Most Liberal & Conservative US Cities

[JivecitySTL]

According to the Bay Area Center for Voting Research (http://www.votingresearch.org/)...

America’s 25 Most Liberal Cities, over 100,000 residents
(in descending order)

1 Detroit
2 Gary, IN
3 Berkeley, CA
4 Washington, DC
5 Oakland, CA
6 Inglewood, CA
7 Newark, NJ
8 Cambridge, MA
9 San Francisco
10 Flint, MI
11 Cleveland
12 Hartford, CT
13 Paterson, NJ
14 Baltimore
15 New Haven, CT
16 Seattle
17 Chicago
18 Philadelphia
19 Birmingham, AL
20 St. Louis
21 New York
22 Providence, RI
23 Minneapolis
24 Boston
25 Buffalo


America’s 25 Most Conservative Cities, over 100,000 residents
(in descending order)

1 Provo, UT
2 Lubbock, TX
3 Abilene, TX
4 Hialeah, FL
5 Plano, TX
6 Colorado Springs, CO
7 Gilbert, AZ
8 Bakersfield, CA
9 Lafayette, LA
10 Orange, CA
11 Escondido, CA
12 Allentown, PA
13 Mesa, AZ
14 Arlington, TX
15 Peoria, AZ
16 Cape Coral, FL
17 Garden Grove, CA
18 Simi Valley, CA
19 Corona, CA
20 Clearwater, FL
21 West Valley City, UT
22 Oklahoma City, OK
23 Overland Park, KS
24 Anchorage, AK
25 Huntington Beach, CA

[xzmattzx]

the list seems to confirm what i would've guessed. most of the list makes sense. i would've thought that san francisco would be in the top 5, but most of those top 5 cities probably should be up there anyway. i'm shocked to see all those california cities on the most conservative list. i didn't expect 1 on there, much less 7! in fact, there aren't any cities in the southeast (besides texas and florida) on the most conservative list. i would've expected cities like jackson, birmingham, charlotte, memphis, louisville, etc. i guess the people in the southeast are moving to arizona?

[Furiine]

A friend of mine from Santa Monica said So Cal is known as the conservative end of California as opposed to the liberal, northern end. I'm not surprised by all the California cities being in their respective lists, based on his generalities. The list overall is what I would have expected

[MSPSCO3113]

I didn't know Birmingham AL was that liberal. It was the only Southern city to make the Liberal list.

[citygeek]

matt, you're ignoring the demographics of the cities. Jackson, Birmingham, and Memphis are all black majority cities, hence, Democratic. Note the presence of Birmingham on the "most liberal" list. Blacks also have a significant plurality in Oakland, whereas in San Francisco, Asians -- who don't tend to vote so overhwhelmingly Democratic -- are the largest group. Demographics also explain why Detroit and Gary (80-90 percent black) came out as "most liberal;" Michigan and Indiana are hardly the strongholds of "blue America."

[DarkFenX]

Wow! Cambridge, MA beat San Francisco?

[Expat]

I am glad to see all my favorite cities on the same list.

[xzmattzx]

matt, you're ignoring the demographics of the cities. Jackson, Birmingham, and Memphis are all black majority cities, hence, Democratic. Note the presence of Birmingham on the "most liberal" list. Blacks also have a significant plurality in Oakland, whereas in San Francisco, Asians -- who don't tend to vote so overhwhelmingly Democratic -- are the largest group. Demographics also explain why Detroit and Gary (80-90 percent black) came out as "most liberal;" Michigan and Indiana are hardly the strongholds of "blue America."

makes sense. it's still a little surprising to see a southern city on the most liberal list. liberals in conservative areas tend to be less liberal than liberals in liberal areas (and the same is true with conservatives in conservative ares and conservatives in liberal areas).

[BuffCity]

cool list...More republicans live in the suburbs of northern / Rustbelt cities for the most part.

[Vulcan]

I didn't know Birmingham AL was that liberal. It was the only Southern city to make the Liberal list.
I'm not surprised to see Birmingham on the list. The city is overwhelmingly democratic - a big Clinton city. The city has a huge African American population. Most of the whites that live in Birmingham are liberal - bohemian types. With the exception of a few older suburban areas, suburban Birmingham is a different story - very George Bush conservative. Birmingham, Alabama is a very misunderstood city. Although located in Alabama, it's quite liberal. Birmingham's openness is one of the reasons why so many young single professionals are moving to the older historic areas of Birmingham.

