Seattle, Spokane, Walla Walla, Eugene, and Boise all have a
significant stock of buildings that date from 1850 to 1950.

Is this idea a pipe dream or possible reality?

How would one go about establishing the need for such services,
beyond the obvious such as surveying people in the area from
architectural firms, state historic preservation offices, etc.?

Does anyone who has been through the process of starting their own
practice have any tips or cautious advice?

Jeremy


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 17:32
                  Distributed: Monday, October 6, 2003
                       Message Id: cdl-17-32-028
                                  ***