True, sure they could move to Idaho or Montana, but many people have roots and strong family ties, which bind them to a small geographic area, so to them leavin

True, sure they could move to Idaho or Montana, but many people have roots and strong family ties, which bind them to a small geographic area, so to them leaving simply isn't an option to them anymore than going and living on the moon would be (and I mean that almost literally). I have an uncle that's never left the state and considers a "city" an hour away an exotic location. For example 46% of midwesterners live in the same community their entire life (http://pewsocialtrends.org/files/2010/10/Movers-and-Stayers.pdf http://pewsocialtrends.org/files/2010/10/Movers-and-Stayers....), even though many of them could probably move elsewhere when the finish school (HS, Tech, College, Uni, etc.) and get much better jobs than they could locally.