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Austin, Athens (GA), Asheville (SC?), Charlotte (NC), places like that. What's it like?
I knew a girl from Athens and she said "well it's nice and all but you can't get around the fact that it's in Georgia." She was far left wing by most folks' standards (a professional abortion advocate/referrer, to give you an idea). Austinites have told me it's like living on an island in a sea of Texas. I've even heard Portlanders make everything east of the I-5 sound like it was Oklahoma, though I'm sure they were being dramatic.
Austin, Athens (GA), Asheville (SC?), Charlotte (NC), places like that. What's it like?
I knew a girl from Athens and she said "well it's nice and all but you can't get around the fact that it's in Georgia." She was far left wing by most folks' standards (a professional abortion advocate/referrer, to give you an idea). Austinites have told me it's like living on an island in a sea of Texas. I've even heard Portlanders make everything east of the I-5 sound like it was Oklahoma, though I'm sure they were being dramatic.
Your thoughts?
Charlotte and Asheville are both in NORTH Carolina which is largely considered a "Swing State" and not the best example of a Red State, since all of it's major cities (Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Asheville and Charlotte) vote Blue. The state once felt like there were little blue islands in a sea of red but that has changed considerably over the years (I lived there in the 90s), and would say it's close to becoming solidly a Blue State within the next few years (much like Virginia).
Correct...Asheville is in North Carolina, not South Carolina. NC is unique in that up until very recently, it was one of if not the least "urban" of the top ten most populous states....but that has changed. The state had over half of it's population living in rural/small town areas up until right about 2000....where the scales have now tipped solidly to a majority of residents in the state living in urban areas. Raleigh and Charlotte especially have seen tremendous growth and the Triangle area (which includes Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill) is probably the most liberal metro area in the "bible-belt".
Correct...Asheville is in North Carolina, not South Carolina. NC is unique in that up until very recently, it was one of if not the least "urban" of the top ten most populous states....but that has changed. The state had over half of it's population living in rural/small town areas up until right about 2000....where the scales have now tipped solidly to a majority of residents in the state living in urban areas. Raleigh and Charlotte especially have seen tremendous growth and the Triangle area (which includes Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill) is probably the most liberal metro area in the "bible-belt".
I guess if you really consider Charlotte, Raleigh urban. I kid, I kid!
Austinites have told me it's like living on an island in a sea of Texas.
that is 2 dashes true and 5 spoons exaggeration.
In reality you have Austin, Houston, Dallas (just the city this time, no Fort Worth), San Antonio, and McAllen that are surrounded by a sea of red.
Liberals in Houston, Dallas, etc feel just as frustrated as those in Austin when things like defense of marriage acts get passed.
Texas is a recently conservative state though. Before that they were libertarian. More fiscally conservative and socially live and let live. Its only recently the Perrys and other politicians started getting involved in personal life.
Two of the most controvertial social issues of the last few decades arose in Texas.
Dallas gave us Roe v Wade and Houston gave us Lawrence v Texas. Both were privacy issues one dealing with abortion the other involving sexual practices between two concenting adults behind closed doors
^^^ Houston is drifting left over the last few election cycles but by most measures the city would not be considered "liberal." I see the city as pretty much split down the middle and the metro clearly leans right. Obama carried Harris County by less than 1000 votes and even Ted Cruz scored a victory in the county by neary 20,000 votes. The rest of the counties in the metro were easily carried by Romney (The great divide: President Obama carries top 4 Texas cities and st... - CultureMap Houston). Certain neighborhoods in Houston might be a liberal island in a red state, but not the city as a whole.
All of the major cities in GA are Democratic (Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah, Columbus and Macon). The rest of the state is Red, but with Atlanta growing so large and quickly, I believe GA will be a blue state in the next five years.
^^^ Houston is drifting left over the last few election cycles but by most measures the city would not be considered "liberal." I see the city as pretty much split down the middle and the metro clearly leans right. Obama carried Harris County by less than 1000 votes and even Ted Cruz scored a victory in the county by neary 20,000 votes. The rest of the counties in the metro were easily carried by Romney (The great divide: President Obama carries top 4 Texas cities and st... - CultureMap Houston). Certain neighborhoods in Houston might be a liberal island in a red state, but not the city as a whole.
Inner city Houston is liberal.
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