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Study Ranks America’s Most Liberal and Conservative Cities
Live Leak ^ | Jan 23 2009 | unknown

Posted on 06/21/2009 1:04:32 AM PDT by Leisler

A new nationwide study released by the nonpartisan Bay Area Center for Voting Research (BACVR) ranks the political leanings of every American city and finds that Detroit, Michigan is the most liberal and Provo, Utah the most conservative.

In all, the BACVR researchers examined voting patterns of 237 American cities with populations of over 100,000 and ranked them each on liberal and conservative scales.

The list of Americas most liberal cities is dominated by cities with large African American populations that are concentrated in the Northeast, Midwest and California.

Conversely, the study found that the staunchest conservative cities are clustered in the South and interior West and have extremely low numbers of African American residents.

Detroit, MI, and Provo, UT, epitomize Americas political, economic and racial polarization, says Peter Thai, a BACVR researcher. As the most conservative city in America, Provo is overwhelmingly white and solidly middle class. This is in stark contrast to Detroit, which is impoverished, black and the most liberal.

Gary, Indiana, a rust belt former steel town, comes in as Americas second most liberal city, followed by Berkeley, California, which ranks third. Washington, D.C. comes in as the fourth most liberal and Oakland, California comes in fifth.

On the list of the nations most conservative cities, Texas cements its reputation as Americas most rock-ribbed state, having three cities in the top five. Lubbock and Abilene, Texas rank as the second and third most conservative cities, respectively, followed by Hialeah, Florida in fourth place and Plano, Texas in fifth.

BACVR researchers found a direct correlation between a citys political ideology and its racial makeup. The great political divide in America today is not red vs. blue, north vs. south, costal vs. interior or even rich vs. poor it is now clearly black vs. white, says Phil Reiff, a BACVR director.

While there are a few liberal cities without large African American populations, these wind up being the exceptions. College towns like Berkeley and Cambridge have modest black populations but remain bastions of upper middle-class, white, intellectual liberalism. These liberal white communities, however, are more reminiscent of penguins clustering together around a shrinking iceberg than of a vibrant and growing political movement, Reiff says.

The Bay Area Center for Voting Research is a nonpartisan think tank based in Berkeley, California. A full copy of the report and the complete list of rankings for all 237 cities are available at http://www.votingresearch.org

http://www.votingresearch.org. Americas 25 Most Liberal Cities (in descending order)

Rank City State

1 Detroit Michigan

2 Gary Indiana

3 Berkeley California

4 Washington, D.C. Dist. of Columbia

5 Oakland California

6 Inglewood California

7 Newark New Jersey

8 Cambridge Massachusetts

9 San Francisco California

10 Flint Michigan

11 Cleveland Ohio

12 Hartford Connecticut

13 Paterson New Jersey

14 Baltimore Maryland

15 New Haven Connecticut

16 Seattle Washington

17 Chicago Illinois

18 Philadelphia Pennsylvania

19 Birmingham Alabama

20 St. Louis Missouri

21 New York New York

22 Providence Rhode Island

23 Minneapolis Minnesota

24 Boston Massachusetts

25 Buffalo New York

Americas 25 Most Conservative Cities(in descending order)

Rank City State

1 Provo Utah

2 Lubbock Texas

3 Abilene Texas

4 Hialeah Florida

5 Plano Texas

6 Colorado Springs Colorado

7 Gilbert Arizona

8 Bakersfield California

9 Lafayette Louisiana

10 Orange California

11 Escondido California

12 Allentown Pennsylvania

13 Mesa Arizona

14 Arlington Texas

15 Peoria Arizona

16 Cape Coral Florida

17 Garden Grove California

18 Simi Valley California

19 Corona California

20 Clearwater Florida

21 West Valley City Utah

22 Oklahoma City Oklahoma

23 Overland Park Kansas

24 Anchorage Alaska

25 Huntington Beach California


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; US: Alaska; US: California; US: Illinois; US: Indiana; US: Kansas; US: Michigan; US: New Jersey; US: Oklahoma; US: Pennsylvania; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: bluezones; cities; illegalaliens; immigration; michigan; redzones; sanctuarycities; timetomove; topten
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To: DB
Do you really need to see the stats? Having been to Detroit, Gary, Washington, Newark, Flint, Cleveland, and about a dozen more on the list I know they are pits.
This article may be the most depressing thing ever posted on Free Republic, because it really points out the tragic state this country is in. Our future really is one out of the movie, “Escape from New York”.
41 posted on 06/21/2009 3:52:44 AM PDT by Recon Dad (Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum - MARSOC DAD)
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To: DB

“My bet is crime and taxes are high for the “liberal” cities and that they also are the most mismanaged economically.”

I’d bet a bundle on that horse too!!


42 posted on 06/21/2009 3:53:41 AM PDT by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo...Sum Pro Vita. (Modified DeCartes))
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To: Bushwacker777
Or get out of the way of planned parenthood.
43 posted on 06/21/2009 3:55:05 AM PDT by Recon Dad (Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum - MARSOC DAD)
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To: dr_lew

I know a lot of people who used to live in Allentown, but I don’t know anyone who wants to live there.


