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You should really think about what you want first. Going south on I-95 is a total nightmare of a commute. They "might" be more conservative, but then again, it might be moot if you dedicate most of your time commuting.
I have met conservatives in the district, they were all hill staffers, so there are people out there. I suppose if you want a real conservative city you have to move to Richmond. DC and the burbs just aren't it.
I would really recommend finding a place in the district, or around the immediate suburbs. You really find people from all walks of life around here, so you will find a conservative enclave around here somewhere. The fact of the matter is that DC is a deep blue city, next too a pretty blue state (Hogan getting elected was a miracle) next to a purple state (Virginia has a dem governor and voted for Obama twice). So if you are moving from one blue state, with a blue city, you aren't going to find its much different here.
Best advice - use the city data website and see if it can identify where people vote red. Or, even better, look at Craigslist for roommates. Maybe put up a post looking for like minded room mates.
And amidst all you leftists and rightists looking to relegate yourselves to enclaves, those of is in the Independent/Moderate realm find it increasingly difficult to find a balance.
Consider the far reaching 'burbs like Reston or Manassas. It's not full-blown conservative there, but it'll serve you well I imagine. The good thing about many of the larger NoVA cities is that they're accessible by Metro (usually park and ride...there's not much mixed-used development around many of the Metro stops once you make it outside of Arlington). The traffic in DC is abysmal, so any chance you have to NOT drive around the DMV is good.
this was a most interesting read. I'm a little bummed the op left. I was hoping to read more about his radicalism and how having to see people of different color day in and day out would just totally disgust him.
I grew up in redneck Louisiana and am very left. Oh how our 20s change us!
Wow, someone's got a lot of rebellious adolescent angst to work through. I'm a bit disappointed that he's chosen to reinforce his bubble, rather than engage, but oh well. With that lack of empathy, I'm sure he'll face challenges reaching out to the millions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jtvm2791
An English speaking country, built on primarily European culture with a substantial African descended minority. Do you see American enclaves in Mexico City or Taipei? No they're colonizing us while we promote it as diversity... God bless America, but seriously may LBJ (immigration act 1965) burn in a special kind of hell.
1. California was a Spanish-speaking land. So was Arizona. Before that, they were inhabited by people speaking languages like Ohlone.
2. Yes, you can find American enclaves in any large city abroad -- just ask where the expat quarter is. I don't speak much Spanish and no Mandarin, but it was easy to hang out among English speakers in Mexico City and Taipei.
3. My great-great-grandfather arrived in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1870s. You newcomers can go back to where you came from.
What exactly do you intend on "conserving?" What exactly bothers you about "liberty?" Have you ever really considered the roots of these labels? Are you sure there aren't really deep seeded bigotries that you are harboring beneath your chosen label? I don't know, but you do. You have quite a bit a maturing to do before you venture off into this great big world.
Okay, I'm a 20-something gay libertarian who has worked for conservative groups (in political fundraising) in the past, so I have a pretty decent idea of the circle you want to travel in.
First off, no, there is no magic conservative ghetto commutable to any major city in the country. And, honestly, I've only known one person (this intern we all hated) who waxed poetic about living in one, and we would make relentless fun of her behind her back for wanting to live in this hermetically-sealed world away from all the liberals and minorities. Most D.C. conservatives, working in conservative politics, are generally living in the real world.
That said, if you're working for a conservative group, you'll section off anyway. You'll make work friends who are conservative. You'll go with them to Republican happy hours, and there, you'll meet even more friends. And, gasp, a bunch of liberals are doing the same thing at the next table, but you don't have to talk to them and they don't have to talk to you.
Second off, because there is no conservative ghetto and because you'll travel in that conservative network anyway, it really doesn't matter where you live. If you want to be inside the Beltway, which as a twenty-something I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to, stick to Arlington or Alexandria. That's where most conservative twenty-somethings tend to live: I've known a bunch of people in group houses in East Falls Church, near Ballston, Huntington, Eisenhower Ave. Virginia does attract a more conservative element than D.C. or Maryland (though not to the extent you're hoping for), and I feel that younger people willing to live out in inner suburbs like that tend to be much more conservative. If the mere sight of liberals bothers you, well, I don't know what to tell you. That's life.
Another option would be to go outside the Beltway. I had a client in Spotsylvania (right outside Fredericksburg proper, which itself is quite a charming little old town) and it's definitely way, way more rustic than D.C. That's where you start to get Red State Virginia--Dave Brat, who primaried Eric Cantor, is their Congressman--but it's not a conservative ghetto either. There's plenty of minorities and immigrants, because it tends to be a cheaper alternative for a family. Houses down there range from suburban homes, to more rural if you go a little ways off I-95. I'm a city boy, so I think it's pretty miserable--there's so many faceless strip malls on clogged suburban highways--but to each their own.
The negative for that is, obviously, your commute will be nightmarish. It takes me an hour-fifteen to get from D.C. to Spotsylvania, and that's going against traffic; I can't even tell you how many evenings I've seen cars backed up across the media for miles and miles. Plus the fact that these are kind of economically-depressed exurbs--they're not really a place to meet young, ambitious people for friendship or dating. D.C. twenty-somethings--the ones that work for conservative think tanks and rub elbows at Grover's meeting and go to happy hour--don't generally live down there. You'll get a lot of townies.