[wanderer34]

Honestly, with the large Puerto Rican and Dominican population growing in Allentown, I would tend that it would lean to the democratic side, even though the rest of Lehigh Valley (the suburbs) are pretty conservative.

[bay_area]

3 Berkeley, CA
5 Oakland, CA
9 San Francisco


Home Sweet Home... :)

[Expat]

I'm not surprised to see Birmingham on the list. The city is overwhelmingly democratic - a big Clinton city. The city has a huge African American population. Most of the whites that live in Birmingham are liberal - bohemian types. With the exception of a few older suburban areas, suburban Birmingham is a different story - very George Bush conservative. Birmingham, Alabama is a very misunderstood city. Although located in Alabama, it's quite liberal. Birmingham's openness is one of the reasons why so many young single professionals are moving to the older historic areas of Birmingham.

I am glad you chimed in! I have never been to Birmingham, but when I look at the pics and read about it, seems to be a place that would draw bohemians.

[Lmichigan]

Guys, this "study" is loosely correlating Liberal to Democrat and Conservative to Republican. It's really not all that good of a report. Really some try and tell me Detroit is more liberal than San Francisco, Berkley...It's not, and this is coming from someone that knows and loves the city.

[citygeek]

I'm not surprised to see Birmingham on the list. The city is overwhelmingly democratic - a big Clinton city. The city has a huge African American population. Most of the whites that live in Birmingham are liberal - bohemian types. With the exception of a few older suburban areas, suburban Birmingham is a different story - very George Bush conservative. Birmingham, Alabama is a very misunderstood city. Although located in Alabama, it's quite liberal. Birmingham's openness is one of the reasons why so many young single professionals are moving to the older historic areas of Birmingham.

Yeah, this list measures cities, not metro areas. I seriously doubt metro Chicago is more liberal than Boston or NYC, as Chicagoland has a number of conservative areas, some of them very much so (e.g., Wheaton).

[Nic]

I agree about voting Democratic doesn't mean you are particularly liberal; or at least not in the sense I believe most people think of as liberal. I know it is a generalization, but in the South many African-Americans whom vote overwhelmingly Democrat, are still very religious, as in Southern Baptist religious. While they support Democrats for being more "compassionate" in certain areas, many are against gay marriage, abortion, etc. The same can be said for many Hispanics who are generally Catholic, and have the same views.

[AZian]

^^Agreed. But Gilber, Mesa, and Peoria are huge mormon strongholds here in s. az, and conservative to the point they would shame most southern areas. They are not outrightly conservative, but judging from demographics and voting patterns, this is probably one of the most conservative areas in the country. Colorado Springs also doesnt surprise me. What surprises me is Salt Lake/Holiday/Murray and Littleton/Greenwood Village, CO arent on the list.

[ExYankee]

I didn't know Birmingham AL was that liberal. It was the only Southern city to make the Liberal list.

Actually, I was thinking...why isn't the "most conservative" list dominated by Southern cities? Afterall, the popular media would have us believe that the South is populated by ignorant, backward-looking, conservatives. To be honest, I can't believe Charlotte didn't make the "Liberal" list since Charlotte and Mecklenburg County went for Kerry/Edwards in 2004.

[Nic]

There are hundreds, if not thousands of other cities/towns and counties that voted for Kerry and aren't on this list for most liberal places. Why would you be surprised?

[ExYankee]

There are hundreds, if not thousands of other cities/towns and counties that voted for Kerry and aren't on this list for most liberal places. Why would you be surprised?


I shouldn't have said surprised...

[citygeek]

Actually, I was thinking...why isn't the "most conservative" list dominated by Southern cities? Afterall, the popular media would have us believe that the South is populated by ignorant, backward-looking, conservatives. To be honest, I can't believe Charlotte didn't make the "Liberal" list since Charlotte and Mecklenburg County went for Kerry/Edwards in 2004.

