Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think it is actually not GenXers or Boomers moving here but rather their kids that grow up here that end up contributing blue votes to the state. It's a slow process though.
This has been my experience as well. In fact I know of many families from NY, NJ, MA that have moved into my neighborhood over the last 5-7 years. NONE of them are Liberal (that I know of) and ones I know well enough to talk politics with, ALL voted for Trump. That might be just my anecdotal evidence, but it's understandable when you look at voting numbers in Long Island. Trump won both Nassau and Suffolk county, NY in the 2020 election. Ironically, those two counties were also the 2 most populated counties in the country to go for Trump. Slim margins, but still.
It is very likely your neighbors that have different political views... probably know and just don't want to talk about it. They talk to each other, most likely.
Wake County voted 62.25% Biden to 35.8% Trump.
Democrats have gained 224,000 new votes in the county since 2004.
Republicans have gained 40,000 votes in the county since 2004.
This map is a pretty good resource for seeing how your neighborhood stacks up since it goes by precinct. We don't have one for 2020 and maybe never will, because the absentee voting isn't categorized by precinct so the map would look weird. However, the 2016 one should be close enough. From where I'm sitting it looks like Hillary won every precinct in Apex.
It is very likely your neighbors that have different political views... probably know and just don't want to talk about it. They talk to each other, most likely.
Wake County voted 62.25% Biden to 35.8% Trump.
Democrats have gained 224,000 new votes in the county since 2004.
Republicans have gained 40,000 votes in the county since 2004.
This map is a pretty good resource for seeing how your neighborhood stacks up since it goes by precinct. We don't have one for 2020 and maybe never will, because the absentee voting isn't categorized by precinct so the map would look weird. However, the 2016 one should be close enough. From where I'm sitting it looks like Hillary won every precinct in Apex.
That's a valid point. It just weird that most of the northern transplants I know are conservatives, more than a few which are outspoken about it. I'm not a Republican (or Democrat for that matter), so they're not talking about politics around me or on social media because I agree with them either.
Depends on where in western NC. Asheville is about as deep blue as you can get, but some place like Murphy or Robbinsville is gonna be deep red. SC and TN really are a lot more red if you wanna check them out, too. If you're looking for a conservative city close to the mountains you might like Greenville SC. A lot of people really love it. Has a river feature running right through the center of the city. The cities in Western NC (Ashevil and Boone) are not red. Most of the rural areas of WNC tend to be red, but there are occasional bluer rural WNC areas too.
A number of towns in WNC are becoming increasingly more blue. Hendersonville and Brevard, while slightly more red currently, are becoming more blue. As Asheville grows to the south and southwest, I expect this trend will continue. I agree that the rural areas are more red. If one is looking for a deep red state, NC is probably not the best fit. I agree that SC and TN are better fits.
In detail, this is how I'd view the cities and metros in North Carolina compared to Virginia and South Carolina.
Raleigh = A cross between Columbia and outer northern Virginia suburbs such as Reston.
Durham = Petersburg, but much larger with a healthier economy. The two cities are only two hours apart via I-85 and have tobacco legacies.
Greensboro = Spartanburg and Greenville.
Winston-Salem = Richmond, but smaller. Winston is an old tobacco city and has a slight industrial feel at its core.
Charlotte = Spartanburg and Greenville, but much bigger. In fact, the I-85 corridor from Greensboro to Greenville is extremely similar. Practically all of the cities along that stretch of the corridor have textile legacies.
Fayetteville = Florence, but bigger.
Asheville = Greenville or Roanoke.
Wilmington = Charleston.
The Triangle = Quintessentially North Carolinian, especially due to its central location within the state. However, the Triangle as a whole probably has stronger ties to Virginia than South Carolina.
The Triad = 50/50 split between Virginia and South Carolina.
Metrolina/Greater Charlotte = Very similar to South Carolina, especially the Upstate.
Last edited by costellopresley82; 06-07-2021 at 11:10 AM..
I think the Triad decidedly tilts much more toward VA than SC. Geographic proximity alone makes the Triad closer to Virginia. It’s just that it’s most like SoVA and Richmond, not NOVA.
I think the Triad decidedly tilts much more toward VA than SC. Geographic proximity alone makes the Triad closer to Virginia. It’s just that it’s most like SoVA and Richmond, not NOVA.
That's a good point. Danville and Martinsville might as well be in the Triad.
It also gets difficult if you look at the separate regions in the state. North Carolina is a big state and can be broken down into different regions.
The most "Virginia-like" area in North Carolina is the northeastern part of the state, IMO. The Albemarle Sound region (Edenton, Elizabeth City, etc.) was the first region in North Carolina to be settled, and it was settled by Virginians who moved south. This area is "Tidewater" and close to the Hampton Roads metro, while the Outer Banks are a popular vacation spot for Virginians. Apart from this area, I'd argue that the old tobacco towns north of the Triangle (Oxford, Warrenton, etc.) are similar to Southside Virginia, and Winston-Salem is similar to Richmond but on a smaller scale.
I'm not as familiar with South Carolina, but Charlotte clearly has economic ties and similarities with the Palmetto State. Greater Charlotte is very similar to the Upstate but on a larger scale. Both metros relied on textiles (historically) and are firmly in the Piedmont Crescent. Interestingly, areas in the western part of the state such as Asheville and Morganton used to have economic ties with South Carolina, too. Before the Civil War, Charleston-area planters vacationed in Asheville during the summer months.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
9,776 posts, read 15,776,851 times
Reputation: 10881
I've been tracking vaccination rates in the US, and every time I look at the data, I think of this thread. Looking at vaccination rates in the state overall, North Carolina is more like South Carolina and the rest of the south and less like Virginia, which acts more like the mid-Atlantic and the north. North Carolina is ranked 36th out of 50 states in percentage of first doses given (43.9% of population has had their first dose). It's ranked just below Texas and just above Missouri. South Carolina is ranked 41st (41.6%). In comparison, Virginia is ranked 15th by state in percentage of first doses given (56.3%), up there with more northern states (it's ranked just below New York and just above Illinois). To give a more complete picture, the percentage vaccinated with the first dose by state ranges from 71.6% in number 1 ranked Vermont to 34.4% in Mississippi, which is ranked 50th.
Vaccination rates correlate with education and economics, and even politics.
Michgc, I bet if you break it down by counties in NC, SC, and VA that would tell you a lot. Orange Co, NC — right up there with anywhere in NY. Anson County, NC—right down there with anywhere in SC. The NYTimes has a breakdown by county, but unfortunately doesn't have access to VA's data. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...ine-doses.html
Yep. It's the huge population of NOVA and the successful vaccination there that is making VA look good, but if you go out west to Patrick Co, not so great. I think NC and VA numbers are actually very similar, but it's just that the NOVA metro area is really populous.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
