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It would make sense to limit the thread to the Pacific Northwest west of the Cascades. There's nothing liberal about the Pacific Northwest east of the Cascades
I was just about to make a post similar to this myself.
There is no such thing as a redneck in New England.
Clearly, you've never been to New England.
To answer the OP's question--larger swaths of Washington and Oregon vote more conservatively than New England (i.e., more "red" counties). However, most of those "red" counties in the Pacific Northwest are inland and sparsely populated, as the vast majority of people in the Pacific Northwest live west of the Cascades. That's not even up for debate.
Because New England is geographically smaller and has been settled continuously for centuries longer than the Pacific Northwest, it's more densely populated, so even the non-metropolitan areas of New England are fairly populated compared to rural/non-metropolitan areas in the Pacific Northwest--and all of the West, for that matter.
Another important distinction--people in the Pacific Northwest are lot more liberal, progressive, and open-minded than people in New England, who are still very conventional, traditional, and parochial by comparison. Lots of narrow-mindedness in New England--most people don't travel much, don't stray too far from home, and tend to live in the same town or even the same home for their entire lives. For those reasons alone, the Pacific Northwest--even the inland areas--*feels* less "conservative" than New England, at least in my perception.
To answer the OP's question--larger swaths of Washington and Oregon vote more conservatively than New England (i.e., more "red" counties). However, most of those "red" counties in the Pacific Northwest are inland and sparsely populated, as the vast majority of people in the Pacific Northwest live west of the Cascades. That's not even up for debate.
Because New England is geographically smaller and has been settled continuously for centuries longer than the Pacific Northwest, it's more densely populated, so even the non-metropolitan areas of New England are fairly populated compared to rural/non-metropolitan areas in the Pacific Northwest--and all of the West, for that matter.
Another important distinction--people in the Pacific Northwest are lot more liberal, progressive, and open-minded than people in New England, who are still very conventional, traditional, and parochial by comparison. Lots of narrow-mindedness in New England--most people don't travel much, don't stray too far from home, and tend to live in the same town or even the same home for their entire lives. For those reasons alone, the Pacific Northwest--even the inland areas--*feels* less "conservative" than New England, at least in my perception.
I am curious as to whether or not you live in the PNW. We all have our perspectives of course but based on several decades of living in the PNW, I would disagree with your description of PNW'ers.
In the larger cities they tend to be more libertarian or a very vocal militantly liberal group who seem to attract the most attention of the outside world. They also are the people who bother to vote. Voter turnout is usually very sparse.
In Oregon, where I used to live, the majority of people I knew were more on the conservative side. It was more the newer residents from the Eastern part of the country who brought the liberalism and new ideas. Traditional Oregonians were just that, traditional people who were not happy about change. Few people I knew ever traveled far from home. They tended to be very insular keeping lifelong childhood friends and sticking close to those and family members for socializing. New transplants would complain it was difficult to get to know people unless they were also recent transplants looking to get to know people.
Outside the larger cities, people have a live-and-let live attitude and would rather not get involved. They usually never stray far from home and keep to traditional ways. Many people come to live in the rural areas to be alone and don't care for the outside world. Small towns can be pretty closed up to newcomers except for the tourist trade.
I have never been to New England so I do not know whether or not it is more or less conservative than the PNW but having lived in the PNW for many years, that is my perception of that area.
The PNW is far, far more conservative with politics. New England always leads the nation with new progressive policies, whether it's gay marriage, raising the minimum wage, establishing universal healthcare systems, or introducing a state-run bank. The PNW lags far behind in this regard. PNW people don't really travel out of their region any more or less than New Englanders, in reality.
New England is generally more conservative in behavior and lifestyle. You won't see nearly as many freaks, weirdos, homeless people and people working at Starbucks for decades on end. But even in New England there are many enclaves that are similar to the PNW, such as Northampton, Burlington, Portland and parts of Boston, Providence and New Haven. But generally speaking, people appreciate achievement, hard work and socioeconomic accomplishment. It's a more cohesive society, and an example of what an advanced society would look like (think Europe). At large, New Englanders are in better physical shape, FAR more educated, and some of the nation's best healthcare is available there, everywhere within the region. And once again....FAR more educated than PNW people.
In Oregon, where I used to live, the majority of people I knew were more on the conservative side. It was more the newer residents from the Eastern part of the country who brought the liberalism and new ideas. Traditional Oregonians were just that, traditional people who were not happy about change. Few people I knew ever traveled far from home.
Except are traditional Oregonians really reflective of the state that much? When I visited it seemed the majority of the people had moved from elsewhere. Felt like that created a very different attitude than New England, where most have had family in the area for generations.
Except are traditional Oregonians really reflective of the state that much? When I visited it seemed the majority of the people had moved from elsewhere. Felt like that created a very different attitude than New England, where most have had family in the area for generations.
But I have heard that Oregon can be extremely provincial.
Most of the U.S. in general is like that though. Families tend to stay in the same metro area for generations. My family certainly has. They have been in the Hartford area since the 1950's now. Everyone. Still in Hartford County and doing very well financially. There's just no reason to leave. We like it here because it's a very well rounded area to live in, and there is a huge Italian population. We fit in perfectly. Italians rarely leave their home area. You can see this phenomenon with other areas like Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, NYC, Pittsburgh and NJ. Italians don't really migrate much, because we are family oriented people. Heck, that's why New Haven has the best pizza in America.
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