In the US, there is a demographic trend where people are leaving the center of the country and moving to the Coasts. The movement may also be towards cities—or metropolitan areas around cities.
I think it has to do with a lot of factors. Certainly if you don’t like strict religion, you’ll want to move away from areas where that predominates. If you are a member of a stigmatized group—like homosexuals or mentally ill, you’ll want to move to places where there are more people like you, or where you can blend in to the background more because there are more people.
I think the young tend to want more excitement, and move to cities or coasts to find it. They may return later on in life when they want to slow down. Not sure. There’s also the liberal factor. The coasts tend to be more liberal and more supportive of people of all kinds. The center of the country is more homogeneous. So perhaps liberals are moving away from their conservative roots to places where they are the majority.
In any case, it’s been a steady trend, although it may have slowed lately with the poor economy, or maybe as people’s values change. And like any trend, it can change. With more and more immigrants settling in center states, diversity there is rising. Maybe that will make things more friendly for those who are different. Or for liberals.