Where I'm from, people believe that having children and a family is the be all and end all of life. They believe it so strongly they think that if ever sperm has a chance to meet egg, the parties involved should be forced to join the club. Considering society there pretty much revolves around the family, people with little interest, broader interests, or even delayed interest in procreation leave to seek adventure elsewhere.
On the shuttle bus to the San Francisco airport, I met a guy from Malaysia who said "San Francisco is the only American city I like." In many ways, San Francisco is the opposite of the mindset of where I grew up. Rather than being insular, it is open and full of people who read widely and travel internationally. People successfully raise children there, but the cost of real estate makes it a challenge, and a swath of middle class families with children does not exist there. Travelling internationally is a challenge when it requires buying a six-pack of airline tickets.
A friend recently posted a link to an article that discussed the subtle or not so subtle prejudice felt by a woman not wearing a head scarf in an area that is veering back to more fundamentalist leanings. What is this small town venom - where people use shunning and gossip freely about neighbors, but can't discuss politics openly because it would only lead to dangerous friction? There are places where conformity is valued above diverse viewpoints and civil discussion. On the right, it is the small town or insular mid-size cities. On the left, it is political correctness that stifles healthy discourse. Both sides have their bullies that directly or indirectly enforce conformity and shun outsiders.
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