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As a liberal atheist living in an ultra-right wing fundamentalist town where my head is constantly beat over the head with a Bible, I can fully understand wanting to live in a place that is progressive and open minded. The good thing is, most cities fit the bill. Just stay away from Oklahoma City.
Yes, but there is a huuuuge ground between "extremely liberal/atheist" and "ultra right-wing fundamentalist" where millions of people with differing backgrounds and beliefs get along pretty well.
People in those places tend to learn to accept, if not adopt, different ideas and learn and grow as people instead of being coddled in a narrow-viewed bubble of ideological extremism.
As a liberal atheist living in an ultra-right wing fundamentalist town where my head is constantly beat over the head with a Bible, I can fully understand wanting to live in a place that is progressive and open minded. The good thing is, most cities fit the bill. Just stay away from Oklahoma City.
You’re going out of your way then to make political/religious conversations.
Having lived in both ultra left and ultra right locations, it’s not like people just engage you to see your beliefs. If you keep to yourself, it’s rare to come into a situation where beliefs need to be discussed.
I do understand how it can be annoying to hear about one particular “side” sort of speak. I deal with it everyday in the Bay Area, a bunch of far left extremists that I can’t stand. But I don’t go out of my way to engage them.
You’re going out of your way then to make political/religious conversations.
Having lived in both ultra left and ultra right locations, it’s not like people just engage you to see your beliefs. If you keep to yourself, it’s rare to come into a situation where beliefs need to be discussed.
I do understand how it can be annoying to hear about one particular “side” sort of speak. I deal with it everyday in the Bay Area, a bunch of far left extremists that I can’t stand. But I don’t go out of my way to engage them.
I beg to differ... Having lived in Memphis and Mobile, AL as a liberal atheist, people routinely ask about your religious affiliation. My husband used to work a job where he made deliveries, and he got asked almost on a daily basis where he goes church. He even had customers telling him he was going to hell, and needed to come to their church on Sunday to be saved.... Maybe your experience was different, but ultra religious folks bring it into every conversation imaginable.
That being said, we have never had an issue as liberal atheists in the south either, so I don't think it is a huge deal. Sure, it can be annoying to constantly be asked about it, but you learn how to evade and move the conversation along.
As far as liberal/atheist cities go OP, your best bet would be the middle range cities. It would also greatly depend on what you mean by "major" city and "cheap". Looking at some lists of least religious cities, you could check out Minneapolis, St. Louis, Philly, the 3 major Ohio cities, or the major FL cities (Tampa, Orlando, Miami). All of them were on the least religious list, and I don't think you would feel overwhelmed by conservatives in any of them.
Each year, Barna and American Bible Society rank the nation’s top media markets based on their level of Bible engagement. Individuals considered to be Bible-minded are those who report reading the Bible in the past week and who strongly assert the Bible is accurate in the principles it teaches. This definition captures action and attitude—those who both engage and esteem the Christian scriptures. The rankings thus reflect an overall openness or resistance to the Bible in various U.S. cities. Nationally, only 25 percent of the population is considered Bible-minded.
For the second year in a row, Chattanooga, TN (50%) is the most Bible-minded city in America. In fact, since 2013, Chattanooga has won every year with the exception of 2015, when it was runner up to Birmingham / Anniston / Tuscaloosa, AL. This year, those very same cities in Alabama take the second spot (49%), very close behind Chattanooga. Roanoke / Lynchburg, VA (48%) take the third spot, then it’s back to Tennessee again, with the Tri-Cities area (48%) coming in at fourth place. The South continues to represent well with Shreveport, LA (47%) taking fifth place. In fact, the next five are also located in the Southern “Bible belt.” Charlotte, NC: (46%), Springfield, MO (46%), Little Rock / Pine Bluff, AR (44%), Knoxville, TN (44%), Greenville / Spartanburg / Anderson, SC / Asheville, NC (44%) wrap up the top 10 most Bible-minded cities in 2017.
At the other end of the spectrum, Albany / Schenectady / Troy, NY (10%) is the least Bible-minded city in America—also for the second year in a row. The New England area takes second and third positions, with Boston, MA / Manchester, NH (11%) as the runner-up, and Providence, RI / New Bedford, MA (12%), a previous least Bible-minded city in America (2013, 2014, 2015), close behind. Cedar Rapids / Waterloo, IA (14%) is the only Midwest city in the top five, slightly ahead of another NY state contender, Buffalo (14%). The East coast and the West make up the remainder of the top 10 spots, including Las Vegas, NV (14%), San Francisco / Oakland / San Jose, CA (15%), Hartford / New Haven, CT (16%), Salt Lake City, UT (17%), then back to NY again with the biggest city in America, New York, NY (17%) sliding into tenth place.
Toledo is extremely cheap, and while I was there the political signs/radio ads seemed to go out of their way to mention that said candidates were Democrats.
"Bible-minded" is but a subset of those who practice a formal religion. Many of the "least bible-minded cities" on this list have large numbers of Catholics, mainline Protestants, Mormons (in Salt Lake City's case, anyway). orthodox and other practicing Jews. None of these groups spend much time reading the bible (certainly not on a daily basis). Conversely, the most bible-minded cities are located in the (wait for it) Bible Belt.
Albuquerque is a mostly 'blue' city in a mostly 'blue' state but you will still run into right-wingers and rabid libertarians and crack-pots. I prefer the company of liberals but an honest conservative is sometimes a step up from the crazy folks. The place is inexpensive, not full of religious zealots, with high diversity, and a great high desert climate.
I have a couple Jehovah's Witless ladies that come by regularly and they know I'm not interested in what they are selling but we still chat about other things besides religion and they go on their way.
It's interesting how "liberal" and truly cheap never seem to ever go together.
I've lived in overblown red and blues areas, and can get by fine in each. It all depends on oneself, and not getting caught up in the emotion. In the end, I'd rather pick a cheap area (which is nearly always red) and just ignore the idiocy and hot-headedness of the others. Blue areas can have their issues too, besides the higher COL. I've seen no "perfect" place inside the US. Maybe elsewhere though...
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