I curretly live in a small town in Alaska. No mater where you go, some people will still hassle you over political and religious beliefs. We even have internet access (where I live it maxes out at 22MBps) And while supply runs do happen infrequently, we have Amazon (or any other online provider) to provide us with resupply.

I don't know if I would go as far as relating Alaska to Mars. Certainly the appeal to Mars is something more unique than just living in a small town.

Alaska isn't another planet, and therefore lacks the allure that living on another planet has for many people.

It really is that simple.

Alaska is relatively inhospitable, cold, distant from main human cultural centers. Mars is vastly more so. While science fiction might give an imaginary fantasy of life on Mars appeal, if there were somehow a fact rather than a fantasy of some kind of habitation being possible there, the reality wouldn't be pretty. I'd imagine we'd use the planet as a penal colony for the dregs of society if it were a reality rather than a fantasy.

Also, I wonder how your version of "many people" compares to the population of Alaska.

So people only think they'd like to live on Mars, but you know they really don't?

No, I don't know, just imagine it would be different than how they imagine it. I don't see living there through the lens of science fiction so much as biology.

There are people I think should live on Mars, who wouldn't agree.