Attitude in Bloomington? (Washington, Hope, Boston: home, to buy, law school)

[headingeast]

Hi everyone -- my fiancé and I are thinking about moving to Bloomington. It seems to have a good mix of low cost of living, plus a lot of the stuff we like in a town. One thing I am wondering -- we are moving from another college town, Davis, California, and it has many advantages. The one thing I don't like about this place is that people see it as kind of this oasis of liberal enlightenment, and they are really exclusive about it. It's not that I have a problem with liberal enlightenment per se, but that people who live here see themselves as living in a kind of superior place where they don't want any riffraff (i.e. people with "incorrect" views) to intrude upon them. A city council woman recently actually said she wouldn't mind having a "moat" around Davis! They have a law limiting development to something like 1% a year, so things start to really feel exclusive around here, since the housing prices only go up and people with reasonable incomes can't really afford to buy here.

I'm just wondering, seeing as Bloomington seems to be a kind of oasis of liberal enlightenment in Indiana, if there is that same sense of superiority and of "keeping away those who might disturb our idyllic town" kind of feeling? Thanks for any insight!

[domergurl]

I don't think so. Bloomington has a mix of people. Those liberal enlightenment folks are mainly students who are transient anyway.

[Indyjones]

Originally Posted by headingeast

Hi everyone -- my fiancé and I are thinking about moving to Bloomington. It seems to have a good mix of low cost of living, plus a lot of the stuff we like in a town. One thing I am wondering -- we are moving from another college town, Davis, California, and it has many advantages. The one thing I don't like about this place is that people see it as kind of this oasis of liberal enlightenment, and they are really exclusive about it. It's not that I have a problem with liberal enlightenment per se, but that people who live here see themselves as living in a kind of superior place where they don't want any riffraff (i.e. people with "incorrect" views) to intrude upon them. A city council woman recently actually said she wouldn't mind having a "moat" around Davis! They have a law limiting development to something like 1% a year, so things start to really feel exclusive around here, since the housing prices only go up and people with reasonable incomes can't really afford to buy here.

I'm just wondering, seeing as Bloomington seems to be a kind of oasis of liberal enlightenment in Indiana, if there is that same sense of superiority and of "keeping away those who might disturb our idyllic town" kind of feeling? Thanks for any insight!

Unfortunately, you are right. I live here. Left wing crazies rule the place, with the Dem's sweeping the most recent election. It is a great place to live just so long as you don't speak aloud any conservative viewpoints.

[domergurl]

The town's been democrat for awhile hasn't it? I remember one of the mayors was from the law school when I worked there ... he was a dem wasn't he? College towns tend to be on the liberal bent for the most part. When you talk about left wing crazies, we can say the same for some facets the right wing.

[Indyjones]

Originally Posted by domergurl

The town's been democrat for awhile hasn't it? I remember one of the mayors was from the law school when I worked there ... he was a dem wasn't he? College towns tend to be on the liberal bent for the most part. When you talk about left wing crazies, we can say the same for some facets the right wing.

I don't see the right wing yelling at speakers like the left did for Ann Coulter's speech. I agree that both radicals are wrong, but face it, Bloomington is very left in every respect. Now, I like living here, but I think that 30 years of Dem influence has been very anti business and has resulted in most blue collar jobs going away. What is left is a service sector and IU, with bio med with Cook and Boston Scientific coming in with some $10 an hour type jobs. I just don't like people yelling at me, or getting in my face because of my beliefs and I would not do the same for the other side. I say, let's just respect each other.

[StriderMatic]

I lived in Bloomington, and it isn't a political town at all. It's basically just the university within a medium-sized midwestern city.
I'm also an alumni of IU, and there isn't very major social activism that goes on at the campus unless you are looking for it. There is a high turnover of people who are there to study at IU (meaning people are constantly coming in and going out when they finish school), and most of the people who are connected with Bloomington permanently are your average Indiana people for the most part, and a great deal of them are connected to the many churches in town.
Whatever others are saying about Bloomington contrary to that are making stuff up or haven't lived there. I know because I have.

One more thing to keep in mind - a lot of college towns reflect the surrounding areas that populate them. For example, Northern California is already notorious for being one of the most liberal places in the country, then to add to that, so many people from S.F, Oregon, Washington, L.A. etc. come there and bring the super-liberal mentalities they grew up with. IU on the other hand doesn't quite have that situation, except for the small handful of "liberal" Chicago people and obnoxious New Yorkers who study there until they graduate and leave again. The majority of people at IU are Indiana people, midwesterners from other areas (Ohio, Missouri, etc.) and they have a variety of backgrounds (conservative, liberal, other, etc.), and there are also many international students who generally choose not to associate with Americans.

The bottom line: if you live in Bloomington, you'll meet people with different backgrounds but nobody's probably going to get rabid on you or attack your ideas on a regular basis. There are plenty of people who follow some kind of religion (unlike Northern California), racial relations are pretty decent for the most part, and the whole "alternative lifestyle" thing definitely isn't a wide-open thing or put in your face wherever you go (also unlike California). Bloomington is a calm place, and there isn't much energy left after all the hatred spent towards Purdue's basketball team.

