QUESTION: best cities for liberals ??

[nashville_brook]

Hey ya'll -- I would love some input into this burning question. I have an opportunity to move ANYWHERE I want. I want to live in a deep blue city. Tell me about your experiences and your preferences. If you could go anywhere in the US to follow your bliss, where would it be?

Currently Denver and Portland are topping my list -- but I'm not beholden to either. No kids. Divorced and 40. Need a fairly active economy as my career is in marketing communications and creative work. Also writing a book -- but aren't we'll all -- :)

So, please -- take a minute and 'splain why it is you'd choose a particular place.

Who knows, I might be your neighbor soon.... :)

[uppityperson]

1. Which Portland, Oregon or Maine?

Seattle is a quite blue city with lots going on and lack of snow. Yes, it is grey a lot, but it works.

[nashville_brook]

2. actually, i LOVE rain and grey days -- Oregon, btw

altho -- i have friends in portland maine who LOVE it there.

grew up on the beach in florida and have spend 20+ years in the smokey mountains which get as much rain as the NW. i simply love rain.

[Joanne98]

226. I LUV rain too!

[SeattleRob]

157. Seattle is the place!

Portland is also cool - or for a "smaller town" feel don't forget Eugene.

[bbernardini]

3. I've always thought that Portland, ME was a blue city.

I don't live there, but I visit every summer, and its always struck me as a very liberal kind of place.

[nashville_brook]

5. there's an advantage to being on the eastern seaboard

with access to trains and such. so you can 'go into' NYC and not have to actually live there.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

100. Portland is VERY liberal.

Can't say the same about backwoods northern Maine, but Portland is lovely small city stuff!

:hi:

[Warren DeMontague]

4. I love Northern California. Expensive, but worth trying to swing it.

I'm very spoiled by the political ratios around here.

Oregon is not a bad choice, either. It's been widely ranked as the "most secular" state (maybe not important to you, certainly important to me) and I particularly like the fact that it's the one state which has tried to take a stand for end-of-life choice, and against a DEA that thinks harassing terminally ill pain patients is something useful to do with my tax dollars.

[nashville_brook]

6. what part of northern CA is good economically?

i recently went on a coast to coast fact-finding adventure, but i only made it as far as San Francisco. i wanted desperately to go the rest of the way to portand and seattle.

btw -- i think the medical marijuana laws up there (CA, OR, WA, CO) are quite cool too. i think progressivism in that area benefits everyone.

[Warren DeMontague]

31. It depends on what you do, honestly.

There is a lot going on in Silicon Valley, obviously-- but it is also proportionately expensive to live there. Particularly if you want to buy real estate, but that's a whole 'nother ball of wax. Same with San Francisco proper. North of the GGB, things get a little more tricky-- The big high tech industry up here in the 90s was Telecom, and we all know how well that turned out. But obviously we have a lot of agriculture, wine, and some high tech jobs as well. Small, independent businesspeople, community-centered, non-corporate businesses, organic farms and fair trade type stuff seem to do pretty well up here. I also know that alternative energy- anything having to do with it- is booming around here, and I suspect it will become even more so in coming years.

As I understand it, Oregon is certainly cheaper- from a real estate as well as (I suspect) a general living expenses perspective. My wife and I have considered moving to Oregon, ourselves. I don't know if I could deal with Seattle, I think maybe a little too much rain for my taste. (I know Portland gets quite a bit, too, but I don't think its as bad). I don't know what the economy is like up there, but I do know there are thriving companies in both Seattle and Portland. I've only been up to Oregon once, myself- and that was in 1990 to see the Dead in Eugene! But it was absolutely beautiful. Very, very green.

Hope this helps.

[nashville_brook]

54. it helps a lot! my field is marketing communication

so, any burgeoning economy usually produces work in for me -- writing/design/publications/video/etc

i've worked my whole dang career marketing stuff i hate, like healthcare and christian music and financial services. nashville. bleh. i would love to develop communications for green tech!

