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There are no cool "red" cities unless you consider a place like OKC hip. All of the major cities lean to the left. (Well atleast all of the ones people give a damn about.
Charlotte is a blue city. The surrounding cities may not be but the metro area voted more than 60% democrat last election.
I don't think one or even two elections necessarily make a trend; I think you have to look at long-term, consistent voting patterns. Recent elections may speak to a change in momentum, but it may not be sustained for the long term.
Seems like even most of the "cool" small cities are blue. For the most part "coolness" and "red" seem almost like oxymorons nowadays. However, Anchorage, Alaska seems pretty cool and leans Republican (not just metro - the city itself).
I don't think one or even two elections necessarily make a trend; I think you have to look at long-term, consistent voting patterns. Recent elections may speak to a change in momentum, but it may not be sustained for the long term.
You beat me to it. Unless the city has a long-term trend of voting a certain way, you can't really label them as red or blue. So using election results from the last election is not useful in determining red from blue.
Seems like even most of the "cool" small cities are blue. For the most part "coolness" and "red" seem almost like oxymorons nowadays. However, Anchorage, Alaska seems pretty cool and leans Republican (not just metro - the city itself).
While this is true, it's because Anchorage has huge city limits which take in almost all development in the metro (except for the Mat-Su Valley, which is like a 45 minute drive away). Anchorage also has a huge amount of undeveloped wilderness within the city proper.
There are essentially no hip urban Republican neighborhoods anywhere. You can find a precious few truly urban Republican neighborhoods in some northern cities in some remaining "ethnic white" enclaves and especially Hasidic Jewish neighborhoods, but those aren't hip in the slightest. But on the whole, looking from city to city, the main determinant of how many Republicans there are is how many suburban-style neighborhoods full of white people are within city limits.
Echoing what others have said, even the most conservative of cities are actually rather moderate. But nonetheless...
Indianapolis would be your best bet in my opinion. It's relatively conservative given that it's a major city, and it's booming in every way. The economy is fantastic, and it has a thriving arts scene. Though Broad Ripple and the Mass Ave. districts are buzzing with nightlife and shopping, I prefer the energy of the Fountain Square neighborhood. Indy also offers high wages and a low cost of living.
My second choice would be Phoenix. Though Arizona is becoming more blue everyday the Phoenix area is a conservative strong hold. Enjoy stellar shopping and dining in Scottsdale or hip nightlife in Tempe.
In terms of smaller cities, Lancaster, Pennsylvania might work well too. Though it's Pennsylvania at it's most conservative, I can't think of any city that does folk art better than Lancaster. Whether you're looking for homemade candles, lavender soap, or hand-carved mandolin, Lancaster is the place to go. The downtown area has an amazing farmers market, trendy wine bars, and hip cafes, all things considered to be "cool." The metro area is home to a half million people.
May I suggest DC? Now, I know what you're going to say -- DC is deep blue, they vote for the Democrats every single time, it's the center of big government. But hear me out: The fact that it's the national capital guarantees that there's always a strong and vocal contingent of Republicans. Republicans have the majority in Congress; every one of those Republican congressmen needs a staff, and that's to say nothing of right-leaning lobbyists, non-profit employees, etc. This is the city where the Heritage Foundation is headquartered. In places like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, you're going to be embarrassed to be a Republican. In DC, you may be outnumbered, but you'll never be embarrassed -- you'll find loads of people like you, and even those who disagree with you tend to be respectful out of a sort of professional courtesy. It's an interesting culture.
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