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Likewise, though I haven't been to Nashville, it has been on the radar in a real way. I think that my main concern with Nashville, and other Dixie cities, is that the overwhelmingly non-Catholic population will be tough. Nevertheless, Nashville really is a fine American city.
According to city-data, Nashville was about 21% Catholic by 2007, and that should be growing with the continue population growth. 3 of the 7 families on my cul de sac are Catholic.
This is a huge area for transplants. We're the only Southerners on our street and we're not even originally from Nashville. I wouldn't worry about being Catholic here.
Is there a part of the country that is even remotely like this:
- Large, active Catholic population with Catholic schools (and, more generally, a strong church-going culture among all, but especially young, Christians)
- Many parks, forests, hiking opportunities
- Politically conservative (especially socially conservative)
- Decent amount of culture
- Few or no hipsters
- Strong family-oriented atmosphere
- Classy, but not snobby
- The bigger the city, the better
- Friendly
- Colleges and Universities nearby (especially Catholic ones), are a plus
- People are traditional, morally conservative, and polite.
- Decent public transportation
I was thinking St. Louis or Cincinnati, but I don't know. Is there a city, or a part of a city, like this? I realize that the list has a few contradictions, so obviously I'm not expecting a place to hit on all cylinders. But does anything come close?
Also, Dallas, Atlanta, Denver, and Kansas City might be reasonable fits--although not on all of the criteria, to be sure.
This place absolutely exists and it's St. Louis, except for a few minor things.
The city itself is not very conservative, but it's only a small part of the metro area (320,000 people). It usually votes around 80% Democrat. The large African-American population has a lot to do with that. But it's not as socially liberal because only 53% voted against the same-sex marriage ban. If it were very socially liberal, you'd expect a much higher percentage voting against it.
St. Louis County (which does not include the city) is more moderate, and it has around 1 million people. It usually votes 60% Democrat, but it voted 61%for the same sex marriage ban. So the city+county is socially moderate overall. The metro area as a whole might even lean conservative, at least socially.
There's a lot of Catholic schools and I believe it has the most Catholic high schools of any city (28 in the archdiocese, and that's just the high schools) Catholic culture is big, probably as big as Evangelical culture is in Southern cities. I even see Catholic-themed billboards and bumper stickers. If you get a chance, visit the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis...
Cathedral Basilica St. Louis | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jon_williamson/5971087389/ - broken link)
It's massive and beautiful. It's a testament to how big the Catholic influence is in St. Louis.
People are very friendly. I have better experiences with people up there than I do down here in Memphis.
2 great universities: Washington University (top-rated in the country) and Saint Louis University (Catholic)
St. Louis has light-rail. It's not the most extensive, but it covers many of the popular parts of the city & suburbs.
The area as a whole strikes me as traditional, all-American, and very family-oriented. There are hipsters of course, mostly in the city, because it's a very urban place, but I'd say the majority of people in the area are more traditional. In the very wealthy inner-ring suburbs like Ladue & Clayton, you'll find lots of classy people. Just visit Plaza Frontenac (expensive mall) But even those people aren't snobby, they've actually been very friendly in my experience. I think the inner-ring suburbs would be perfect for you, but don't let the word "suburbs" turn you off, many of those areas are densely populated and feel very much like they're in the city, but St. Louis City can't annex like most cities. So on paper, St. Louis only has 320,000 people, but really it's more like 1 million+ because the high density extends into St. Louis County. The city could also be good for you, but it wouldn't fit all the criteria like the suburbs do.
Cincinnati would also fit, but with a bit less Catholic influence and Catholic schools, but more conservative overall.
Is there a part of the country that is even remotely like this:
- Large, active Catholic population with Catholic schools (and, more generally, a strong church-going culture among all, but especially young, Christians)
- Many parks, forests, hiking opportunities
- Politically conservative (especially socially conservative)
- Decent amount of culture
- Few or no hipsters
- Strong family-oriented atmosphere
- Classy, but not snobby
- The bigger the city, the better
- Friendly
- Colleges and Universities nearby (especially Catholic ones), are a plus
- People are traditional, morally conservative, and polite.
- Decent public transportation
I was thinking St. Louis or Cincinnati, but I don't know. Is there a city, or a part of a city, like this? I realize that the list has a few contradictions, so obviously I'm not expecting a place to hit on all cylinders. But does anything come close?
Also, Dallas, Atlanta, Denver, and Kansas City might be reasonable fits--although not on all of the criteria, to be sure.
You just described southeast Michigan (metro Detroit). I think you would find other midwestern cities to be that way too, Chicago, cleveland, Milwalkee etc. If you leave the suburban areas of Michigan you will find the state to be more protestant, and more conservative yet. Unless you go to Ann Arbor you will find few hipsters. This is the midwest, people are reserved and traditional. Michigan does lean democrat in some elections, but only because of union support. On social issues we are a conservative state. The voters of Mi passed an amendment to our constitution supporting traditonal marriage by a HUGE majority. We have strong belief in second amendment rights and hunting rights. Most democrat politicians in Michigan are more of the "blue dog" type then the looney left Sanfran type. Southeast Michigan offers some "classy areas" I live in a central mi farm town, so thats definately not something youd find out here. We have alot of great universities. The one thing we dont have on your list is alot of public transit. The car is king in Mi, or in most of the state the truck/suv is king. No tree huggers here, weve got a HUGE carbon footprint here and we are not sorry about it. As far as the outdoors stuff you mentioned, yes we have it in abundence. Even southeast Michigan has alot of large parks that are easy for suburbanites to use. The whole northern half of the state is a forest dotted with thousands of lakes. From Detroit its about a 3 hour drive to go "up north" for a real woodsey experience.
