How is the undisclosed location on the East Coast different from Denver in the novel, Hush?

The new city is colder than Denver, and more unforgiving socially. Toswiah and her sister Cameron (Evie, now, and Anna) have a hard time making friends there, and they are discouraged by their mother, who tells them not to tell anyone their real stories. Really, then, the story takes place inside of the Green/Thomas household, where the father sits depressed by the window all day, and the mother goes out to religious meetings all the time.