We love charts that chart the unchartable. Can you really measure Seattle vs. Portland? A new toy from Google lets you try.

To the left is a representation of Google search queries for the words “capitol hill seattle” so far in 2006. That April spike matches up with the jump in Hill related blog entries we noted in a past post. Murder is interesting, it turns out.

But don’t let the trend get you down. There is plenty of good news in Google Trends too.

For example, Seattle kick Portland’s beaver-loving behind all over the place. Check out this fever line, baby. City of Roses, our ass.

You can also use this new toy for more meaningful, action-oriented analysis of your city. Let’s say you’re looking for a PNW hero. Go on, say it. “I’m looking for a PNW hero.” Good. Punch in some likely candidates to Google Trends and check out quien es mas macho. When selecting heroes, it’s always good to follow the herd or, in this case, the herd’s search query volume. You also want to express your independence but never, ever go with a loser. So, go with the middle ground. The trend doesn’t lie — Dan Savage is an excellent choice for a local, moderate hero.

–j