Southern whites -- especially in the deep South (Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia) -- do vote overwhelmingly on the Republican side, and tend to live in rural or suburban areas. They carry the states for the "red" side (not so much the urbanites). Big cities in the South are often dominated by blacks, who vote overwhelmingly Democratic (much like St. Louis, Detroit, etc.), while many of the urban whites (Atlanta or New Orleans) are more liberal than what is typical for Southern whites. Thus, it is no surprise that they'd want to live in big cities. Atlanta is known as a gay mecca in the South, for example, and New Orleans's free-living lifestyle speaks for itself. Most rural Southern whites do tend to have a somewhat traditional lifestyle, but portraying them as a bunch of ignorant, bigoted hicks, as the "popular media" often does, is simplistic, narrow-minded, and at times rather bigoted.

North Carolina (in the major metros, at least) is populated increasingly by 1) transplants from the North and 2) Hispanic immigrants. Similar to Florida in both ways. (Well, South Florida, anyway...) The way people in the SSC Southeast Forum describe Charlotte, I'm tempted to think of it as "Atlanta, Jr." -- epitome of the new South.

[Vulcan]

Southern whites -- especially in the deep South (Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia) -- do vote overwhelmingly on the Republican side, and tend to live in rural or suburban areas. They carry the states for the "red" side (not so much the urbanites). Big cities in the South are often dominated by blacks, who vote overwhelmingly Democratic (much like St. Louis, Detroit, etc.), while many of the urban whites (Atlanta or New Orleans) are more liberal than what is typical for Southern whites. Thus, it is no surprise that they'd want to live in big cities. Atlanta is known as a gay mecca in the South, for example, and New Orleans's free-living lifestyle speaks for itself. Most rural Southern whites do tend to have a somewhat traditional lifestyle, but portraying them as a bunch of ignorant, bigoted hicks, as the "popular media" often does, is simplistic, narrow-minded, and at times rather bigoted.

North Carolina (in the major metros, at least) is populated increasingly by 1) transplants from the North and 2) Hispanic immigrants. Similar to Florida in both ways. (Well, South Florida, anyway...) The way people in the SSC Southeast Forum describe Charlotte, I'm tempted to think of it as "Atlanta, Jr." -- epitome of the new South.
I absolutely agree with this statement; however, new south cities are also emerging in less suspect areas that do not get the high exposure like Charlotte. Birmingham, Alabama has transformed more than any other city in the South outside maybe Atlanta. This is not only a social transformation but an economic transformation. imagine blue-collar Birmingham during the 1960s and consider what it is today.

[ExYankee]

The way people in the SSC Southeast Forum describe Charlotte, I'm tempted to think of it as "Atlanta, Jr." -- epitome of the new South.

You wouldn't be more wrong. No one in Charlotte wants to be anything like Atlanta. We learn from Atlanta...and a host of other places, but I'd guess that what we learn from Atlanta is what NOT to do...

[ExYankee]

Most rural Southern whites do tend to have a somewhat traditional lifestyle, but portraying them as a bunch of ignorant, bigoted hicks, as the "popular media" often does, is simplistic, narrow-minded, and at times rather bigoted. "At times rather"...either one is a bigot or they're not a bigot.

North Carolina (in the major metros, at least) is populated increasingly by 1) transplants from the North and 2) Hispanic immigrants. Similar to Florida in both ways. (Well, South Florida, anyway...)

This makes me (and other North Carolinians chuckle)...talk about stereotyping. Why is it so hard to imagine that a Southern state can produce its very own liberals? Do you have any idea of just how historically "liberal" NC is (Jesse Helms aside)? Do you know about how NC was the first state to create a public university? The first public art, science, or natural history museums? Did you realize that in 1900 the governor of the state sent the state militia to Kannapolis to arrest three white men accused of lynching a black man? After that the state enacted the first anti-lynching laws in the south.

If anything, the transplants from "The North" are MORE conservative than their NC counterparts. The huge rise in Republican support in North Carolina isn't in the rural or urban areas...it's in the suburbs (which are mostly populated by Northerners). In fact, Wake County (where Raleigh is located) is a suburban county...until recently it always voted for Democrats for President. As the population has exploded (thanks to in migration from outside NC) the county has become much more conservative. Unlike the other counties in the university-rich "Triangle" (which includes Durham and Chapel Hill), Raleigh and Cary (in Wake County) - with the lions' share of migrants - voted for Bush & Co.