[question everything]

62. What is the name of that city in NoCal

that passed a resolution impeaching Bush? And this was several years ago, when the notion was not "in vogue?" On the coast, close to the Oregon Border.

[Warren DeMontague]

64. It was probably Humboldt, or Arcata.

That would be my guess. :hippie:

[question everything]

67. Yes, Arcata! We actually looked at prices of housing there

with a similar thought of retiring to a blue city..

But that was it ;-)

[Warren DeMontague]

75. I'm not sure what real estate is like up there

If you don't mind sort of being away from big cities, there are some very lovely places between, say, Sonoma County and the California-Oregon border.

Here's a handy map: (with percentages)

[yorkiemommie1]

168. that's a scary map

glad i live in the green!

[LaPera]

84. No question Arcata, CA! Eureka most anyplace in Humboldt County

Garberville, Trinidad, are pretty cool liberal places to live, by the ocean and redwoods...Humboldt is a huge County

[Joe Fields]

120. Garberville is where my wife and I want to desperately move to...

It is very progressive. A lot of the make-up of the town is from the 60's San Francisco scene. It is a thriving artist community, and many activists from the 60's Bay Area moved up there when they became disillusioned and turned inward, becoming teachers and community leaders. It is beautiful there, and just the right atmosphere for me politically speaking.

[progressivebydesign]

111. Arcata is nice but WAY far removed, and not much work at all.

Nice to visit, and great if you want to work at the University... or a nearby prison... but it's pretty isolated. Gorgeous, liberal, but isolated.

[LaPera]

216. Removed from what, being in a cement jungle as far as the eye can see?

Right, there are no big box stores, very few fast foods joints and no polluting industries in Arcata, but there are many progressive businesses to work in...there are also many artist, entrepreneurs and many ways to make a great living, if somewhat creative... while living in a beautiful, friendly, intelligent, liberal, progressive, coastal, redwood, University town...Inexpensive housing, & cost of living compared to most any other California town...Gas is high. (Decent County transit system though).

Being removed is part of Arcata's charm and helps keep away some of the assholes...One has to want to be here! And there's always liberal & growing Eureka seven miles south, where you'll always find some kind of traditional work.

Why in the fuck would anyone want to live in places with millions of people? I was born & raised in the city of San Francisco... and SF being four plus hours away from me now, is close enough for me!!!

[rucky]

90. I've lived in Los Angeles, Portland, OR and Albuquerque

now Dayton.

Any one of these cities kick ass in one way or another.

I'd say Albuquerque has the whole package. Sunshine, it's liberal, the food is fantastic, economy is decent.

Then again, you can say the same thing about L.A.

portland is progressive and artsy - kinda funky, but when I returned to live there in my 30's it wasn't the same as when I was in my 20's.

[Cant_wait_for_2008]

109. California inland valleys are chock full of are RED staters/ Neo-cons

Stay in the greater San Francisco bay area and you will be at home.

[Arazi]

7. I lived in Chicago for a few years

I loved it there! Cosmopolitan, elegant, liberal and interesting. The lakefront is spectacular and reminded this native Australian of my hometown Sydney. I actually enjoyed the winters (I like snow). It's not as expensive as most other big cities either.

I did visit San Francisco for a few weeks and would put that down as a second although I hear the cost of living there is a bitch.

[nashville_brook]

9. i remember seeing a US map of "blue"-ness after 2004

and the whole chicago area on up seemed to be the bluest, by far in terms of desity.

i've never been to chicago, but something that i notice on craigslist -- GREAT art deco architecture. and, winters don't bother me either. i like to make soup and read -- :)

[Warren DeMontague]

35. Cost of living is very reasonable, too.

Fun city.

[Warren DeMontague]

34. Chicago is a wonderful city BUT

too friggin' cold. I grew up there. Don't let a couple mild winters fool you. Just wait 'til you get one of those Januarys where the temperature (before the wind chill) never tops -20.

Phew.

That said, it's a great place. Wonderful people, excellent food and music, great bars and clubs, the works. Between May and August it's like heaven except more humid.

