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On City-Data forums, including Oregon, many people - especially young families and singles - ask if a college town with a young demographic is "liberal" or "accepting." Here's a poll to assess the most liberal college towns in Oregon and the Western US. I've chosen 12 towns with a putative liberal reputation, with multiple examples in Oregon and Washington, for comparison purposes to Eugene. My intention is to see how "liberal" Eugene is rated, especially compared to Berkeley, Boulder, and Seattle.
You left out my illustrious alma mater, Arcata, CA, home of Humboldt State.
Eugene is liberal, with plenty of trustafarians, self-righteous vegans, eco-warriors who just stumbled out of the Forerunner that Daddy bought,etc. However, it is a big enough town, and close to Springfield, so I think you could certainly find a reasonably affordable place with an array of political perspectives within ten mile radius. A pretty place, and fun, but a bit wet for me.
Last edited by Fiddlehead; 12-13-2009 at 11:08 AM..
You left out my illustrious alma mater, Arcata, CA, home of Humboldt State.
Eugene is liberal, with plenty of trustafarians, self-righteous vegans, eco-warriors who just stumbled out of the Forerunner that Daddy bought,etc. However, it is a big enough town, and close to Springfield, so I think you could certainly find a reasonably affordable place with an array of political perspectives within ten mile radius. A pretty place, and fun, but a bit wet for me.
Wow I sure did miss that one!
Any others?
Your description of Eugene sounds similar to Boulder on City-Data. Do you think Eugene is more liberal than Boulder?
btw, I did not re-locate this forum to the colleges site. I have no interests in Universities. I am moving it to Boulder.
Thanks! Keep it up! I could have predicted Seattle, Santa Cruz, and Berkeley, but not Ashland or Corvallis!
I spent part of my undergrad years at OSU (Corvallis), and it seemed like a conservative area at that time, but that was over 10 years ago . . .
This poll's never going to give you any accurate results. Yes, Berkeley is hyper-liberal. But everybody's familiar with Berkeley and its reputation, so they're going to pull in more votes than they deserve. Not everybody knows about the oddity that is Evergreen State College...which seriously gives Berkeley and Santa Cruz a run for their money.
This poll's never going to give you any accurate results. Yes, Berkeley is hyper-liberal. But everybody's familiar with Berkeley and its reputation, so they're going to pull in more votes than they deserve. Not everybody knows about the oddity that is Evergreen State College...which seriously gives Berkeley and Santa Cruz a run for their money.
I agree that most votes are probably going to go to Berkeley because it is the most known 'liberal' city, however, as someone who grew up on Nor Cal, I honestly do not think that Berkeley is as liberal as most would think.
My vote goes for Eugene, OR. UCSC is a very liberal college, but Santa Cruz itself has its share of rednecks. Humboldt State and Arcata are extremely liberal, but almost to the point of being so far to the left that they might as well be on the extreme right.
You left out Palo Alto (home to Stanford) and Chico (home to Chico State). I vote for the People's Republic of Santa Cruz, personally; I lived there for ten years and it's a wonderful place. Sure, there are the old conservative Italian fishing families, the students, and, lately, the Silicon Valley commuters. The neat thing, though, is that all these groups mix. They go to the same restaurants and grocery stores, the same beaches and parks. They all pretty much love the place; they just fight about which way to make it better.
This poll's never going to give you any accurate results. Yes, Berkeley is hyper-liberal. But everybody's familiar with Berkeley and its reputation, so they're going to pull in more votes than they deserve. Not everybody knows about the oddity that is Evergreen State College...which seriously gives Berkeley and Santa Cruz a run for their money.
Indeed, that's why I included Olympia (where Evergreen is) in the poll.
Does Evergreen still have the system where students evaluate the teachers, and teachers evaluate the students?
Quote:
Originally Posted by K-Luv
I agree that most votes are probably going to go to Berkeley because it is the most known 'liberal' city, however, as someone who grew up on Nor Cal, I honestly do not think that Berkeley is as liberal as most would think.
My vote goes for Eugene, OR. UCSC is a very liberal college, but Santa Cruz itself has its share of rednecks. Humboldt State and Arcata are extremely liberal, but almost to the point of being so far to the left that they might as well be on the extreme right.
And could you elaborate on why you voted for Eugene, Oregon (University of Oregon)? Didn't know that about rednecks at Santa Cruz, why are they still there?
Indeed, that's why I included Olympia (where Evergreen is) in the poll.
Does Evergreen still have the system where students evaluate the teachers, and teachers evaluate the students?
And could you elaborate on why you voted for Eugene, Oregon (University of Oregon)? Didn't know that about rednecks at Santa Cruz, why are they still there?
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, Santa Cruz was libertarian. Back then freedom and independence made up the "counterculture." Today it is all about hypocrisy and political litmus tests. So while thje average parental income into UCSC has been at or near the top of the UC system,plenty of kids living out their green and lefty fantasies, before hopping into Mommy's Range Rover at quarter's end. Apparently from other posts, I see this model has spread.
And the libertarians? There are definitely fewer and fewer. SC is far more corporatized than it was in the past. Downtown is now longer as electic or creative as it once was. SC used to have an identity. Now it wants to be a cross between Seattle, Palo Alto, and Berkeley. It is wannabe in a big way.
And much like you see in other countries, the arrival of the newbies has pushed out the older generation to the fringes. For a taste of old Santa Cruz, go to Ben Lomond, Felton, & Boulder Creek on 9 and to Soquel and Freedom down on 1. But sadly, those places have probably changed as well...
My favorite barbershop is right next to Bookshop Santa Cruz. Hopefully, they are still there. Those guys were part of the older Santa Cruz, where cars, bikes, family farms, and music predominated. Now one sees is lattes and self-righteous trust fund babies...
S.
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Arcata