This isn't to say that ALL transplants are conservatives...but to suggest that transplants make NC's urban areas more liberal is just balderdash.

[Buckley]

Yeah, NC is so liberal, 56% voted Bush despite the Dem VP candidate being from the state. If yankees keep pushing the state in a conservative direction like this, NASCAR and Billy Graham might really start to catch on.

[SRG]

Most of the conservative cities where prosperous. Most of the liberal cities were more labor oriented and ethnic.

I think that it's a shame though that OKC and Co Springs are the only big cities on the Top 25 Con list.

Tulsa actually wound up at 27th, and Houston at 80somethingth.

Dallas is the nation's 32nd most lib city. Never saw it comin'!

[xzmattzx]

anyone notice that jackson, ms, is #46 and #47 on the most liberal list, and #191 and #192 on the most conservative list?

[SDfan]

11 Escondido, CA

Ha! I live near that city. Suprised not to see more San Diego cities being named. I would have thought Ocenside or Vista to be in the top 25.

[Detroit_Mahn]

Seriously folks, is it that important?

I don't agree with the list because it is based almost solely on election outcomes. And I find it quite ironic that such a study is coming out of one of the nation's most liberal cities. Detroit is a fairly liberal city; but, I would not dare say it was America's most liberal city. Democrat and Liberal are becoming way too interchangable in today's society.

[United-States-of-America]

Northeastern cities are mostly Liberal.

[ssiguy2]

I think some of you are mistakeing Liberal for Democrat.
Most AfricanAmericans and Hispanics vote Democrat but much of that has simply to do with those groups generally being low income. Democrats tend to want to try to help the under classes more and are more union oriented. That doesn't mean they are liberal.
A steel factory worker will probably vote Democrat but chances are they would tend to be socialy more conservative as are AfricanAmericans who tend to attend church more often.

[Detroit_Mahn]

I think some of you are mistakeing Liberal for Democrat.
Most AfricanAmericans and Hispanics vote Democrat but much of that has simply to do with those groups generally being low income. Democrats tend to want to try to help the under classes more and are more union oriented. That doesn't mean they are liberal.
A steel factory worker will probably vote Democrat but chances are they would tend to be socialy more conservative as are AfricanAmericans who tend to attend church more often.

Those groups being mostly low income?

You really need to inform yourself of something called the "middle-class."

[ExYankee]

Yeah, NC is so liberal, 56% voted Bush despite the Dem VP candidate being from the state. If yankees keep pushing the state in a conservative direction like this, NASCAR and Billy Graham might really start to catch on.


Your ignorance and bigotry is blinding.

It's never the VP that wins or loses the race...in the case, it was the Dems selection of a crappy candidate.

[citykid09]

I would have guest Austin would have been on the Liberal list and San Francisco also.

[teshadoh]

I would argue that many southeastern states are becoming more 'conservative' due to northeastern transplants, primarily to the sunbelt suburbs. Considering - most transplants are moving to the southeast, besides all the milk & honey rhetoric, but for the cheap taxes, big houses, & enough parking for their SUV's. As earlier - I quoted 'conservative', which brings me up to my arguement - most southerners (Blacks included) are typically socially conservative, not neccessarily politically conservative. What happened was the Dixiecrats & the northern republicans (Newt Gingrich being one) started to bastardize the social identity as southern being 'republican'. Unfortunately, the two concepts are now interchangable & the typical republican is not only the wealthy suburban northeastern transplant but the 'good old boy' rural unemployed (or they just got a job at Walmart) who honestly doesn't know the difference - but his preacher & buddys are telling him to stay away from the 'gay loving / take your job away' democrats.

Well... I went a bit off topic there, nonetheless - the core republican constituent is in wealthy suburban areas which are typically home to northeastern transplants. My point, and for you northeasterners I can hardly blame you for muttering "well, good riddance", is that it isn't fully southeasterner's fault for the rise of the republican party. And yes - we have historically been home to liberal democrats, in fact often socialist minded, whose intent was to better the working class. Unfortunately - since the dixiecrat rift of the 1960's race became the great driving force for both parties since. One party almost exclusively recruits one race as the other recruits the other race as a 'warning'.