[nashville_brook]

46. "like heaven, but more humid" -- that's a good one!

[madame defarge]

51. Fleece...

That's what now makes Chicago winters tolerable. Fleece vests, fleece jackets, fleece lined jeans, fleece socks...

Chicago is the ONLY place to live in the mid-west, IMHO. It is truly a great city for all the reasons impeachdubya mentioned...and then some.

[mopinko]

71. silk underwear

layers, layers, it is true. i like the winters myself, but i also work mostly from home, and have a lot of leeway about going out in it. but the thing i love about it is that you can bundle up, and go out, and the city is pretty much all yours.
i think chicago is one of the great cities on the world. still many affordable neighborhoods, lots of new housing going up, if that is more your taste. the food- holy moley, we have everything. we helped invent microbrewing. music, art, architecture, the lakefront. sports.
i think mayor daley is a great mayor. not a perfect mayor, but doing the kind of things you want a blue mayor to do. schools are doing ok, parks are expanding, energy strategies are going- green roofs, bike accessibility, some wind pilot projects, several major solar projects. domestic partner benefits for city workers.
people are extremely nice here. you would have to turn over quite a few rocks to find a bush lover.
and the economy is rock solid here. lots of work.
come on up.

[Warren DeMontague]

76. I'll tell you what else, y'all have really done some nice work on the city

since I was a kid. I remember when Navy Pier was a run down concrete parking lot.

Daley's done a good job.

[mopinko]

105. he can be mayor as long as he wants, if you ask me

the whole lakefront park is just amazing and beautiful. every other mayor in my lifetime has proposed, if not built, some commercial encroachment on the lakefront. except ritchie. he tore up meigs field because it pissed him off for rich guys and state republican leaders to have a chunk of public land for their little jets. he tore up concrete, rerouted roads, and made a gorgeous park out parking lots. lots of great public art, and i swear the man has planted more trees and flowers than anyone since olmstead. and the new geary bandshell, man.

[fudge stripe cookays]

88. Wrong.

Madison, Wisconsin is bluer than blue, and has lots going for it too. Beautiful lakes, lots of great restaurants, tons of co-ops, and little antiquing towns all around.

Chicago is a hop, skip, and jump for cool museum visits and big city aura. I'd move to Madison tomorrow if I could.

[MadJohnShaft]

151. Wrong, Evanston Illinois just outside of chicago border

is the liberalist place in America ;)

[alcuno]

183. Evanston, Illinois! Bluest of the Blue!

On the north Chicago border, I believe we voted 82% for Gore in 2000. Beautiful city, great old homes, terrific lakefront, and Northwestern University.

[darkism]

185. Good to hear!

I'm heading to Evanston for grad school at Northwestern in September. Maybe I'll run into some DUers around town. :D

[oscar111]

8. detroit.. strong UAW. Cleveland.. Kucinich in some suburb

Boston .. free healthcare soon.

Vermont's big city .. burlington??

seattle.. LW leaders said to retire there.

vANCOUver canada.. great weather, LW NAtion

SF

Chicago said to be LW by one DU guy.. had a union radio station for fifty years till '77

mILwaukee.. had a LW mayor or two for decades, till seventies.

All in all, seattle or vancouver best IMHO.

you BTW are in the top one percent for good fortune. A third of humanity is in poverty after this globalism thing. Move to the countryside if you want to survive birflu and the crime that will follow it in the desplerate nofood nowater cities.
stock up now before the rush.. on food, water, medicine and defense if you believe in that. Eighteen months of chaos is in bush's plan prediction.

[nashville_brook]

11. my attempt to stay OK re: globalism, etc

nashville is a great city, but the job market isn't providing enough opportunity in my field. with the divorce i figure i might as well take a giant step forward while i CAN. i KNOW i'm totally lucky. insanely lucky to be able to do this!

so far seattle is ahead by a nose -- :)

btw, how does a US citizen move to Vancouver? just wondering.

[Tesha]

126. I'll confirm Burlington, VT.

> Vermont's big city .. burlington??

