I have no idea if Midwesterners will flock to places like Yuma, but there are a plethora of reasons for why this is the case–not because they are a “little prejudiced.” Your reasoning is simplistic to the extreme. What if I did prove that tons of Midwesterners were moving to Yuma in the near future–would that cleanse them of any prejudice they might harbor?
You can analyze the investment without resorting to blanket statements such as that, was my basic point. I’m sure your friend is a world-renowned sociologist who has spent decades analyzing the Midwest and is capable of discerning to a high degree of certainty just how racist, biased, or closed-minded the people of that region are.
None of this is a debate over whether this is a sound investment–it sounds pretty dubious as you have described it.