When I lived in Raleigh/Durham back in 2011, I bumped into John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats at a coffee shop. We chatted for a few minutes and he said that he hears a lot of people say that Durham is the Brooklyn of the south, but he doesn't buy it. He thinks (and I agreed) that it has its own charm, its own vibe and its own identity, and that people are trying to make it into something it's not.

That's to say, I think you're absolutely right - people want to move to these places cause they perceive them as little Brooklyns or little Seattles. They have the sensibilities and prestige of those places, but not the crowds or the cost.