I'll confirm Burlington, VT -- It's a nice place to be blue.
Host city of the University of Vermont, it has all the
attributes you'd expect from a nice college town. The hills
of Burlington and its views across Lake Champlain to the west
remind many of San Francisco at far less cost. And it's about
1.5 hours from Montreal, a world-class city in a foreign
country.

Cold in the winter, though.

Tesha

[nashville_brook]

129. sounds like heaven

[Tesha]

148. Just remember: I warned you it was cold in winter! ;-)

> sounds like heaven

Just remember: I warned you it was cold in winter! ;-)

Tesha

[KharmaTrain]

10. Can't Get Any Bluer Than In New York City, Chicago & San Francisco

Most major cities are blue...either with Democratic Mayors or gave more votes to Kerry in '04 than boooosh.

I'm in Chicago where the only Repugnicans are in treatment right now...and there hasn't been a Repugnican mayor since 1927...in a state which could see the GOOP voted out of every statewide office in November.

Hopefully you're secure enough that you can pick your move. I make it a priority here to "buy and work" blue...all my family vacations are to Blue states (we cancelled a Florida trip after the 2000 elections and haven't made any plans on going back...sorry Disneyworld...and went to California instead. I've turned down business offers from Texas based companies that I found out had donated money to the Repugnican party.

Given my choice of a nice blue place to hide away...Hawaii would be my choice...but expensive I know. It depends on what type of quality of life you seek. If it's quiet, a place like Portland is ideal...but if you're looking for diversity in entertainment and people, Chicago and New York reign supreme.

Good luck...

[nashville_brook]

16. i'm in florida visiting friends right now and

can't wait to leave! it's not only backward politically -- but they've dismantled their "society" in terms of saftey net -- so there's a gaping economic divide and growing rascism. you get the sense that Florida's response to poverty is "join the Army."

i buy blue too -- one thing i'd like to work toward is buying and living 'local' in addition to being as blue as possible.

[HockeyMom]

72. New York State is now #2 (74%) Disapproval for Bush

He got around 20% of the vote in NYC in the last election. You have to believe given that current poll he is probably in SINGLE DIGITS by now in NYC.

Cannot get any Bluer than that.

[smirkymonkey]

167. Even thought NYC is thouroughly blue, it is increasingly becoming

a city only for the very rich (unless you want to live in a one room studio with ten other people just to keep your head above water). I make a pretty decent salary (at least it would be anywhere else) but I am barely scraping by and I can't afford a one bedroom unless I move to New Jersey or far out in the boroughs.

I have also lived in San Francisco, Burlington, VT and Boston, which were all nice cities with very liberal populations (particularly Cambridge, MA a.k.a. The People's Republic of Cambridge) depending upon what kind of weather you can tolerate.

[chelsea0011]

12. Cambridge, Mass. is your place. City has it all and you can be in

Boston in matter of minutes. Housing prices are steep though. As too Maine. Although Portland is very blue, I'd opt for further Down East. Camden Maine is an active art community/tourist town that is very liberal. Mid Coast Maine is a great place. Knox County is very liberal and Maine, in general, is a very independent thinking state.

[ruggerson]

37. What do you consider mid coast Maine?

Boothbay? or lower?

[chelsea0011]

73. Anywhere north of Freeport up to Acadia. I don't know exactly

what Mainers think of Mid Coast, but that's pretty close. Anything North of Acadia is Down East and anything from Freeport south is a called a weekend traffic jam.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

102. Probably from a bit north of Yarmouth up to Acadia.

Including Bath, Brunswick, etc.

[Breeze54]

106. He could live a couple of miles outside

Cambridge and the housing prices go down and he'd still be a 15
or so minute drive into Boston. It's cold here (7 months) though
and really muggy in the summer. But it is definately "librul"! ;)

What about Gloucester? That's a big art town too!
( I don't live there but I like it!)

