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.
Why is it such common knowledge to think conservative cities & towns can't be as hip as more liberal places, especially with the younger generations?
I've often wondered this.
Is it because liberal cities have more of a "live & let live" attitude about them vs. conservative cities which tend to put family & God first?
Progressive doesn't always equal liberal. There are some very progressive (economically & technologically speaking) conservative cities out there. I live in one.
Conservative politically, yes. From my experience, there are a lot of cool, hip people who are conservative. They just bring a different perspective than cool, hip people who are liberal. Generally people still hang out at the same places and still have friends with different political opinions.
In terms of being conservative philosophically, probably not. Places that are hostile to outsiders or new ideas, whether they be liberal or conservative, are going to have a tough time being cool and hip, especially with young people who are trying to figure out where they fit in.
It definitely really depends on your point of view and what you think is cool.
If you think about it, what about all the young, hip people that backpack to foreign countries say in Asia or South America and live among the locals for a while?
Those countries themselves are often way more conservative than the US (in terms of traditional norms, dressing etc.), and yet travelling there is often thought of as hip, fun, cool and exotic.
I think this is a somewhat misguided topic - there are liberal and conservative in all areas and mostly they interact just fine no matter where and to say one or the other can not be fun or boring at the individual level is just plain crazy
So more conservative cities like Boise, Denver, Kansas City, etc. won't be "cool," but they'll almost always be more livable, affordable, and all-around better to live in.
Is Nashville really that conservative? Either politically or socially? It's always seemed fairly moderate to me... It seems to be in the midst of a conservative region, and yeah country music is pretty conservative for the most part, but didn't Obama win by a fair sized majority? Beyond the mainstream country music, I'd say there are some fairly hip musicians in Nashville.
The city of Denver isn't conservative either, although the suburbs might be. I think Obama got about 75% of the vote in Denver itself. It's comparable to places like Seattle, although maybe a little more moderate.
Boise is pretty conservative, especially since you have a large Mormon/LDS population, but compared to the rest of Idaho, it's like fricking Boston. And no one in their right mind would ever mistake it for being Brooklyn or San Francisco, but you do have a small population of musicians, artists, and cool young people.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cbmsu01
Conservative politically, yes. From my experience, there are a lot of cool, hip people who are conservative. They just bring a different perspective than cool, hip people who are liberal. Generally people still hang out at the same places and still have friends with different political opinions.
In terms of being conservative philosophically, probably not. Places that are hostile to outsiders or new ideas, whether they be liberal or conservative, are going to have a tough time being cool and hip, especially with young people who are trying to figure out where they fit in.
That's a pretty accurate statement... Even in the very liberal city of Portland, Oregon, I know cool people who are more conservative politically. It's just more uncommon to some degrees these days. Libertarians are another matter too, since you can be in lock step with some conservative political viewpoints and liberal on others. And some of the coolest people I've met have been free-thinking, gun-owning libertarians... But those people could be out of place in a more religious, socially conservative city than I would for the most part.
Liberal medias decide what is cool and what is not, so no it's not possible.
These issues are all about context. And for this questions and others regarding culture of US cities, this is an American context.
As for your assertion that, somehow, the "liberal" media makes these decisions, I couldn't disagree more. First of all, I think the whole idea about the Liberal media is a myth. Ask a Liberal like myself if I think that the media is liberal and I'll tell you what I think. I think it's conservative. The idea that the media is liberal is a conservative perpsective and talking point.
As for cities, those with developed cores, thriving arts scenes and excellent public amenities are things that liberals and progressives support. They are also things that increasing numbers of conservatives don't support. The funny thing is that many conservatives I know love what the progressives put in place once it's actually there. They just don't seem to have the vision or determination to make it happen in the first place.
Boise is pretty conservative, especially since you have a large Mormon/LDS population, but compared to the rest of Idaho, it's like fricking Boston. And no one in their right mind would ever mistake it for being Brooklyn or San Francisco, but you do have a small population of musicians, artists, and cool young people.
...
The actual city of Boise is pretty Blue, tends to vote Democrat but when you get into the suburbs Red is the color with a lot of Libertarians mixed in. Boise is not as liberal as San Fran thank God, but it surprises people who come and spend time, or move here from larger cities. It is a city you just cannot place a label on without visiting and spending time. Many people from Portland, Seattle, and CA have relocated to Boise. Natives who are more liberal tend to move to Boise from other areas of the state. The city center also thrives with art galleries, boutique shops that you wouldn't expect to see in a city this size, great wine bars, coffee houses, and some national chain stores thrown in such as Urban Outfitters and North Face.
Boise has the largest population of Basques outside of Spain and France which really adds to the cultural scene.
You are correct that there is a population of musicians, and artists, but it is actually a pretty large population, the city is huge on the arts, and the arts are impressively supported here. For instance, Boise is home to a famous dance group called the Trey McIntyre Project which was recently chosen to be a US Cultural Ambassador.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ;tmac9wr
What city would that be?
I think overall it's tough for a conservative city to be "cool" or "hip"...I guess because younger people tend to be a bit more liberal. That's not to say conservative people can't be cool...I've got tons of pretty conservative friends...but there needs to be that liberal douchey-touch to make a place really seem hip haha.
I remember Lazlow Jones (a huge contributor to the Grand Theft Auto videogame series) said something on his radio show that was talking about this...this isn't the exact quote, but it was something like: "Liberals may be whiny little douches, but they understand comedy and entertainment. When Conservatives try to do it, it's just really awkward." I think this was in response to Fox News trying to be funny and playing a song called "Barack the Magic Negro".
How so? Those cities are very quiet...but are they really safer? They may be cheaper...but what about their educational offerings? Are they really all-around that much better? Denver is close to the Rockies, but not the ocean and Kansas City is close to nothing. Boise is in Idaho, so I really don't think I need to expand on that (no offense to Idaho).