[ExYankee]

I would argue that many southeastern states are becoming more 'conservative' due to northeastern transplants, primarily to the sunbelt suburbs. Considering - most transplants are moving to the southeast, besides all the milk & honey rhetoric, but for the cheap taxes, big houses, & enough parking for their SUV's. As earlier - I quoted 'conservative', which brings me up to my arguement - most southerners (Blacks included) are typically socially conservative, not neccessarily politically conservative. What happened was the Dixiecrats & the northern republicans (Newt Gingrich being one) started to bastardize the social identity as southern being 'republican'. Unfortunately, the two concepts are now interchangable & the typical republican is not only the wealthy suburban northeastern transplant but the 'good old boy' rural unemployed (or they just got a job at Walmart) who honestly doesn't know the difference - but his preacher & buddys are telling him to stay away from the 'gay loving / take your job away' democrats.

Well... I went a bit off topic there, nonetheless - the core republican constituent is in wealthy suburban areas which are typically home to northeastern transplants. My point, and for you northeasterners I can hardly blame you for muttering "well, good riddance", is that it isn't fully southeasterner's fault for the rise of the republican party. And yes - we have historically been home to liberal democrats, in fact often socialist minded, whose intent was to better the working class. Unfortunately - since the dixiecrat rift of the 1960's race became the great driving force for both parties since. One party almost exclusively recruits one race as the other recruits the other race as a 'warning'.

Well said. :applause:

This makes me (and other North Carolinians chuckle)...talk about stereotyping. Why is it so hard to imagine that a Southern state can produce its very own liberals? Do you have any idea of just how historically "liberal" NC is (Jesse Helms aside)? Do you know about how NC was the first state to create a public university? The first public art, science, or natural history museums? Did you realize that in 1900 the governor of the state sent the state militia to Kannapolis to arrest three white men accused of lynching a black man? After that the state enacted the first anti-lynching laws in the south.

If anything, the transplants from "The North" are MORE conservative than their NC counterparts. The huge rise in Republican support in North Carolina isn't in the rural or urban areas...it's in the suburbs (which are mostly populated by Northerners). In fact, Wake County (where Raleigh is located) is a suburban county...until recently it always voted for Democrats for President. As the population has exploded (thanks to in migration from outside NC) the county has become much more conservative. Unlike the other counties in the university-rich "Triangle" (which includes Durham and Chapel Hill), Raleigh and Cary (in Wake County) - with the lions' share of migrants - voted for Bush & Co.

This isn't to say that ALL transplants are conservatives...but to suggest that transplants make NC's urban areas more liberal is just balderdash.

[teshadoh]

^ Not to argue over states, being that I'm not a native of GA - but what is true in NC is largely true in most other southeastern states, GA included. All southeastern states are home to varying degrees of political activism, liberal but unfortunately home to among the biggest bigots in recent history.

[FastWhiteTA]

^ Not to argue over states, being that I'm not a native of GA - but what is true in NC is largely true in most other southeastern states, GA included. All southeastern states are home to varying degrees of political activism, liberal but unfortunately home to among the biggest bigots in recent history.

That list doesn't have Portland on there. Right there makes me wonder about the credibility of the list.

[FastWhiteTA]

^^^ Oops didn't mean to quote that post

[citygeek]

[QUOTE=ExYankee]"At times rather"...either one is a bigot or they're not a bigot.

Well, media stereotypes of Southern (mostly white) conservatives (aka "rendecks") are always simplistic, because that is what stereotypes are. However, I think this kind of stereotyping is sometimes just done out of simple ignorance -- the misconception that all rural white Southerners are racist, uneducated, fundamentalist religious whackos. But perhaps SOME people in the media just like to promote negative images of these people and their culture out of pure malice. (Hating Southern and/or rural whites, especially if they consider themselves "conservative" in any way, is by far the most politically correct form of hate in academia, for example.) Hence, sometimes this media stereotyping is willfully bigoted, but sometimes it is just uninformed and simple-minded -- two different kinds of stereotyping. Sorry for the confusion.