When and how did Portland become so liberal? (buy, high school)

[Minervah]

Quite an interesting topic. I am learning a lot. When I moved here in the late 70's I would definitely say that Portland was a conservative town. It was quite a surprise coming from a large city like Chicago. Being Jewish I was a minority person but never noticed any prejudice against me. My first friends were three African-American ladies whom I met at work; all three were from LA. I think all of us being from large cities is what bonded us.

One company I worked for had men's jobs and women's jobs and lots of religious pictures and sayings hung up in the halls. It was ODS when it was locally owned. Can you imagine that happening today?

I don't know if I would really refer to Portland today so much as liberal as it is vehement in trying to prove it. Someone I know once described it as being "so liberal it's conservative" meaning if you don't conform to the new definition of liberalism as a vegan, bicycle riding, Subaru driving, crunchy, Portlandia watching, coffee drinking, Democrat voting etc you are not a Liberal and therefor must be a (gasp) Conservative. Just kidding of course.

[Trimac20]

Originally Posted by Minervah

Quite an interesting topic. I am learning a lot. When I moved here in the late 70's I would definitely say that Portland was a conservative town. It was quite a surprise coming from a large city like Chicago. Being Jewish I was a minority person but never noticed any prejudice against me. My first friends were three African-American ladies whom I met at work; all three were from LA. I think all of us being from large cities is what bonded us.

One company I worked for had men's jobs and women's jobs and lots of religious pictures and sayings hung up in the halls. It was ODS when it was locally owned. Can you imagine that happening today?

I don't know if I would really refer to Portland today so much as liberal as it is vehement in trying to prove it. Someone I know once described it as being "so liberal it's conservative" meaning if you don't conform to the new definition of liberalism as a vegan, bicycle riding, Subaru driving, crunchy, Portlandia watching, coffee drinking, Democrat voting etc you are not a Liberal and therefor must be a (gasp) Conservative. Just kidding of course.

Actually the large part is true. Liberal and Conservative are relative terms. In Thailand, for instance, a Christian would be considered 'liberal' in a Buddhist nation. In Alabama, the Buddhist would be the liberal one.

[localgirlpdxbldr]

There are many socially conservative people around Portland, lots of church goers and traditionalists. Especially in the metro suburbs, like Milwaukie. It's small town USA about 10-15 miles outside of Portland's city center! In my 20's (I'm 35 now, so not that long ago) I was often referred to as "the gal" or "hey gal" at work - as an office assistant, and teacher - working close to the city center! That's not very liberal if you ask me... I've also heard a lot of anti-immigrant comments in the recent past..

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

Around when did Portland get it's reputation for being liberal, left-wing.etc? And also for being relatively irreligious, at least in terms of Christianity. I saw a documentary on Billy Graham where they say Portland was the most 'Godless city in America' which got me wondering why this should be the case.

Was it the influx of California hippies after the 60s? If so wouldn't it have a lot of New Ager types, moreso than straight Atheists? Or is that the case, more New Age/Eastern religion/Liberal Christianity instead of Atheism?

Was Portland as conservative as say, the Midwest prior to say the 60s? Was it also a pretty racist place? Or has it always been somewhat progressive like Boston?

Boy, there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about Oregon, and U. S. history.

Lol at Boston being called progressive. Those old Puritans sure were known for their progressivity. I always laugh when someone claims they came to America in search of religious freedom. Sure. To practice only their religion, and exclude (or worse) anyone who didn't practice that same religion.

Historical attitudes are most definitely brought forward into today's thinking. And it's true of Oregon, as well. And it's true that in times past, Oregon was heavily Republican. But let's remember the basic tenet upon which the party was organized (at least the way I was taught it in school). The Republican party believed in states-rights having more sway than federal-rights. That's why. Oregonians, probably because they spent their early years cut off from the rest of America, were a pretty independent, take-care-of-yourself, kind of place. And it still is. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't also believe in taking care of its fellow-residents. It does.

I think part of that is due, also, to the fact that Oregon was populated by a pretty even mix of people from everywhere. Here's an old post where I broke down the 1860 census for where everyone was born. I thought it was a pretty fascinating statistic.