Gloucester
America's oldest fishing port. Since 1623,
one of the premier art colonies of our country - see: The Gloucester Committee for the Arts
a diverse, cultural population
Conveniently located less than one hour from Boston

Harborcams - Inner Harbor from Harbormaster Building
Inner Harbor & East Gloucester
http://www.ci.gloucester.ma.us/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=270



http://www.explorenewengland.com/travel

[Clovis Sangrail]

13. Santa Cruz, Ca

Top of the Monterey Bay where the redwoods meet the ocean.

Politically about as liberal as it gets.
A small surfer/student town but still only 90 miles from SF.

I lived there for years and would move back in a heartbeat if I could.

edit to add... forgot work stuff.

Silicon Valley is just over the hill (20 minutes or so)

[nashville_brook]

23. omg -- i didn't realize it was that close!

i just had the most wonderful time up in Big Sur, camping. went down to santa cruz to check out the housing situation. loved the area, but was lost in terms of where i would find work. i had no idea silicon valley was accessible from there.

must get my maps out.

ai didn't even mention this area b/c i figured it would be too hard to find work.

back to craigslist -- :)

[Warren DeMontague]

49. Only problem with Santa Cruz--->Silicon Valley

is that Highway 17 is pretty much the only way to get back and forth.

And 17 can be a bit of a nightmare. Traffic gets real bad, so you could be facing a rather long commute.

Some people don't care, but it's something to factor in.

[nashville_brook]

56. we're way overdue for our 'flying jetsons cars'

[Warren DeMontague]

59. Oh, aint that the truth.

[Clovis Sangrail]

82. true

but if you can avoid commute hours it's not bad at all.

If you can avoid 7am-9am 4pm-7pm it's really not bad.
The problem is there's no breakdown lane and not many exits... so if somebody screws up if can be really *really bad.
Traffic just stops and everybody gets to sit there until it's cleared.

There are other ways though... both 9 and old San Jose road take longer but are pleasant drives.

You could also take skyline and drop down into Los Altos area.
(long drive, but I knew somebody who did this daily)

[sandnsea]

27. If money is no object

I gotta go with Santa Cruz too. Portland is nice, but if I were 40 and single and carefree, I'd want San Francisco to be just snap my fingers close too.

[nashville_brook]

29. i liove SF -- but i don't want to live 'in' it

this is a very intersting alternative!

[RevolutionStartsNow]

115. I second that!

This is a wonderful place to live...It has the beach, the redwoods, great shopping, lots of liberals, near-perfect weather, even a few good concerts now and then (next weekend at the Santa Cruz Blues Fest: Los Lobos, John Hiatt, Dave Alvin...). I couldn't ask for much more. If you can swing the housing costs, it's ideal. Great place to raise kids, too.

[racaulk]

14. Two suggestions, depending on the size of the city you're looking for.

If you're looking for a smaller city, I would suggest Asheville, NC. I lived there for a number of years when I was in college, and it's a great town. The people there are very down to earth and relaxed and the city has this very alternative and "earthy" feel to it. And opportunities abound if you enjoy the outdoors. I think the population is around 60,000 or so. The job market there can be kind of tough though, which is why I left after graduation. But if you're looking for a quiet place to reflect and write your book, this could be a good place to check out. As a writer, if you ever visit Asheville make sure you stop by Malaprops, which is a great liberal bookstore in the downtown area.

If you're looking for a larger city, however, I would check out Atlanta, GA. That's where I live now--I moved here after graduation. The job market, while not ideal, is much better than in Asheville. There are so many opportunities here for so many things--community involvement, sport teams and events, cultural events, volunteering, etc. And I think the cost of living is fairly decent compared to cities of comparable size. While there are many conservatives here (and in the south, in general), I think the city is pretty blue on the whole. This is the home of Cynthia McKinney, after all. :)

I hope you will consider my suggestions above. Best of luck with your decision and your new beginning. :hi:

[nashville_brook]

18. i used to drive across Sams Gap to go to Malaprops

from Johnson City, TN. Asheville was our touchstone -- a bit of sanity in the mountains.

Atlanta would be quite an easy move!

