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I would think Atlanta's government is the most progressive of the bunch, and perhaps its population, too.
I give credit to Miami's diverse, Jewish, and heavily northern-transplant leaning population for liberal potential there, but Miami has historically had a super corrupt, not-so-progressive city government. For being as minority-populated as it is, it's quite conservative. Many older Cubans are quite conservative.
Miami is the "I want to/feel" choice, and I have broad experience and dealings with both it and Atlanta, and they're each kind of progressive in their own respective rights, but I think I have to lean Atlanta.
The biggest difference between Miami and Atlanta is that Miami doesn't have "conservative suburbs" like Atlanta does, and that does have an effect - it can make Atlanta feel more conservative than it is considering all these extremely red-politics people work and play in the city and are "part of the crowd". Atlanta also does have some of these conservative southerners right in its city limits, but fortunately, they have no bearing whatsoever on city government there, which is why most tend to avoid living in the city limits like the plague, or they ask for "secession", lol. I have a lot of faith in progressive city government. It's important to me. And you don't get progressive city government without a progressive voter bloc (i.e. population).
Houston seems like it would be fairly progressive, and the fact that it has a gay and popular/successful mayor warms my heart, probably the most of the lot. Maybe it should be #1. Tough call.
Having been to Dallas a few times, it just strikes me as oppressively conservative for such a big city. To me this gets reflected in its layout, its look and feel, its nightlife, its signature university (SMU - yuck! a college filled with die hard Republicans? a COLLEGE FILLED WITH REPUBLICANS?!?!). I personally could never live in Dallas, and I'm happy if I never return. I have lived in and could live in the other 3, maybe.
But none of this lot is genuinely progressive like SF, Boston, DC, NYC, Seattle, or a few other cities are genuinely progressive. Let's not kid ourselves here. These are all fairly conservative towns in relative respect to some of their peers of similar size/stature. Atlanta is a blue bubble in a sea of red, and its blue isn't as blue as Boston's or San Francisco's blue, not nearly. Miami is the signature city of a fairly purple region that never gets overly blue or overly red. But blue for FL, sure. FL is a crazy, erratic red state that sometimes goes purple. Houston and Dallas are in TX and proud of that fact. Nuff said. You'll never have a deep blue in TX.
I would think Atlanta's government is the most progressive of the bunch, and perhaps its population, too.
I give credit to Miami's diverse, Jewish, and heavily northern-transplant leaning population for liberal potential there, but Miami has historically had a super corrupt, not-so-progressive city government. For being as minority-populated as it is, it's quite conservative. Many older Cubans are quite conservative.
Miami is the "I want to/feel" choice, and I have broad experience and dealings with both it and Atlanta, and they're each kind of progressive in their own respective rights, but I think I have to lean Atlanta.
The biggest difference between Miami and Atlanta is that Miami doesn't have "conservative suburbs" like Atlanta does, and that does have an effect - it can make Atlanta feel more conservative than it is considering all these extremely red-politics people work and play in the city and are "part of the crowd". Atlanta also does have some of these conservative southerners right in its city limits, but fortunately, they have no bearing whatsoever on city government there, which is why most tend to avoid living in the city limits like the plague, or they ask for "secession", lol. I have a lot of faith in progressive city government. It's important to me. And you don't get progressive city government without a progressive voter bloc (i.e. population).
Houston seems like it would be fairly progressive, and the fact that it has a gay and popular/successful mayor warms my heart, probably the most of the lot. Maybe it should be #1. Tough call.
Having been to Dallas a few times, it just strikes me as oppressively conservative for such a big city. To me this gets reflected in its layout, its look and feel, its nightlife, its signature university (SMU - yuck! a college filled with die hard Republicans? a COLLEGE FILLED WITH REPUBLICANS?!?!). I personally could never live in Dallas, and I'm happy if I never return. I have lived in and could live in the other 3, maybe.
But none of this lot is genuinely progressive like SF, Boston, DC, NYC, Seattle, or a few other cities are genuinely progressive. Let's not kid ourselves here. These are all fairly conservative towns in relative respect to some of their peers of similar size/stature. Atlanta is a blue bubble in a sea of red, and its blue isn't as blue as Boston's or San Francisco's blue, not nearly. Miami is the signature city of a fairly purple region that never gets overly blue or overly red. But blue for FL, sure. FL is a crazy, erratic red state that sometimes goes purple. Houston and Dallas are in TX and proud of that fact. Nuff said. You'll never have a deep blue in TX.
I do agree a lot with your post but I would like to address what I bolded above. The older Cuban population in Miami which is still politically & economically active are Conservative for one main reason and that is the Right wing has pandered to the issue of Communism & Cuba when Reagan came to Calle Ocho & had Cuban coffee and proclaimed "Cuba Si , Castro No" at a cafeteria stand in Little Havana.
The exile Cuban population also were the elites who became refugees in the US and were/are entrepreneural so they are fiscal conservatives but most are Socially Liberals. The Cuban exile community is Republican due to policies regarding the affairs on Cuba than anything else.
Socially liberal but a lot of fiscally conservative. Lot of Jews I am friends with in college are in the field of investment banking and are very very fiscally conservative but most are still socially liberal.
Atlanta is essentially the Black Capitol of the US. The largest group of educated blacks is located there along with lots of their alma maters. Blacks tend to lean left, college educated ones even more so.
