Backwards is relative. Being religious, anti-globalization, or conservative doesn't make you a horrible person. The bay area is probably the most intolerant place I've ever been. I've personally seen people unfriend friends because of politics without even being able to have a thoughtful and educated discussion about the issues. The bay area is group thinking "madness of crowds" at its worse.
Let’s be real. Aren’t you just trading one groupthink (liberal west coast) for another groupthink (conservative south east) that meets your desires? Do you really think a thoughtful and educated discussion would have really helped?
It varies from place to place. The Bay Area is liberal groupthink, but Portland, OR is liberal but not groupthink (when I lived there 10 years ago, anyway).
Is it really so strange to factor political beliefs into your decisions about who to spend time and invest in relationships with? A lot of friendships are based on compatibility in things like hobbies, musical taste, or sense of humor. I don’t see anything wrong with that, and some political issues are (I would argue) more fundamental and important than what sports teams I follow or what types of movies I enjoy.
I reject your notion that all ideas deserve equal treatment.
If I come to you and say “a woman’s place is the kitchen” and you unfriend me, it would be super dumb for me to claim that you are being intolerant for not taking me seriously by entertaining my opinion. On the contrary, it is me who is being intolerant, and I cannot fault you for not tolerating my intolerance.
I encourage watching Peter Thiel explain why he left San Francisco (albeit for LA): https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=5V8YXmkBHok...