Why are the Berkshires in Mass so liberal?

[memphis]

Cultures rarely respect state lines. Western Mass and Vermont are of the same political culture. Neither is an extension of the other. But this is a question I have never seen satisfactorily answered. A cold climate does seem to have an liberalizing effect on white people, so long as they are not living in an energy extraction region. Beyond that I have nothing to offer, and I would love a better answer from somebody more familiar with the region.

[memphis]

A cold climate does seem to have an liberalizing effect on white people

generally true but L.A. is pretty liberal.

Are there any non-Hispanic, non-gay, non-Jew, run of the mill white people there? A large enough population to make any sort of generalization anyway?

[memphis]

To move a bit beyond the "cold climate liberalises white people" thesis (the only possible bit of thruth which I may detect in it is that cold climate means less outdoor life = less / more difficult to exert social control):

It has been my experience that hot climates mean less outdoor life. It's unbearable to be outside several months of the year in the South.  You have to live in an air conditioned bubble. Outside of being off school as a child, there is no joy in summer. The insufferable heat must be tolerated along with the humidity and mosquitos. Thankfully, the government has eradicated the tropical diseases that used to kill so many. Yellow fever. Malaria. We still get cases of West Nile and encephalitis, but they are not the avalanche of death that summer used to bring to this area. Nonetheless, driving a car, an activity I usually enjoy very much becomes a veritable struggle for survival before the moderating effects of A/C as temps inside are frequently in the 140 degree range when one first opens the door. It's just a psychological stab in the dark. I sincerely was hoping somebody with actual knowledge of the region would chime in.