Warm, friendly and liberal Kansas (Overland Park, Kansas City: employment, transfer, university)

[Okey Dokie]

A good barometer for deciding how "Bible thumping" an area is: go to a grocery store about noon or 12:30 on Sunday. Compare how many people look like they just got out of church vs. how many look like they just got out of bed. There's your answer.

[kansas sky]

Originally Posted by Okey Dokie

A good barometer for deciding how "Bible thumping" an area is: go to a grocery store about noon or 12:30 on Sunday. Compare how many people look like they just got out of church vs. how many look like they just got out of bed. There's your answer.

It also depends on what the OP means my "bible thumpers." If they are offended by people going to church, this works. If they simply want to avoid being harassed by people trying to push their form of religion, I'd say most of Kansas is pretty safe.

[Sco]

Originally Posted by kansas sky

It also depends on what the OP means my "bible thumpers." If they are offended by people going to church, this works. If they simply want to avoid being harassed by people trying to push their form of religion, I'd say most of Kansas is pretty safe.

I agree that a lot will be determined by your personal definition of what bible thumping means. However, anyone that claims fundamentalist Christianity does not completely permeate Kansas culture and politics is lying. The Kansas governor is well known for his extreme fundamentalist religious beliefs and he makes it clear that he carries those beliefs over into his legislative agenda. Even the supposedly more enlightened Johnson County elected Phil Kline as District Attorney. Phil Kline is a bible thumper of the highest order and a militant anti-choice activist. He left the area and now is a professor at Liberty University, which is an evangelical bible thumping university founded by Jerry Falwell.

So, while not everyone in Kansas is a bible thumper there are more than enough people that are to guarantee that religion and specifically fundamentalist Christianity is pervasive in the political leadership and legislative agenda which means that it will also be reflected in the overall culture of Kansas.

[MrIndependent]

The only place in Kansas that is truly liberal in every sense of the word would be the college town of Lawrence.

Wyandotte County is minority heavy (Black and Hispanic), so it tilts Democrat. However, I wouldn't go as far as to say it is that socially liberal.

Johnson County is firmly to the conservative right in terms of economic and social policies. I would never describe it as liberal. To describe it as moderate would a stretch. It used to be moderate-conservative, but shifted sharply to the right since 2009.

Everywhere else in Kansas is ranges from conservative to extreme conservative. Western Kansas, and the area around Wichita are particularly hard right.

[WiseOwlSaysHoot]

Originally Posted by MrIndependent

The only place in Kansas that is truly liberal in every sense of the word would be the college town of Lawrence.

Wyandotte County is minority heavy (Black and Hispanic), so it tilts Democrat. However, I wouldn't go as far as to say it is that socially liberal.

Johnson County is firmly to the conservative right in terms of economic and social policies. I would never describe it as liberal. To describe it as moderate would a stretch. It used to be moderate-conservative, but shifted sharply to the right since 2009.

Everywhere else in Kansas is ranges from conservative to extreme conservative. Western Kansas, and the area around Wichita are particularly hard right.

This post is right on. Lawrence is your only bet for a truly a Liberal town in Kansas. There is no Trader Joe's, but there are organic/natural grocers.

Johnson County is solidly conservative. It's not hardcore right-wing, but it always goes blue. In 2012, Romney topped Obama 60% to 37%. In the congressional 3rd district (which is JoCo and Wyco) there wasn't even a Democrat nominated.

If you do go with JoCo, I think your best bet would be Prairie Village - it seems to be the most liberal area to me (though it is not some left wing bastion). If you are going to be in the KCMO metro area, your best bet for liberal neighborhoods would be in KCMO itself in areas like Brookside, Midtown, Waldo, etc.

[Sco]

Originally Posted by MrIndependent

The only place in Kansas that is truly liberal in every sense of the word would be the college town of Lawrence.

Wyandotte County is minority heavy (Black and Hispanic), so it tilts Democrat. However, I wouldn't go as far as to say it is that socially liberal.

Johnson County is firmly to the conservative right in terms of economic and social policies. I would never describe it as liberal. To describe it as moderate would a stretch. It used to be moderate-conservative, but shifted sharply to the right since 2009.

Everywhere else in Kansas is ranges from conservative to extreme conservative. Western Kansas, and the area around Wichita are particularly hard right.

This is the unvarnished truth about Kansas. 100% accurate, IMO. As the previous poster indicated even in Johnson County it is not uncommon for the social conservative Republican candidates to run unopposed in local elections.

[luzianne]

I love how people who don't even live in Johnson County or Kansas now, and some who never have, think they know so much about it. Usually it's people who live on the Missouri side who for no reason I can think of other than jealousy have a pathological hatred of Kansas in general and Johnson County in particular.

I will reiterate that I love living in Johnson County. And yes, I have lived in Kansas City, Missouri and in Kansas City, Kansas. And Lawrence. And by the way, Kansas City, Kansas is NOT predominantly minority. Yes, in the downtown area it is. In other areas, no. But I don't see what difference that makes anyway.

Again, I will tell the OP to come and visit for himself. He says what I have described is what he is looking for. I think he will love Johnson County like others who live here love it.

[WiseOwlSaysHoot]

I see no "pathological hatred" of JoCo, only people stating the truth that is a conservative area. The funny thing is, there are actual statistics from elections that let you know where a county fits on the political spectrum.

The assertion that someone who is stating facts that are backed up by statistics is jealous of JoCo is ridiculous. A poster earlier wondered why JoCo has a reputation as being snobby - look no further than this post. Yes, we all are jealous and wish we could live in the paradise that is JoCo, so we loathe you. Give me a break.

[Sco]

Originally Posted by luzianne

I love how people who don't even live in Johnson County or Kansas now, and some who never have, think they know so much about it. Usually it's people who live on the Missouri side who for no reason I can think of other than jealousy have a pathological hatred of Kansas in general and Johnson County in particular.

I will reiterate that I love living in Johnson County. And yes, I have lived in Kansas City, Missouri and in Kansas City, Kansas. And Lawrence. And by the way, Kansas City, Kansas is NOT predominantly minority. Yes, in the downtown area it is. In other areas, no. But I don't see what difference that makes anyway.

Again, I will tell the OP to come and visit for himself. He says what I have described is what he is looking for. I think he will love Johnson County like others who live here love it.

This post is positively Orwellian.

Facts=hatred
Truth=jealousy

Johnson County is a very conservative area with plenty of bible thumping going on, that is a plain and simple fact supported by election results and other empirical evidence.

Methinks the lady doth protest too much.

Facts:

Johnson County has 25 state representatives, only 2 out of 25 are Democrats, the rest are all Republicans most of them of the far right, social conservative variety
Johnson County has 9 state senators, only one of the 9 is a Democrat, the rest are all Republican

Johnson County is represented in the US House by Kevin Yoder, a Tea Party social conservative Republican.

If Johnson County is actually a moderate area, why is almost every single elected official that represents that area a far right Republican?

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by TinaMcG

With all due respect, you haven't lived in this region for many years, and what you have said here is a mischaracterization of the whole county.

That is not a mischaracterization. The wealthiest zipcodes in JOCO tend to be closer to Missouri and a few in southern Overland Park. The old money resides in the Mission Hills through Leawood corridor. The newer money is in parts of Overland Park, Olathe and scattered around elsewhere. Culturally, Leawood and Prairie Village really don't share anything in common with parts of Gardner and Olathe even though they are all within the same county.