There are plenty of us who vote "red" that could never live in a truly "red" area.
Given the choice between NYC and upstate NY or LA and the interior of CA, I'd pick NYC and LA.
The key is, you neither want to force your urbanism on truly red areas nor are you somehow threatened by or angry at people who live in truly red areas. As for myself, I, like you, presently have somewhat the city slicker life (ableit, only barely, as I am literally at the outskirts of the SF Bay urbanized area), although, unlike you, I could, in a flash, move into rural mode with no issues whatever. I am equally comfortable in both environments.