I don't know about Billy Graham's statements, or where that came from, but the only way I've heard it termed is that Oregon is the least churched state in America. Not godless. People are less likely to be members of organized religion. That doesn't make them godless. It makes them independent thinkers. And it's always been that way. Had nothing to do with California. Here's a Wikipedia article about religion in Oregon.

Pretty racist? No, not at all. Sure there was racism. In the early 1900s, the KKK had some activity. But it was mostly in Southern Oregon, and it was mostly anti-Catholic. When the state formed its first government, it had laws excluding blacks. They existed because they didn't want the politics of the impending Civil War to affect the territory. If a southerner brought slaves with them to Oregon, they were freed upon entering Oregon. There is one famous early case where this didn't happen, and the "owner's" buddies in the government helped him get away with it. But it wasn't rampant.

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

Around when did Portland get it's reputation for being liberal, left-wing.etc? And also for being relatively irreligious, at least in terms of Christianity. I saw a documentary on Billy Graham where they say Portland was the most 'Godless city in America' which got me wondering why this should be the case.

Was it the influx of California hippies after the 60s? If so wouldn't it have a lot of New Ager types, moreso than straight Atheists? Or is that the case, more New Age/Eastern religion/Liberal Christianity instead of Atheism?

Was Portland as conservative as say, the Midwest prior to say the 60s? Was it also a pretty racist place? Or has it always been somewhat progressive like Boston?

Boston isn't really progressive and, although I was only in Portland and Oregon for but 4 days, I feel the reason why Oregon seems so progressive is really because of its massive environmentalism promoted not only privately, but also at governmental levels.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by EnricoV

I don't know about Billy Graham's statements, or where that came from, but the only way I've heard it termed is that Oregon is the least churched state in America. Not godless. People are less likely to be members of organized religion. That doesn't make them godless. It makes them independent thinkers. And it's always been that way.

To back this up with some handy-dandy links and stats:

You have to take these studies with a grain of salt, as most of the polling organizations believe that asking about religion is sort of like asking if you washed your hands after you used the restroom - people will say what they believe they are "supposed" to when asked:

Mississippi Is Most Religious U.S. State

although Oregon doesn't top the list of "least religious" states (defined as states in which respondents answered that they were affiliated with a religious organization, which as EnricoV points out, is not the same thing as saying that they have NO religious beliefs), Portland is generally listed as the top or #2 least "religious" city and has been since the data collection started in the 50s.

You can look at the religious groups in the state by percentage here:
The Association of Religion Data Archives | Maps & Reports

[karlsch]

I posted this after the yearly Gallup survey:

//www.city-data.com/forum/orego...servative.html

Oregon and Portland is probably more centrist than some people are led to believe. The people in the center don't draw much attention to themselves. The people on the extremes do all of the shouting.

Because hardly anybody lives there, “conservative” Eastern Oregon doesn't significantly sway the Gallup survey.

County population:
Baker 16,440
Gilliam 1,885
Grant 7,510
Harney 7,720
Malheur 31,865
Morrow 12,595
Umatilla 72,720
Union 25,495
Wallowa 7,080

[turquoise1]

I suppose this is a matter of contention, but many people I've talked to might disagree with you.

Originally Posted by EnricoV

Pretty racist? No, not at all.

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by turquoise1

I suppose this is a matter of contention, but many people I've talked to might disagree with you.

Of course some would. But is it any more racist than anywhere else? I don't think it's even close.

[Minervah]

Well, perhaps, if we are speaking in terms of racists being directed against African Americans Oregon isn't particularly racist because there aren't very many African Americans to be racist against. But my AF friends have told me they have always felt some small under currents not so much in the job arena but from people around them.

That being said, the definitions of liberal, conservative, Republican and Democrat have shifted over the years. I don't consider Portland particularly liberal. I do think of it as progressive in some ways as in conservation probably more than other areas. But as in any rapidly expanding city, I also see growing problems of overcrowding, lack of job opportunities, homelessness and other concerns that are not being adequately addressed that may overwhelm any progress we may achieve in the future.