44 posted on 06/21/2009 3:59:37 AM PDT by Fresh Wind (Hey, Obama! Where's my check?)
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To: Leisler
With the exception of Berkeley and San Francisco the top 10 liberal cities also make the top 20 for murders.

Link

45 posted on 06/21/2009 4:06:06 AM PDT by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
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To: DB

See post 45.


46 posted on 06/21/2009 4:07:32 AM PDT by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
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To: tlb

“Can you really have meaningful comparisons between places like Detroit and Peoria, Arizona. I’m not even certain all of those sites on the conservative list actually qualify as “cities”.”

I was in Detroit earlier this year, not sure it qualifies as a city...looked like a ghost town to me.


47 posted on 06/21/2009 4:15:58 AM PDT by Wpin (I do not regret my admiration for W)
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To: dr_lew
12 Allentown Pennsylvania -- Well, that's very interesting. Allentown has a large Hispanic population which has largely taken over the "central city", such as it is. I suppose a poll like this all depends on who you ask.

The whole Lehigh Valley is very Democrat. I won't say Liberal in the sense of Cambridge or Berkeley, but they vote reliably Democrat on most things. I live and work in the LV, and while I know conservatives, everyone I work with is Democrat. Lots of Italians here, almost always Democrat no matter what, and lots of old union families (Beth. Steel leftovers).

48 posted on 06/21/2009 4:22:00 AM PDT by Old_Grouch (62 and AARP-free)
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To: DB

I have no doubt you are correct.


49 posted on 06/21/2009 4:23:42 AM PDT by Skooz (Gabba Gabba we accept you we accept you one of us Gabba Gabba we accept you we accept you one of us)
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To: Old_Grouch

I mean, to say that Allentown, PA is more conservative than, say, Tulsa, OK, is nuts.


50 posted on 06/21/2009 4:23:49 AM PDT by Old_Grouch (62 and AARP-free)
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To: Leisler

The author could have saved himself a lot of time by just saying those cities with huge los negroes populations who are on the gummint teat and those cities where folks work and provide the gummint teat!


51 posted on 06/21/2009 4:42:25 AM PDT by RVN Airplane Driver ("To be born into freedom is an accident; to die in freedom is an obligation..)
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To: Leisler

I am going to make a guess that there will a very good correlation between this list and a list of the most prosperous cities. I will also add well run cities.


52 posted on 06/21/2009 4:46:28 AM PDT by depressed in 06 (For the first time, in my life, I am not proud of my country. Thanks ZerO.)
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To: Calpernia
“NJ with 2 liberal mentions. Surprised Camden didn’t make the list.”

I'm surprised that Trenton, New Brunswick, Elizabeth, Irvington, Hoboken, and Jersey City didn't make it either. Each a decaying bastion of liberalism in their own right. As a Jersey transplant living here in SE Pennsylvania I'm positioned within 100 miles of 7 of the most liberal cities according to this study while only 1 of the most conservative cities (Allentown) came within 100 miles of our home.

53 posted on 06/21/2009 4:48:06 AM PDT by RU88 (Bow to no man)
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To: DB

Look at unemployment in the most liberal cities. Detroit is right up there as THE highest unemployment in the nation. I would bet you would see the most conservative cities with lower unemployment. Crime is through the roof in Detroit and so are taxes.


54 posted on 06/21/2009 4:49:32 AM PDT by rtbwood
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To: Leisler
“College towns like Berkeley and Cambridge have modest black populations but remain bastions of upper middle-class, white, intellectual liberalism. These liberal white communities, however, are more reminiscent of penguins clustering together around a shrinking iceberg than of a vibrant and growing political movement”

Honey, where's my blow torch?

55 posted on 06/21/2009 4:53:46 AM PDT by RU88 (Bow to no man)
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To: Leisler

Some of the most messed up cities in the free world in the top 25.


56 posted on 06/21/2009 5:36:22 AM PDT by Right Wing Assault ( Obama, you're off the island!)
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To: RU88

Bump


57 posted on 06/21/2009 6:20:25 AM PDT by Calpernia (DefendOurFreedoms.Org)
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To: Leisler

The report we need now is which city is the most corrupt?


58 posted on 06/21/2009 6:28:19 AM PDT by chainsaw (If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free! -- P.J..)
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To: Lancey Howard

Note that Los Angeles was not on this list which I always knew. LA is more politically diverse than most Freepers are aware.

Inglewood is the closest to LA on this list and it is solidly black.


59 posted on 06/21/2009 6:33:52 AM PDT by BunnySlippers (I LOVE BULL MARKETS . . .)
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To: WeatherGuy; CBF; x_plus_one; Libertina; sportutegrl; kayti; narses; Avid Coug; RedinaBlue; ...
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60 posted on 06/21/2009 8:00:43 AM PDT by sionnsar (IranAzadi|5yst3m 0wn3d-it's N0t Y0ur5:SONY|"AlsoSprachTelethustra"-NonValueAdded|Lk21:36|FireTheLiar)
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