Most of the guys who I regarded as the very best developers were in Seattle and Silicon Valley.
Sorry you see it that way. I have found little correlation between developer quality and location. Great developers can be anywhere, with many reasons why they haven't relocated to a tech center. They may be right under your nose. Sounds like you found a few.
There is a disproportionately high number of very very good developers in those centers. That in no way states that there aren't awesome developers elsewhere. They are everywhere. Finding them is hard, and you certainly increase your chances when in a tech center like Seattle, Boulder, Boston or the Valley. Non US countries that have great talent? The Nordic countries have amazing developers, and former USSR countries. Wow. ODesk has some great resources in that regard.
Sorry you see it that way. I have found little correlation between developer quality and location. Great developers can be anywhere, with many reasons why they haven't relocated to a tech center. They may be right under your nose. Sounds like you found a few.