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Seeking information on how conservative citizens of Lexington and Louisville are, traditional household, father head of home, pro-life, anti pro-choice, political views, religious doctrine
are ultra conservative. By that, I mean they view the husband/father as head of the household, the mom defers to him, they are anti pro-choice, etc. Any idea what percentage of the population in these cities are this conservative?
Seriously, overall KY is a conservative state that is firmly seated in the Bible belt. There are fundamentalists, public schools that officially begin the day with prayer and keep Wednesday nights open for families to attend church, lots of pro-life voters, dry counties, traditional family structures, and probably anything else that you can think of. And there are a lot of people that prefer it that way.
However, there are certainly some very liberal, more progressive areas, especially in Louisville and Lexington - including some more liberal Christian and Unitarian churches in both areas, and some religious organizations that are not based on Christianity (Islam, Buddhist, etc).
In the more rural areas, it is more common for the overall area to lean toward southern baptist or even fundamental baptist.
So yes, I think that you will be in a little bit of culture shock when you arrive, especially if you get visited by the door-to-door "soul-winners" like we were the other day. But I don't think that you will feel smothered or overly uncomfortable if you are considering the Louisville and Lexington areas. There are many people from across the USA and the world, and you will certainly find some like-minded groups in either place.
Actually one of the things that make Lexington most attractive to me is that there is a lot of diversity. If you are ultra conservative you can find a niche. If you're ultra liberal you can find a niche. Everything between the two extremes is here.
If you have a family you will find lots of family oriented activities. If you are single you will find a fun singles scene.
I may have said this in an earlier thread but it bears repeating. You will find everything from mega churchs to an active arts scent to a large gay community. Lexington was recently named one of the top cities (5 or 8, I forget) in the US for gays to live.
are ultra conservative. By that, I mean they view the husband/father as head of the household, the mom defers to him, they are anti pro-choice, etc. Any idea what percentage of the population in these cities are this conservative?
Louisville is IMO by far the most "liberal" area of KY. The UK students and staff are liberal, but oustide of that, I have noticed what seems to be more ultra conservatives in Lexington, which may be due to the fact that many people from eastern and southern KY move to Lexington over Louisville (where those ultra conservative values stand).
I would classify Louisville's suburbs as ultra conservative, but not unlike any other metro in the Midwest or South, and perhaps even less so. I'm afraid you will notice lexington to be more conservative than Louisville, but perhaps more "polite and proper" (at least stereotypically).
I have not found one good way to measure the liberal or conservative nature of a city, really. It is sort of personal opinion, but I do know that the city proper of Louisville has a fairly large gay population, a strong pro-choice faction, and some other liberal tendencies. For example, you will see many signs in the yards of the area near downtown for 8664.org which is a plan to tear down a freeway from our downtown riverfront (a very radical and liberal idea). The Fairness campaign, during its heyday, prompted many in the urban areas to place fairness yard signs up:
http://www.fairness.org/default.htm (broken link)
Also, in urban areas like bardstown road, you will see this sign alot:
It is a campaign to support locally owned businesses, certainly counterintuitive to many (stereotypically mind you) "minivan driving, church going, right wing, soccer moms" who would much rather enjoy dinner at Olive Garden and shopping at Walmart.
Ironically, there is a local coalition of religious groups who are actually pro choice for Kentucky (based in Louisville of course)
Thanks, Stx. What you write about Louisville makes me like the sound of it even more. When you say the suburbs of Louisville are conservative do you mean places like Douglas Hills or places like Oldham Cty?
gimme it --- I can't speak for Louisville (I only saw a little of Louisville when driving to Lexington so only formed a visual opinion of the city which was probably biased given the small part I saw) -- but, I would think both Louisville and Lexington (given their size) would have both ends of the spectrum.
Lexington, because of the university, almost by definition attracts a diverse population. Also both cities would certainly attract some people from other parts of the state -- and overall, KY is ultra conservative. But in the short time I was there I thought the city was very diversified and I saw evidence of people from many different cultural, ethnic, social, and political backgrounds. I definitely agree with the "polite and proper" but not just polite -- everyone was friendly in Lexington. With almost no exception, people we encountered in restaurants, stores, etc. would speak first, initiate conversations with us, etc. It was a very nice experience.
Currently I live in a very conservative state but Iowa City (the town I live in) is very liberal because it has a state university which draws all types of people from all walks of life. Iowa City is very different from the rest of the state. From what I've read, and from what I've seen (albeit briefly), the same is true for Lexington. I would be surprised if a relatively (stress "relatively") large population of "ultra conservatives" from other parts of KY settled in Lexington, simply because of the diversity of the population and because it's a more expensive place to live than the rest of the KY. I don't know that for a fact (and I don't mean to refute stx who said the opposite -- she might have facts I'm not aware of), but it's true of Iowa City and it makes sense to me.
I also think everyone has their own definition of "conservative". I think you will find soccer type moms who shop at chains dominating every city suburb. What you really want to know, I think, is the prevailing attitude about such things as women's rights, etc. And I think you will find both ends of the spectrum in both cities. From what I experienced of Lexington, I would not call the city "ultra conservative". I think there is a mix.
ic-epi
I couldn't have said it better myself. You summed up Lexington very well.
Obviously one can't make broad, sweeping generalizations about a town the size of Lexington and have it fit the entire population. Also, I have somehow missed this huge influx of eastern ky residents flooding into Lexington. However, if there were that population they too would find a place to call their own and would not be looked down upon. Isn't that what diversity is all about?
Actually, I know several people in Lexington that have moved from Eastern KY...and they are some of the most liberal and educated of all of the people I know here! One woman did her undergrad at Columbia in NY and finished her master's at UK in information technology - she's a vegetarian who is very active in the environmental support groups in the area.
Another (from Corbin) is also getting her master's at UK, loves foreign literature and punk music, and dyes her hair jet black. She also loves southern manners, sweet tea, and her strong KY accent.
And a third sports several body piercings, including her nose and lip, and is into the independent film scene and big supporter of local music.
My point is that you will hear a lot of stereotypes about any place. In a city the size of Lexington, with the influence of a large university, major medical center, and some large, international corporations that actively relocate and recruit people from all over the world, there is a lot of diversity. If you are looking for a conservative, church-going, traditional community, you can find that. If you want a liberal, non-religious, advocacy setting, there is plenty of that, too. And if you're somewhere in the middle, you'll find your spot as well.
Once again, KY is a more southern, conservative, and Christian based state than many others. And, I agree that the more rural and south/eastern parts of the state are more conservative and bible-based, so you also have that influence across the state, including in Louisville. In fact, one of the famous "mega-churches" of the US (Southeast Christian) is located right in the middle of Louisville's east end. It has membership into the thousands and still growing, and in my opinion is certainly a conservative (albeit modern) establishment.
In the more rural areas, it is more common for the overall area to lean toward southern baptist or even fundamental baptist.
That's for sure. Once you get out of the cities, if you ain't Baptist, you ain't nothin'. Try to even find a non-Baptist church in rural KY . . .
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