Substantial CatholicPuritan heritage vs. virtually none.
Fixed.
You do know why they call it San Francisco, right?
The most socially liberal parts of New England are those with Puritan heritage...
(okay, outside of areas with Jewish heritage/areas with large yuppie or alt populations)
Sure. I'm not suggesting they're 17th century Calvinists. Puritanism has always had a radical character to it. That Puritan heritage involves its post-Enlightenment transformation into movements such as Unitarianism, abolitionism and feminism. Still, many of those who are pro-choice and pro-gay marriage have a fundamentally communitarian approach to civic life. "City on a hill" and all that.