"This is not your Grandfather's Virginia." (Richmond, Fairfax: how much, tax)

[MinnesotaMarvin]

I kept hearing that saying tossed around during the election. I know that the Old Dominion has changed quite recently due to all the between-state immigration and due to the DC area.

Just how much change have you Native Virginians noticed in your lifetime? Also, what has changed? I'm interested to know.

[Erma]

DC area really has nothing to do with us.

[KeyserSoze]

I find it funny how they emphasize what Virginia used to be instead of what it has been for a while now. It seems everyone thinks of VA as some sort of "southern"(the term no longer has that old meaning, and I'd argue it doesn't have one anymore, as VA & Southern in the same phrase usually means Confederacy to most people) mecca, where the spirit Robert E. Lee and the Confederacy is still very much alive. I guess living so close to VA, it's not that shocking, considering Maryland could be included in "This is not your Grandfather's (State)" boat. Of course that never gets played in the media though, but it is very much true.

[VA Yankee]

Even the media during the election was surprised that the "former capital of the confederacy" Richmond Va voted blue in the suburbs.

The war is over allready.

[Nemesis15]

Besides Northern Virginia and the more established cities, America still is very southern.

[Trevor92]

It's really misguided to use politics as a measure of change in Virginia for a couple big reasons.

Even the "red" parts of Virginia were never strongly red, but generally a 55-45 or 60-40 split in most counties. Red Virginia is full of middle to lower class, evangelical social conservatives that usually must make a decision and vote for either their economic well being or their social beliefs. Many also still have a general affection to the original party of the South, the Democrats ... or should I say Dixiecrats. Many people I know can argue whether being Republican or Democrat is better all day, but they also have very similar political positions and all they really disagree on is if they should vote based on social reasons or tax structure. The most recent election really seemed to focus on the economy.

Virginia's population density is more urbanized than ever before thanks to population declines in rural areas and huge population gains in very liberal Fairfax county and other areas near DC.

It's an undeniable point that this year was just a year where things weren't going well, and the party that has been in power paid a hefty price. There was a very anti-Republican sentiment all over the nation as very few, if any swing states went red. However, you'd be really misguided to think that Virginia is a strange, new place that's now socially liberal (as implied by the phrase, this isn't your grandfather's Virginia) based on the fact that Obama got 52% of the vote.

[VRE332]

Ever since Virginia gave up that little piece of property that George Washington had surveyed, it's been a mess in DC.