Seth CotlarOver the past few years I’ve met far more students at my Oregon university who hail from Idaho. At some point, almost every one has mentioned how weird and scary things are getting there. https://religionnews.com/2023/02/22/how-big-christian-nationalism-has-come-courting-in-north-idaho/
Obviously many people in Idaho are quite happy to live in a place with an ascendant white Christian nationalist right, but that development is driving many young folks to consider moving elsewhere to escape it.
Thomas H Jones IIHow towns and regions die: have a reason for their youth to flee. Growing up in PA, sawcit happen to the coal region and nearly saw it happen to the steel region.
When it happens, the ones who leave first are those with the means to do so: it starts as brain drain.
Eventually what's left are the elderly and those who felt they couldn't make it elsewhere. Either way, people who are more-easily radicalized to whatever cause.