Atlanta is essentially the Black Capitol of the US. The largest group of educated blacks is located there along with lots of their alma maters. Blacks tend to lean left, college educated ones even more so.
From the time when people first started referring to it as the Black Capital of the U.S up until the present day, it was a self-made myth as the Atlanta area has been the worst of all major U.S. metros as far as income inequality. Just how liberal it really is may be overstated considering that someone wrote a book titled " White Flight: Atlanta and The Making of Modern Conservatism " in the nation as a whole.
Atlanta is essentially the Black Capitol of the US. The largest group of educated blacks is located there along with lots of their alma maters. Blacks tend to lean left, college educated ones even more so.
I think NYC or DC has the largest group of educated (degreed) Blacks but Atlanta isn't too far behind there.
Socially liberal but a lot of fiscally conservative. Lot of Jews I am friends with in college are in the field of investment banking and are very very fiscally conservative but most are still socially liberal.
My experience with Jews (I grew up in a part of the country with tons of them) is the conservative ones are mostly conservative because they perceive the Republican party as being more pro-Israel than the Democratic Party. Still, they are a distinct minority - in general Jews are one of the few social groups that doesn't tend to get more Republican as they get wealthier. Indeed, the poorest Jews (the ultra-orthodox Haredi Jews who don't work and study Talmud all day) tend to be the most conservative, which is why there were some neighborhoods in NYC which voted 90% for Mitt Romney.
The Jews that have moved to ATL and MIA have definitely changed the region, IMO. We're generally a very liberal population. The only ones that vote Republican are the ones obsessed with Israel or the Hasidic/Orthodox population that follow the Torah even more strictly than Christians follow the Bible. I spoke to an Orthodox girl on the flight back from TLV to JFK and she actually thought gays didn't exist in the state of NY until gay marriage was passed. She also said that they "don't have that problem in their community" and if one were to come out, they couldn't be a part of the home and community, but they would still be distantly welcome for holidays and such because they're still family.
The south doesn't have the Orthodox Jewish population. Miami attracts the old retirees who understand the Democrats actually will save their Social Security and Medicare programs. It also attracts a lot of young Millennial Jews who just want the warm weather year round. Millennial + Jewish can't get much more liberal than that.
ATL, from my experience and the Jews I know that have moved from NYC/Chicago to both Atlanta and Miami, are wealthier suburbanites. They come from the suburbs or the furthest reaches of the outer boroughs. Forest Hills. Yonkers. Manhattan Beach. They vote Democrat sometimes, but dress more conservatively, flaunt their expensive jewelry and cars and accessories. Again, my experience. But that type of population tends to be more conservative than the Miami Jews I've met. And with Miami being one of the most Jewish cities in the nation, that must have an influence.
Additionally, Atlanta has more white people. White people as a whole tend to vote more conservative. Miami has a lot of Catholic Latinos. From my experience with Catholics, they may be against gay marriage personally, but they allow the freedom of choice. They may think it's a sin, but respect the fact that they shouldn't judge others. They've always been accepting of gays in my experience. And as a population, they vote more blue, aside from the few older conservative Cubans. I mean, Miami Beach is basically all gay Cuban Jews, right? Does ATL have anything like Miami Beach in terms of social liberalism?
The Jews that have moved to ATL and MIA have definitely changed the region, IMO. We're generally a very liberal population. The only ones that vote Republican are the ones obsessed with Israel or the Hasidic/Orthodox population that follow the Torah even more strictly than Christians follow the Bible. I spoke to an Orthodox girl on the flight back from TLV to JFK and she actually thought gays didn't exist in the state of NY until gay marriage was passed. She also said that they "don't have that problem in their community" and if one were to come out, they couldn't be a part of the home and community, but they would still be distantly welcome for holidays and such because they're still family.
The south doesn't have the Orthodox Jewish population. Miami attracts the old retirees who understand the Democrats actually will save their Social Security and Medicare programs. It also attracts a lot of young Millennial Jews who just want the warm weather year round. Millennial + Jewish can't get much more liberal than that.
ATL, from my experience and the Jews I know that have moved from NYC/Chicago to both Atlanta and Miami, are wealthier suburbanites. They come from the suburbs or the furthest reaches of the outer boroughs. Forest Hills. Yonkers. Manhattan Beach. They vote Democrat sometimes, but dress more conservatively, flaunt their expensive jewelry and cars and accessories. Again, my experience. But that type of population tends to be more conservative than the Miami Jews I've met. And with Miami being one of the most Jewish cities in the nation, that must have an influence.
Additionally, Atlanta has more white people. White people as a whole tend to vote more conservative. Miami has a lot of Catholic Latinos. From my experience with Catholics, they may be against gay marriage personally, but they allow the freedom of choice. They may think it's a sin, but respect the fact that they shouldn't judge others. They've always been accepting of gays in my experience. And as a population, they vote more blue, aside from the few older conservative Cubans. I mean, Miami Beach is basically all gay Cuban Jews, right? Does ATL have anything like Miami Beach in terms of social liberalism?
Everyone in my family that is Jewish votes Democratic except for my Dad who is GOP. Most Jewish people vote Democrats but a lot of Jews that support Israel and are against government inference and higher taxes on business vote GOP. If I had to guess I would say like about 70 percent Jews vote Dem and 30 percent GOP.
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Does ATL have anything like Miami Beach in terms of social liberalism?