Verdict? Just suck it up and move to Arlington or Alexandria--you'll regret living so far away. Like I said, I've had a lot of conservative colleagues--and these are like leading the March for Life conservatives who work in politics, not just incidentally right-leaning people--and they did just fine. And let me tell you: you're not going to be persecuted like a gay guy in rural Alabama. Conservative political beliefs is not a lifestyle choice that will get you murdered in any part of the country. And really, unless you walk around looking like a gun-toting Woody from Toy Story (though your previous posts do make me fear you might), guess what, no one is going to know or care about your political beliefs unless you tell them.
Also, open your mind a little bit, if only for your own sake. Not an insignificant number of conservatives in D.C. would think you're a tool. Virtually every conservative I know (and again, it includes people you've heard of) has at least some liberal friends or acquaintances.
The OP has posted some homophobic statements in this thread. You two may share the same faith in the conservative ideology but the OP would hate your guts because of your sexual orientation. Only white, heterosexual, evangelical protestant Christians are the true voice of conservatism according to the clown. You two would be like a dynamite stick and a lit match in the same room.
In this world, there are conservatives and then there are Batsh#t Conservatives who prefer to take the United States back to the 18th century when gays, blacks and non-Christians were persecuted with impunity. The OP is definitely the latter and just about everyone responding to him wishes that he would avoid Washington DC all together. A homophobic and racist conservative would not fit in any community within a one-hour radius of DC.
Quote:
Originally Posted by onlyat
Okay, I'm a 20-something gay libertarian who has worked for conservative groups (in political fundraising) in the past, so I have a pretty decent idea of the circle you want to travel in.
First off, no, there is no magic conservative ghetto commutable to any major city in the country. And, honestly, I've only known one person (this intern we all hated) who waxed poetic about living in one, and we would make relentless fun of her behind her back for wanting to live in this hermetically-sealed world away from all the liberals and minorities. Most D.C. conservatives, working in conservative politics, are generally living in the real world.
That said, if you're working for a conservative group, you'll section off anyway. You'll make work friends who are conservative. You'll go with them to Republican happy hours, and there, you'll meet even more friends. And, gasp, a bunch of liberals are doing the same thing at the next table, but you don't have to talk to them and they don't have to talk to you.
Second off, because there is no conservative ghetto and because you'll travel in that conservative network anyway, it really doesn't matter where you live. If you want to be inside the Beltway, which as a twenty-something I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to, stick to Arlington or Alexandria. That's where most conservative twenty-somethings tend to live: I've known a bunch of people in group houses in East Falls Church, near Ballston, Huntington, Eisenhower Ave. Virginia does attract a more conservative element than D.C. or Maryland (though not to the extent you're hoping for), and I feel that younger people willing to live out in inner suburbs like that tend to be much more conservative. If the mere sight of liberals bothers you, well, I don't know what to tell you. That's life.
Another option would be to go outside the Beltway. I had a client in Spotsylvania (right outside Fredericksburg proper, which itself is quite a charming little old town) and it's definitely way, way more rustic than D.C. That's where you start to get Red State Virginia--Dave Brat, who primaried Eric Cantor, is their Congressman--but it's not a conservative ghetto either. There's plenty of minorities and immigrants, because it tends to be a cheaper alternative for a family. Houses down there range from suburban homes, to more rural if you go a little ways off I-95. I'm a city boy, so I think it's pretty miserable--there's so many faceless strip malls on clogged suburban highways--but to each their own.
The negative for that is, obviously, your commute will be nightmarish. It takes me an hour-fifteen to get from D.C. to Spotsylvania, and that's going against traffic; I can't even tell you how many evenings I've seen cars backed up across the media for miles and miles. Plus the fact that these are kind of economically-depressed exurbs--they're not really a place to meet young, ambitious people for friendship or dating. D.C. twenty-somethings--the ones that work for conservative think tanks and rub elbows at Grover's meeting and go to happy hour--don't generally live down there. You'll get a lot of townies.
Verdict? Just suck it up and move to Arlington or Alexandria--you'll regret living so far away. Like I said, I've had a lot of conservative colleagues--and these are like leading the March for Life conservatives who work in politics, not just incidentally right-leaning people--and they did just fine. And let me tell you: you're not going to be persecuted like a gay guy in rural Alabama. Conservative political beliefs is not a lifestyle choice that will get you murdered in any part of the country. And really, unless you walk around looking like a gun-toting Woody from Toy Story (though your previous posts do make me fear you might), guess what, no one is going to know or care about your political beliefs unless you tell them.
Also, open your mind a little bit, if only for your own sake. Not an insignificant number of conservatives in D.C. would think you're a tool. Virtually every conservative I know (and again, it includes people you've heard of) has at least some liberal friends or acquaintances.
JTvm2971, out of curiosity why do you feel the need to carry a gun while walking your dog or going to a supermarket. I have always wondered about that. I am sure there are areas of Northern Virginia that are conservative as well as Maryland. Honestly, I feel that the MD-VA-DC areas should be conservative, at least socially. People normally stay with their own groups. There does not seem to be much mixing so you should be able to find a group. Maybe if you find a conservative place of worship then you will find conservative friends. People like to act like it is liberal but it doesn't feel liberal at all in the DC suburbs.
The OP hasn't posted since the first day. Just saying.
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