Politics Influence Your Moving Destination? (relocate, most expensive, quality of life, schools)

[55degrees]

Hi, just wondering how many of us look at the political leanings of our destination before we choose to move. Would you move to a place that is known for politics on the opposite side of the spectrum compared to your views?

[Jadis27]

I wouldn't say it's a make-or-break, but it is something that can affect your quality of life, and can even be an issue of personal safety for some people.

We moved from St. Louis to Austin for my husband's job, and figured we were moving from a blue city in a red state to a bluer city in a redder state, so things would be roughly the same. No, not so much...Austin as a metro area is very conservative compared to STL, or really any city in Missouri except Springfield. Not a huge issue, but it was definitely something to adjust to.

[Sonnenwende]

I would avoid moving to an area that is strongly socially conservative. I don't care if gays want to get married, I don't mind recycling, I don't want creationism taught as a valid scientific theory in public schools, I am not for liberal use of the death penalty (would prefer to live where it was abolished), etc.

It would be a break issue for me.

[dreamofmonterey]

A few years ago I didnt really consider it a huge issue. But being in a red state for now, yes it has a bearing on where I will choose to relocate in the future.

[cittic10]

Yes and it shouldn't but it does.
Hate to admit it.

I'm not against moving to an area where my political leanings was in the minority by 5-10% based on the last presidential election. That's basically the situation where I live now. It's still relatively balanced. In a room of 10 random people, there'd be 4 that agree with me and 6 that don't.

What's a problem for me is when it's more like 2 people in the room that agree with me and when it affects public policy too heavily, counter to what I'm looking for.

The reality of the situation for me is that if I was set on moving somewhere where 7 people in the room agreed with me, I'd be limited to the farthest corners of the country that are the most expensive places in the country to live, where I wouldn't be able to make a living and where I would be the farthest from my family. So there's going to be a large percentage of people that I don't agree with politically but as long as I can find a few that do to associate with and as long as the policies aren't too backwards, I won't complain too much about it.

Not to mention, if everyone moves off to their red or blue corners, then the country will become even more divided than it already is.

[Boompa]

I moved from the Phoenix area because the local Republican Club dominated the HOA and made life uncomfotable for anyone who didn't goosestep along.

[hueyeats]

^^^Then I'll have to change my vote.
I don't do HOA anything, Republican, Liberal or not.

[TexasHorseLady]

How about moving to an area where people care more about whether you're a good neighbor than whether you're conservative or liberal? (Good neighbors, as well as bad, do come in both stripes, you know.) Where you wouldn't know the political leanings of your neighbors, or care, unless there was an election and you saw a sign in their yard or bumper sticker on their car? Where pushing your political leanings on others is considered in bad taste, though you're more than free to have them, of course? Where you could have all sorts of friends to hang out with that might or might not share your politics, and you'd still have more than enough to talk about?

[55degrees]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

How about moving to an area where people care more about whether you're a good neighbor than whether you're conservative or liberal? (Good neighbors, as well as bad, do come in both stripes, you know.) Where you wouldn't know the political leanings of your neighbors, or care, unless there was an election and you saw a sign in their yard or bumper sticker on their car? Where pushing your political leanings on others is considered in bad taste, though you're more than free to have them, of course?

That would be nice! I don't see that in the part of TX that I'm in. This experience has made me more likely to look at politics when deciding where to live.

[e_cuyler]

I consider it, but other things are more important. I've spent a good portion of my life living in areas where I know I'm in the minority politically. Even when I moved to California I ended up moving to one of the areas that was quite a bit like my home state.

It does bug me more at election time, and when I do hear political news from home I become determined that if I do move back it's not going to be long term. Eventually I'd like to live in one of the "swing states."