Also, isn't Boise a bit of a hotbed for Neo-Nazis? Or at least the greater region? Sounds fantastic!
Could you provide some examples as to why these cities would be all-around better to live in?
Yea I remember my friend and I joking that Bush was like the uncle that sneaks you a beer at the family party when you're underage...a cool guy, but not someone you want running the country haha.
off topic: I never understood why people want to have a president that they can connect to, or is similar to them. I want a cold, calculated bastard who loves this country and is smarter than everyone else.
tmac9wr, in response to you blanket statements based on obviously not knowing anything about Idaho
You said Denver is close to the Rockies, and Boise is in Idaho..you got that part right. Don't you realize Idaho is a Rocky Mountain State too with beauty as grand as Colorado? Idaho has alpine wilderness areas of mountains and forests larger than the state of Massachusetts and most New England states combined, and some of that is right by Boise.
Have you ever been to Idaho or just basing your opinion on assumptions? Boise a hot bed for neo nazis? Wrong...are you basing this opinion on sensationalistic USA news sources? I have never heard that, but maybe a few eastern news sources that do not do proper research may say that. You are more likley to see more skinheads/neo nazis in Portland or Seattle than anywhere in the entire state of Idaho.
Boise is a hotbed for placing refugees from Africa and other areas of the world when they enter the USA. This is because Boise is a progressive, accepting, well-balanced city with a healthy mix of both conservatives and liberals, is extremely safe, no gangs, and emmaculately clean, a thriving arts scene, and civic pride, and doesn't have the problems larger cities have... this is the key to a highly livable city such as Boise. Many people who live here, have relocated here view the city as a secret little nirvana hidden away from mainstream America but a city that exemplifies the best of what the USA offers.
The schools in Boise are good too, many high schools in the city made a Newsweek list of best high schools in the nation.
I'm not saying Boise is a better city to live in than others because that point is subjective based on peoples opinions based on facts, not assumptions.
To answer the question in the Thread Title, yes, as long as there is a balance of ideals and politics.
Last edited by Syringaloid; 01-21-2011 at 02:10 PM..
The city of Denver isn't conservative either, although the suburbs might be. I think Obama got about 75% of the vote in Denver itself. It's comparable to places like Seattle, although maybe a little more moderate.
The city and county of Denver is quite liberal. Denver voters also have a history of voting rather favorably for liberal social measures. The suburbs are politically mixed but not as conservative as you might think. 6 of the 7 suburban counties went for Obama in 2008 and all 6 of the same suburban counties also re-elected the liberal Senator Michael Bennet in the 2010 election.
Is Nashville really that conservative? Either politically or socially? It's always seemed fairly moderate to me... It seems to be in the midst of a conservative region, and yeah country music is pretty conservative for the most part, but didn't Obama win by a fair sized majority? Beyond the mainstream country music, I'd say there are some fairly hip musicians in Nashville.
Yeah Nashville I think is moderate or even Center-Left. Leaving Obama aside, as he won almost every urban county in the country including those that went for Bush, there's the issue that Kerry won by almost 10% in Davidson County. (Which is where Nashville is located)
Although that county did go for Reagan and Bush Sr. Still even then they went for Carter in 1980. Although on what's arguably the "conservative side" Davidson County supported Wallace in 1968 and gave 68% support to 2006's "Amendment 1" against same-sex marriage.
I think in Tennessee Knoxville is the more conservative of large/largish cities. I've heard some argue it's not really that conservative, but it generally seems to go Republican in state and national elections. Their representation in the State Senate looks to be all Republican and five of the seven (or four of six if I misread) Representatives they have in the State House appear to be Republican. The current Republican Governor of Tennessee was a former mayor of Knoxville. Knox County, the county Knoxville is in which will help in the maps below, did give less support than average for Tennessee on Amendment 1 against same-sex marriage. In Knox county the Amendment received 71% of the vote, barely more than in Nashville. Still managing just 71% opposition to same-sex marriage, even if it was 5 years ago, is not exactly a sign of liberalism.
If that's not conservative enough Chattanooga, in Hamilton County, looks to have went against same-sex marriage with a more Tennessee-average 80%. Possibly over that as parts of Chattanooga look to be in counties that went more strongly for Amendment 1. In Presidential Elections Hamilton went against Republican once in the last 50 years when it supported Wallace. In Gubernatorial races it's went for Democrats some, but less often than Knox it seems. They're about the same on US Senate races. The maps above indicate Hamilton's State Senator is Republican. Their House map indicates their representation in the State House is more mixed than Knoxville's with 2 Republicans and 2 Democrats.
The city of Denver isn't conservative either, although the suburbs might be. I think Obama got about 75% of the vote in Denver itself. It's comparable to places like Seattle, although maybe a little more moderate.
No, Denver is nothing like Seattle in terms of liberalism. But it does lean left, like virtually every other big city. It's more of a libertarian sort of politics, though, and certainly nothing like what you'll find on either of the coasts.
The suburbs are indeed very conservative. So when I say that Denver is conservative, I'm talking about the area more generally. I don't think that Denver is "cool," as least not in an MTV way, but it's nevertheless a great place to live. And I'd take that over "coolness" anyway.
It depends because a lot of things that are seen as "liberal" can actually be conservative and things that are "conservative" can be seen as liberal. So, it depends upon the attitude of the topic within that city/area. This has been noted in previous posts on this topic.
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.
Wrong...are you basing this opinion on sensationalistic USA news sources? I have never heard that, but maybe a few eastern news sources that do not do proper research may say that. You are more likley to see more skinheads/neo nazis in Portland or Seattle than anywhere in the entire state of Idaho.