[racaulk]

30. I just saw your signature line.

Duh! It didn't even occur to me that you live so close to Asheville! I have driven Sams Gap (aka the new I-26 corridor) to Johnson City a few times. I'm sure I don't have to sell you on what a great town Asheville is--I bet you already know.

And I love Malaprops! I always make it a point to stop by whenever I visit Asheville.

[nashville_brook]

40. blue people could easily self-destruct in JC w/o regular trips

across the mountain!

[TheFriedPiper]

136. Atlanta is great, as long as you stay inside I-285

Once you get outside the Perimeter Highway, it isn't Atlanta anymore, it's Georgia, and it is a WORLD of difference.

Atlanta is a progressive, international, metropolis, but the State of Georgia is still a bunch of backwards rednecks.

Besides, the traffic is much better in the city than out in the suburbs!

[racaulk]

141. Absolutely true on all points!

I'm so glad I live inside the Perimeter.

And welcome to DU! :hi:

[TheFriedPiper]

145. ITP all the way baby!!!

<<< Midtown here, near North & Piedmont

[racaulk]

158. Hi neighbor!

<<< Midtown here also, near Cheshire Bridge and Lavista...

:hi:

[SeveredMind]

15. Boston!

Boston is a great bet. Hell, anywhere in Massachusetts is a good place for a liberal. The Green party is really active here and NOBODY likes our republican governer, who is going to be kicked out in the upcoming elections.

We have lots of liberal grassroots support, and many of the rurl areas are quite liberal are enviornmentalist.

Boston rocks. Come here.

[IChing]

17. Denver is surrounded by Conservative Suburbs

The housing market is tanking there before the rest of the country,
has the most foreclosures of any city of it's size
, always been a boom or bust type town.
I lived there for many years, good town and good people

but I would suggest the west coast, which is where I live now, which I find more progressive than Denver.

[nashville_brook]

19. ahhh -- this is good info

i noticed that housing prices in Denver were out of line with nearly everywhere else. wondered why. figured it might have to do with suburban over-building.

[oscar111]

20. Vancouver move.. hard

so i have read here at DU.

but being young helps. You are likely young enough IMO, but i dont really know. try querying in the forum OVERSEAS DU's. here at DU.

[Riverman]

48. Why Hard? Emigrating to Canada? Would love to live there

[nashville_brook]

58. i think there's something about having a certain amount of $$

fluid. it used to be that way, at least.

[peaches2003]

21. #1- Seattle

Absolutely Seattle first. My son lives there, works in pr, and we know lots of folks there. Love it. They all despise *. Then Portland, OR, and then Boston. Portland is a growing city, also very liberal, and my Seattle son does some work there, too, and loves it.

[progressivebydesign]

112. And Bainbridge Island across from Seattle REALLY amazing! n/t

[spindrifter]

172. Seattle has some liberal

aspects, but there is also an encrustation of conservative thought around here, just like anywhere else. Some of these people like to fancy themselves as "Republican lite"--but don't let that fool you. What's the point of them identifying themselves as Republicans if they think they are of the "lite" persuasion.

[Bjornsdotter]

22. Madison n/t

[nashville_brook]

26. whaddya know!

[fudge stripe cookays]

91. See my post #88.

I ADORE Madison. It's like Austin used to be when I was growing up there, only colder.

Beautiful lakes, college town, lots of great restaurants (up and down State Street, you can sample everything from Italian to Greek, Afghan, Nepali, Jamaican, Thai...you name it!

There are winter sports areas not too far away, Lake Geneva for nice little B & B weekend jaunts, Frank Lloyd Wright architecture nearby, and you can always go to Chicago if you want big city attractions like museums and such. It's not that far away. AND you have Russ Feingold as your senator! How cool is that?

Madison rules. I love it there.

[Poiuyt]

94. Madison is VERY liberal

And a great place besides that

[nemo137]

122. Much too twee for my tastes.

Maybe it's just campus town, but it was too damn cute, trying to hard to be precious.

