Recommend a liberal city less expensive than Chicago? (Aurora, Naperville: for sale, rent)

[ndfmnlf]

I wonder which situation is worse: a liberal living in a conservative city, or a conservative living in a liberal city.

[aragx6]

I think they'd both be pretty unpleasant. although I think debate is important and that diversity of ideas is important, feeling like the lone wolf in a city full of people is almost certain to be unpleasant for those who feel truly strongly about their political ideals.

[Drover]

It's been my experience and observation that liberals living in a conservative city/region are a lot more miserable than vice-versa. Conservatives in liberal cities can feel annoyed and sometimes overwhelmed, whereas liberals in a conservative city feel like they're in a strait jacket. I suppose feeling like there's nothing for you personally is more damaging to the psyche than feeling like everyone around you is a nutball but otherwise not cramping your style.

[asearchforreason]

Urbana seems to fit pretty much everything you mention. Liberal, lots of trees, parks, etc.

[QuadCityImages]

Check out Rock Island as well, in the Quad Cities. It gets overlooked because by itself the population isn't that big, but the metro area is larger than several of the ones mentioned previously. Rock Island in particular has been going green, buying a hydro plant to take care of a lot of the power used by municipal buildings, using hybrids for city cars, and developing a green condo building downtown. The Quad Cities are also what I would consider both "blue" and "progressive" although we don't always have that reputation outside the area.

Rock Island and Davenport were jointly awarded the Most Livable City under 100,000 population award in 2007 by the US Conference of Mayors. (Despite the fact that combined, they add up to well over 100,000...)

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by CarolL

Also not in IL, but only a few miles into Wisconsin, is Madison. Think: "Ithaca NY of the Midwest."

It used to be considered the Austin, TX, but then Austin's tech economy boomed and sent that city into another level.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by Paxtonian

Liberal Cities = Expensive Cities? Interesting!

One conclusion you could draw is that liberal cities = highly desirable, therefore high real estate prices. Not the whole story, but definitely part of it.

[yardy]

Carbondale is nice, especially if you are interested in outdoor activities. The Shawnee National Forest is my favorite part of the state. I'm a fishing enthusiast and there are some very nice, well maintained lakes in the area.

I've lived in Bloomington-Normal for a number of years. It is always growing and it is a bit more liberal than most cities of it's size. I also lived in the Champaign-Urbana area, but I liked B-N much better. The cost of living was reasonable, but this was a decade ago. I can't tell you much about what it is like now. The crime rate was lower in B-N.

I visit Springfield and Peoria regularly. They both have some popular summer festivals, but I think they are perhaps a bit conservative. That is just my opinion on the limited time I spend there.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by Drover

It's been my experience and observation that liberals living in a conservative city/region are a lot more miserable than vice-versa. Conservatives in liberal cities can feel annoyed and sometimes overwhelmed, whereas liberals in a conservative city feel like they're in a strait jacket.

I would tend to agree, I had a relative who moved from Chicago to North Carolina a few years back to be closer to an ailing family memver...it has been an adjustment to say the least. He gets crap all the time from the neighbors who complain about "the yankees" taking over their neighborhood and making the area too expensive (even though hes sunk a considerable sum of money into refurbishing his house which was in bad shape). he gets called an "n" lover for supporting Obama, so now he just bites his tongue when people are going off about politics. the civil war is still very alive down there and its a very different atmosphere that i dont think he was prepared for at all.

[M TYPE X]

Originally Posted by Drover

I'd be cautious about Champaign-Urbana. The "artsy bohemian vibe" exists in a bubble on and around campus. The rest of the area is pretty conservative, and that sometimes sets up culture clashes between the "academics" and the "townies."

Agree completely.