This "moving around" has captured my imagination from the beginning.... when you sleuth other characters extending out for the main POIs and immediate relatives....... they ALL seem to move around soooo much. And as you have stated especially among the AZ, UT, ID, TX (and even HI---some remotes in the case have been there too). Maybe locals to that Mormon Jello belt... or whatever some have made reference to can discuss. Is this "just a way of life" in your neck of the woods????
Not really (the moving around a lot), at least I don't think so. Just as with people who live in many places, there are some who move fairly often for different reasons. (My dad, for example worked for a branch of the federal government and would move for positions that meant a promotion for him, althoug he was able to keep us in the "jello belt" the whole time although there was one point where California was in the running.) But from my observation living in the midwest for several years and comparing people I knew there versus the jello belt, my sense is it isn't significantly different.
Also, I'd suggest that TX isn't in the jello belt. The other places probably belong. You could probably toss NV in the mix as well. A lot of this is the areas that had a large number of towns originally settled by Mormons. Yes, Las Vegas is one of those towns. (Obviously the influence isn't what it once was since Bugsy came to town.) Snowflake, AZ (settled by the the Snow family and the Flake family, both early Mormons) always gives me a laugh.
MOO