Just my $0.02

[Warpy]

24. Consider Albuquerque

listed as #3 this week by Kiplinger as one of the "smartest" places to live. Housing here is undervalued, the climate is paradise. There are 4 seasons here, but none of them has to be shoveled. Like Denver, it's a mile up. Cooling is dirt cheap here, thanks to a gizmo called an evaporative cooler. My house stays comfy all summer on an additional $15/month.

Politics vary by area, but most of the city is a deep, dark blue. Only the McMansion district (really funny, huge houses on tiny patches of land) remains even tepidly GOP.

It's easy to find old Kerry stickers here, but Stupid/Corrupt stickers are becoming quite endangered, even though it's still a military town. Our voting is now going to be done by 100% paper, optical scanned ballots, so no more disenfranchisment by crooked ES&S video voting machines.

Plus, there are still small towns in this state that are incredibly wonderful.

We can always use more Democrats, anyway.

[AspenRose]

32. Santa Fe is very liberal too

eom

[Warpy]

41. Also overpriced and with more snow

which are the two reasons I didn't suggest it.

However, there are other towns I would suggest, like Bernallilo, Grannts, Silver City. They're all nice little towns with reasonable housing and good folks.

[AspenRose]

53. Well there is always Taos

Expensive too, but nice and liberal (and yes, great snow and skiing!)

[nashville_brook]

61. Taos has been on and off my list -- i love it up there!

was afraid i wouldn't be able to find work -- but heck -- if i could, i'd be there in a heartbeat.

or a taos hum....

[triguy46]

133. If you like Taos, read their weekly paper...

The Taos News, consistently voted a top 5 weekly in the US. ONLY local news, but much of that includes bashing of rummie and *. The editor, Gerald Gardenr, Jr., is a great writier himself. On a more serious note, if you get the paper, you will quickly see that the crime rate of Taos is scary. A lot of gang activity, lots of shootings. Not quite the hippie nirvana that you might expect. Not much in the way of high paying jobs. Lots of competition for service jobs. High priced realty too.

[Thirtieschild]

116. Silver City is paradise

We retired here four years ago and love it, especially the weather. I dreaded summer in Atlanta, but look forward to it now. We can sit on our porch, cooled by cross-breezes and look all the way to Mexico, some 70 miles away. Or look to the Northeast and see the Gila National Forest. I wanted sky, and got it, but the best surprise was how close the clouds are - feels like I can reach out and touch one. We're a tad north of Silver City, at 6685 feet. We have 30+ art galleries, and, best of all, we're mostly liberal.

[triguy46]

132. Wasn't there something with the local radio station...

last year? I recall hearing that either they came out with a very conservative position, or cancelled a liberal show, or something, because we took it off our list of potential retirement sites.

[Thirtieschild]

161. There was a bruhaha at a radio station

and unfortunately I'm not clear on the details. I do know that the owner of the station - then - was also chairman of the Grant County Democratic party. Ed Shultz is now on - I'm not a big fan of his so don't listen to him.

The Dem party is active, holding monthly well-attended meetings, sponsoring meet-the-candidates affairs. There is also a liberal community mailing list. A huge group turned out for the peace parade before the preemptive Iraq invasion, there are periodic candlelight vigils, etc. The only down side is that the district stretches all the way to the Texas border, which means a Republican congressman. The dem senator - Bingaman - grew up here.

One other negative - the local press is horrendous. We don't even bother, but the community mailing list keeps us up to speed.

[WhiteTara]

143. Does it snow a lot in the winter?

are the galleries well supported by tourism or what? We have been talking NM, but I've never been to Silver City. I saw it has some hot springs. Thanks for all your info :hi:

[Thirtieschild]

