There were two reasons as to why the Mormons left New York. The first reason was that they were not well received nor were they well-liked in the New York community and felt that if they moved out westwards, towards Illinois and Ohio, they would be in a less hostile environment. This proved untrue, as they moved out westwards further than that (Utah, where 62 percent of people report to be Mormons). The second reason is that it is said in their Bible that they should migrate from New York westwards.
