I comment a lot on stories having to do with state governments and legislation or regions of the country. It got me wondering how many people I’m accidentally disparaging when I don’t mean everyone in said state or region is terrible. So… Please be as specific or obtuse as your privacy filter requires. I’ll start:
I’m in the Bay Area, specifically Oakland. Despite Bay Area hate from some posters, I think it’s great. How about you?
San Antonio, Texas. Disparage away. Any chance of change happening is incredibly slim. My city only had about 14.81% turnout during our last primary election.
This is by design. Voter fatigue is very real.
That’s depressing. Cheers.
I’m in rural PA.
Pennsylvania is a weird state because we have half the population in cities, Philly and Pittsburgh are the big ones, but we’ve got quite a few smaller cities peppered throughout. The other half live in the middle of nowhere, Amish country and farmers for miles.
The rural is deep red. I can see a Confederate flag from my porch. We can’t even claim that as “our heritage” or whatever bullshit the South says to justify it.
Feel free to disparage my area, it’s pretty disgusting.
Oh, man. My condolences.
But, seriously: rural PA can be gorgeous. The issue is, as you said: the politics. When we first moved there, a new friend told me: “Pennsylvania is Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Alabama in between.”
Another replier to your comment said they lived outside Allentown - I don’t consider that “rural” PA. The suburbs in PA are vast, and while it can look rural, you don’t know PA rural until you drive to somewhere like New Berlin: through coal country. I knew people who’d grown up within 3 miles of where their grandmother grew up, lived there their entire lives, and never ventured more than a few dozen miles from the Mainline. Never visited Gettysburg, a mere 4-hour drive.
And you’re so right! The Mason-Dixon line is the Southern border of PA, and yet Confederate flags abound. That, and Trump signs; they just never take those down, campaign year or not.
We moved to Minnesota from PA (answering OP’s question) and I was surprised at the political similarities. Around The Cities it’s fairly liberal, and even through the few-hour drive to Deluth. But once you get off the main commuter thoroughfare, those Trump signs start appearing everywhere. Iron ore is to MN what is coal to PA, and mining is mining. Although, the property around the big Northern lakes is all lake-homes owned by urban families who can’t afford lake homes around The Cities, so there are pockets of Blue out there. Anyway, I found the similarities to be surreal. The biggest difference is that the PA coal country is far poorer than MN iron country.
But I’ll repeat: the countryside in PA is amazing, especially in the Poconos, but also in the farmland. Just beautiful.
No argument from me on the beauty of the countryside. I had moved to Cleveland for a few years, and came back to hillbilly Town because it was worth having a crick for my kids to play in. That’s not a typo, my PA folks get it.
I’m outside Allentown, but half my family is from up near Towanda. It is an odd state due to how we’re spread out.
We’ve got Confederate flags around here as well. Less things plastered with Trump signs lately, but the last few months I’ve seen businesses with Houck signs all over. He’s an anti abortion activist that twice assaulted a 70+ year old man that was a patient escort at a clinic.
All the people I meet from all over the state are usually very kind, but politically what many of them believe just confuses me. I just didn’t know what would ever change their voting bloc if things haven’t done so by now.
West Michigan, helping turn a previously red district purple.
I actually kind of love Michigan. It’s a beautiful state and the people are generally kind and friendly. But it does have some bullshit, especially when you get outside the cities. Though I suppose that’s true everywhere.
Nice try NSA
Northern mid-west, around Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin
Within driving distance of a former presidential candidate’s childhood home (hopefully he doesn’t ask for money again), in the great state that still won’t apologize for its cheese.
San Diego
Hi neighbor. I’m in Temecula.
There are dozens of us!!!1
Santa Cruz, CA. Hi neighbor!
Hat tip.
One of my favorite small cities. Would live there if I could, but it’s unfortunately too expensive.
Seattle
A couple hours north of you in the central valley. Hi neighbour.
Hat tip.
A suburb north of Denver.
You are going to find a metric fuck-ton of political diversity in Colorado. While it somewhat follows a fairly standard pattern of cities being blue and the countryside being red, it gets much more complicated than that here. (The elevation and mass quantities of craft beer does strange things to a human after a time.)
Yeah, Colorado (along with the New England states) is one of few places in the US where rural does not necessarily mean red.
West Side Chicago
South side here
North side
When our powers combine…
new mexico!
Given the time you posted this, you’re going to get biased replies
Inevitable. 🤷♂️
Not really? Most people in the US are awake at the same time. Posting at 2am EST will get you biased results
Posting at a time where most Europeans are awake and most Americans are asleep will also get you biased results. The Earth is round. Like I said, it’s inevitable. Or am I misunderstanding you somehow?
Read the question. It’s asking Americans for their information at a time when half of Americans were asleep.
Jersey. The best state.
Hahahahaha! I’ll buy you a drink. This was most unexpected Jersey pride.
I carry a bunch of pride for all of my favorite places I’ve lived in (I was easily bored in my early 20s), but…
Jersey?
Kidding, ofc, friend.
Lived up and down the east coast along the way, including places whose current inhabitants I would not want to publicly associate myself with.
South Central PA wasn’t per se “appealing,” but it was home for many years so I get it. Neither good nor bad, just home, but easily judged.
I still smile a lil when I happen to cross US 30 and notice it, so I get it. Feels like I “could” make that turn and be “home”
OC, MD was “the” vacation dest growing up so…. I have very little affinity for Jersey. A few years working for a guy who was proudly “from JC” (sorta) and a giant dick didn’t help my perspective, to be honest.