I would not have expected Detroit to be filled with hipsters. It isn't overhwelming, is it?
Not really. Only just in the downtown and Royal Oak areas, mostly. There certainly isn't enough of them to fill any one neighborhood but certainly it is a noticeable presence.
It has long been the most politically and socially conservative borough of the city, and has grown over the years as many white Catholic families fled decaying neighborhoods in Brooklyn. It is very family oriented and mostly middle and working class (lots of city workers live here), although you can find reltaively small amounts of housing projects as well as multi-million dollar mansions. The Catholic presence is large, and there are defintely Catholic school options. As for universities there is a branch of St. John's there, as well as secular schools like Staten Island College (part of CUNY) and Wagner College. And of course there's a wealth of colleges in general in metro NYC, Catholic and otherwise. There are also plenty of parks and beaches too, so that's nice.
And unlike the rest of NYC, housing prices are still for the normal person. I'd guess that from 350 to 400 you can get a very nice single family or townhouse there--prices that are far below what you'll find anywhere else in NYC. And you could probably still find something acceptable for a family at a lower price point.
Only drawback might be the public transport part. SI is defintely more car-dependant than the rest of NYC as it is, in many places, almost suburban and low-density. There is a decent bus system, but only one rail line that runs the length of the island. Of course there's also the Staten Island Ferry, which runs (free) to lower Manhattan 24/7. There are also various express bus routes to Manhattan and Brooklyn if you need to commute for work. But the tolls to drive across the bridges into NJ or Brooklyn are a constant sore point to those living on "The Rock" as natives call the place.
Give it some thought. Staten Island is definitely not bright lights, big city New York. The hipster presence is close to nil. Hell , not too many years ago there was even a semi-serious movement there to secede from New York City. Defintely a place that's in the big liberal city--but not of it.
Last edited by citylove101; 02-16-2012 at 11:18 AM..
This place absolutely exists and it's St. Louis, except for a few minor things.
The city itself is not very conservative, but it's only a small part of the metro area (320,000 people). It usually votes around 80% Democrat. The large African-American population has a lot to do with that. But it's not as socially liberal because only 53% voted against the same-sex marriage ban. If it were very socially liberal, you'd expect a much higher percentage voting against it.
St. Louis County (which does not include the city) is more moderate, and it has around 1 million people. It usually votes 60% Democrat, but it voted 61%for the same sex marriage ban. So the city+county is socially moderate overall. The metro area as a whole might even lean conservative, at least socially.
There's a lot of Catholic schools and I believe it has the most Catholic high schools of any city (28 in the archdiocese, and that's just the high schools) Catholic culture is big, probably as big as Evangelical culture is in Southern cities. I even see Catholic-themed billboards and bumper stickers. If you get a chance, visit the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis...
Cathedral Basilica St. Louis | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jon_williamson/5971087389/ - broken link)
It's massive and beautiful. It's a testament to how big the Catholic influence is in St. Louis.
People are very friendly. I have better experiences with people up there than I do down here in Memphis.
There are many parks in the city, like Forest Park & Tower Grove Park. They're both big, especially Forest Park, which has the zoo, science center, history museum, art museum, and other attractions, almost all free. And it's in the middle of the city....
St. Louis is also very near lots of hiking options because the Ozarks start in St. Louis County. A 20-30 drive outside the city will get you to areas like this...
2 great universities: Washington University (top-rated in the country) and Saint Louis University (Catholic)
St. Louis has light-rail. It's not the most extensive, but it covers many of the popular parts of the city & suburbs.
The area as a whole strikes me as traditional, all-American, and very family-oriented. There are hipsters of course, mostly in the city, because it's a very urban place, but I'd say the majority of people in the area are more traditional. In the very wealthy inner-ring suburbs like Ladue & Clayton, you'll find lots of classy people. Just visit Plaza Frontenac (expensive mall) But even those people aren't snobby, they've actually been very friendly in my experience. I think the inner-ring suburbs would be perfect for you, but don't let the word "suburbs" turn you off, many of those areas are densely populated and feel very much like they're in the city, but St. Louis City can't annex like most cities. So on paper, St. Louis only has 320,000 people, but really it's more like 1 million+ because the high density extends into St. Louis County. The city could also be good for you, but it wouldn't fit all the criteria like the suburbs do.
Cincinnati would also fit, but with a bit less Catholic influence and Catholic schools, but more conservative overall.
Wow that Basilica is beautiful. I may have to make a trip up to St. Louis to see it.
Is there a part of the country that is even remotely like this:
- Large, active Catholic population with Catholic schools (and, more generally, a strong church-going culture among all, but especially young, Christians)
- Many parks, forests, hiking opportunities
- Politically conservative (especially socially conservative)
- Decent amount of culture
- Few or no hipsters
- Strong family-oriented atmosphere
- Classy, but not snobby
- The bigger the city, the better
- Friendly
- Colleges and Universities nearby (especially Catholic ones), are a plus
- People are traditional, morally conservative, and polite.
- Decent public transportation
I was thinking St. Louis or Cincinnati, but I don't know. Is there a city, or a part of a city, like this? I realize that the list has a few contradictions, so obviously I'm not expecting a place to hit on all cylinders. But does anything come close?
Also, Dallas, Atlanta, Denver, and Kansas City might be reasonable fits--although not on all of the criteria, to be sure.
Dallas, Dallas, Dallas! Except the public transport. I love the DFW area and will be moving back in June...counting the days.
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