Conservative towns? (Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, State College: tax, to live in, move to)

[BackToTheCityMouse]

Small towns and rural areas tend to be more conservative everywhere. It's a global phenomenon, not something unique to Pennsylvania.

If your family has been living and working on the same small piece of dirt for generations, and encountering few (if any) outsiders, you have no choice but to base your worldview on what you know.

The thing that amazes me, though, about rural PA is that xenophobia persists despite decades of railroads/interstates, film, teevee, newspapers. Not the same situation at all as, say, China where rural areas are only now being linked to the metros with infrastructure and communications.

As an antiques dealer, I've seen many print ads from the Depression Era (before the interstates and teevee) proudly stating the buyers for the business get their stock in NYC or Philly so the citizens of some very tiny town can have the latest fashions, housewares, etc. Small town folks in PA would be embarassed to say something like that now

[HappyRider]

How do you even know if a town is conservative and how does it affect you? Heck, I hardly know, or see, my neighbors.

[Mr Yuk]

Just about anywhere that's not in the Philly or Pittsburgh areas would lean conservative (then again I would guess that Pittsburgh is more conservative than Philly). Even State College, outside of the PSU student population and faculty, I'm sure is a conservative area.

Even though many of PA's smaller cities are mostly democratic, PA democrats tend to be conservative democrats. Scranton is 2-1 in favor of democrats in voting registration, but this is far from a liberal town. Democrats around here are democrats from before the left-wing loonies hijacked the party.

[sr1234]

I am actually considering moving out of the state because it is becoming too liberal. PA is becoming the little sibling of the Northeast. In fact, many people from NY, NJ, and MD moved to PA during the housing boom. The liberals from Pittsburgh and Philly moved out to smaller cities/towns. As the same as anywhere else, when the liberals come eventually they bring the high taxes and cost of living.

[ki0eh]

Here is a list of conservative towns in PA:

ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/PubsForms/Publications/PUB%20315.pdf (broken link)

[jeepejeep]

Originally Posted by ki0eh

Here is a list of conservative towns in PA:

ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/PubsForms/Publications/PUB%20315.pdf (broken link)

Awwwww, c'mon! They can't ALL be Conservative!

[RUNYYfan]

Rural does not necessarily equal conservative. In many instances, rural may equal clannish with many extended families within an area who keep to themselves. Likewise, you may have any number of people who some may consider to be "Bible Thumpers" yet they will vote Democrat or have more socialist tendencies because of a desire to have "equality."

Fulton, Bedford, and parts of Somerset Counties will have conservative niches with Fulton being one of the staunchest Republican counties in the Commonwealth. For me, I'll take Fulton County any day!

My suggestion would be to check the Republican Committee for PA website (http://www.pagop.org/multimedia/counties.aspx - broken link) and see which counties have voted Republican or more conservative over the last several years. It's not fool-proof and there are always going to be those with more left-leaning POVs, but it should give you a start.

[ki0eh]

Originally Posted by jeepejeep

Awwwww, c'mon! They can't ALL be Conservative!

Maybe not 90% of the population of the state as a whole, but surely 90% of the labeled dots!!!

[JoeP]

when the liberals come eventually they bring the high taxes and cost of living.

No they don't, conservatives simply choose not to invest in infrastructure and community. If they had their way, most bridges would collapse like the one in Minneapolis (yes that's an Interstate bridge, but the same philosophy exists on every level).

Maybe the OP can live in a red state as most red states get more per Federal dollar than they put in (funny how they don't reject the additional funds).

[lititzman2003]

Originally Posted by sr1234

I am actually considering moving out of the state because it is becoming too liberal. PA is becoming the little sibling of the Northeast. In fact, many people from NY, NJ, and MD moved to PA during the housing boom. The liberals from Pittsburgh and Philly moved out to smaller cities/towns. As the same as anywhere else, when the liberals come eventually they bring the high taxes and cost of living.

Could you please elaborate on your last sentence? Thanks.