Bloomington is basically one of the cities in Indiana that ISN'T blindly Republican/conservative, but it's still just a normal midwest town. It has variety because the town is so affected by the influx of people related to the university; the rest of people who have nothing to do with the university aren't as serious about the kinds of things you are concerned about.
By the way, the people who come from Chicago (of all races) usually happen to be less tolerant of associating with races other than their own than the local Indiana folk, so go figure.

Bloomington people are very friendly in general, and are used to many different kinds of people coming in and out because of the University.
The only group of people I think get a bad rap are the students from New York who act rude or yell at people in public for no good reason, screwing up the calm of the social environment. Being a jerk is probably the one thing people in Bloomington can't tolerate.

Many places in the U.S. are hard to compare with the hardcore "I don't want to hear any beliefs that are different than mine" attitude of Northern California, and Indiana of all places is definitely not comparable. As long as you have fundamental respect and manners and walk upright, you'll probably be fine. Unless you plan on hanging out with a bunch of college professors, your political beliefs likely aren't going to be a life-or-death struggle. Welcome to B-Town.


Hope this helps.

[Indyjones]

Originally Posted by StriderMatic

I lived in Bloomington, and it isn't a political town at all. It's basically just the university within a medium-sized midwestern city.
I'm also an alumni of IU, and there isn't very major social activism that goes on at the campus unless you are looking for it. There is a high turnover of people who are there to study at IU (meaning people are constantly coming in and going out when they finish school), and most of the people who are connected with Bloomington permanently are your average Indiana people for the most part, and a great deal of them are connected to the many churches in town.
Whatever others are saying about Bloomington contrary to that are making stuff up or haven't lived there. I know because I have.

One more thing to keep in mind - a lot of college towns reflect the surrounding areas that populate them. For example, Northern California is already notorious for being one of the most liberal places in the country, then to add to that, so many people from S.F, Oregon, Washington, L.A. etc. come there and bring the super-liberal mentalities they grew up with. IU on the other hand doesn't quite have that situation, except for the small handful of "liberal" Chicago people and obnoxious New Yorkers who study there until they graduate and leave again. The majority of people at IU are Indiana people, midwesterners from other areas (Ohio, Missouri, etc.) and they have a variety of backgrounds (conservative, liberal, other, etc.), and there are also many international students who generally choose not to associate with Americans.

The bottom line: if you live in Bloomington, you'll meet people with different backgrounds but nobody's probably going to get rabid on you or attack your ideas on a regular basis. There are plenty of people who follow some kind of religion (unlike Northern California), racial relations are pretty decent for the most part, and the whole "alternative lifestyle" thing definitely isn't a wide-open thing or put in your face wherever you go (also unlike California). Bloomington is a calm place, and there isn't much energy left after all the hatred spent towards Purdue's basketball team.

Bloomington is basically one of the cities in Indiana that ISN'T blindly Republican/conservative, but it's still just a normal midwest town. It has variety because the town is so affected by the influx of people related to the university; the rest of people who have nothing to do with the university aren't as serious about the kinds of things you are concerned about.
By the way, the people who come from Chicago (of all races) usually happen to be less tolerant of associating with races other than their own than the local Indiana folk, so go figure.

Bloomington people are very friendly in general, and are used to many different kinds of people coming in and out because of the University.
The only group of people I think get a bad rap are the students from New York who act rude or yell at people in public for no good reason, screwing up the calm of the social environment. Being a jerk is probably the one thing people in Bloomington can't tolerate.

Many places in the U.S. are hard to compare with the hardcore "I don't want to hear any beliefs that are different than mine" attitude of Northern California, and Indiana of all places is definitely not comparable. As long as you have fundamental respect and manners and walk upright, you'll probably be fine. Unless you plan on hanging out with a bunch of college professors, your political beliefs likely aren't going to be a life-or-death struggle. Welcome to B-Town.


Hope this helps.

I agree with most everything that you say, but have to take issue with your statement that Btown is not political. The HT is very biased to the left, and Bush bashing is almost as popular as IU baskeball.
I agree that we had a great time watching IU beat Purdue yesterday, but traveling around southern Indiana and coming home to Bloomington, there is a difference.

[headingeast]

Thanks StriderMatic -- that was helpful, and really what I wanted to hear. We are libertarian and though we are no fans of President Bush, we are so tired of the politically correct, quasi-Marxist BS that passes for complex thought here. We also like the friendlier, more human and down-to-earth attitude of non-West coast areas of the country. On the other hand, we don't want to live somewhere totally conservative and closed, like we found Texas to be. I'm hoping Bloomington can perhaps provide a good mix.

[domergurl]

I think it will. It's interesting because the Libertarian party is getting a lot of press in the Indy papers. The folks are always writing and getting published there. I'd imagine there is a libertarian presence in B-town too. You'll do fine.

[Indyjones]

Originally Posted by headingeast

Thanks StriderMatic -- that was helpful, and really what I wanted to hear. We are libertarian and though we are no fans of President Bush, we are so tired of the politically correct, quasi-Marxist BS that passes for complex thought here. We also like the friendlier, more human and down-to-earth attitude of non-West coast areas of the country. On the other hand, we don't want to live somewhere totally conservative and closed, like we found Texas to be. I'm hoping Bloomington can perhaps provide a good mix.

Please move to Bloomington...we badly need more Libertarians!!