162. How much snow depends on what you're used to

We came to Silver City after 39 years in Atlanta, so to us there's a lot of snow - though not this year, just one dinky little snow that mostly looked like powdered sugar sprinkled on a cake. When it does snow it usually melts by noon in town, takes longer where we are. Lots of tourists - the gateway to the Gila National Forest, I think one of the largest in the country. Beautiful scenery, the cliff dwellings up the road apiece, the hot springs and City of Rocks (apparently See Rock City was taken) down the road apiece. Lots of groups, depending on your preference. My husband shoots trap on Saturdays, I belong to a Tibetan Buddhist study group, we both belong to the Grant County Rolling Stones, a rockhound group which goes on rock hunting expeditions once a month. There's also the Archaeology group, which once a month visit archetectural sites, occasionally going to Mexico for the weekend. Lots of cultural doings too. The primary sources of income are the copper mines and retirement. A major bicycle race - the Tour of the Gila - in early May, the blues festival Memorial Day weekend, rodeo in early June. The ranchers are mostly Anglo and mostly Rep. The population is majority Hispanic and majority Democratic. As far as I czn tell the retirees are mostly Anglo and mostly Democratic. I think a lot of the hippies who didn't want to become Yuppies settled here. The city advertises Four Gentle Seasons, which is pretty much true, except for spring, which can get windy. We are also on a major hummingbird migratory route, and in July and August will have at least 70 hummingbirds buzzing around our three feeders. As the road signs advertising the city used to say, Come See Us.

One final thought - the galleries are fantastic. Lots of artists here too. Also a small university.

Edited for content.

[WhiteTara]

209. wow, you make it sound really lovely

so the next question...what is the cost of land and housing?
Thanks so much for answering my questions. :hug:

[nashville_brook]

36. i spent a lot of time in NM on my recent adventure

and really felt the 'love' compared to arizona! the public radio was awesome in NM too. there's something welcoming about NM. didn't have the cultural tension with immigration i felt in most other places. like NM was totally cool with being (hello) part mexico. :)


what the hell is an evaporative cooler? and why don't they have them in Florida?

[Warpy]

38. Fondly known locally as a "swamp cooler"

It's basically a pump and a fan and some Aspenite pads. The pump drips water onto the pads and the fan draws outside air through them. The evaporation cools the air as it passes through the pads.

They don't work in Florida because nothing evaporates in Florida.

[nashville_brook]

42. wow -- that is so cool!

and no, nothing evaporates here. i was dripping at 8am this morning just sitting outside reading the paper. bleh!

[acmejack]

45. Works great too!

[Thirtieschild]

165. We didn't call it a swamp cooler but ours worked on the same principle

A window fan, a box with straw in the bottom and a garden hose dripping water kept the house as cool as central air. This was in the Texas Panhandle in the 1940s and 1950s.

[sandnsea]

43. swamp cooler

They don't have them in Florida because they add moisture to the air. They don't work as well as an air conditioner either. I had a swamp cooler and window air conditioner in Nevada, that worked okay. Central air is still the way to go.

If year round moderate weather is your thing, you might consider Lincoln City, OR. It's an hour from Portland, and I *think* more affordable than Santa Cruz.

[Roxy66]

203. I love Lincoln City, Or as well....

We vacation there every year, and I always am bumbed to leave. I remember being struck by the images I saw on the net, during the 2004 election, of Kerry signs on practically every building and corner....it was so inspiring.

[WhiteTara]

144. they are wonderful to cool arid air

they put a bit of moisture in the air in desert or dry air. They don't work in places like Florida because it is soooo humid there already. I had one for years and they are great in the right climate.

[Kerrytravelers]

25. If you're considering Southern California...

Pasadena is very liberal, as is West hollywood, Silverlake and certainly Santa Monica!

[lgreen]

33. I second that...

Pasadena is a great place and liberal, too. We have All-Saints Church, the one that was investigated by the IRS for making anti-Bush/war statements. Down the way, South Pasadena is great, but pretty expensive. But I'm biased, it's my hometowm!

[Kerrytravelers]

39. You still live in the area?

We've been considering All Saints. It seems the Catholic churches in our area are a bit anti-gay and we have absolutely NO use for this new idiot pope.

[nashville_brook]

44. tee hee, me either!

on old Bennie...

[lgreen]

52. unfortunately, no

I now live is the Red Christo-fascist hell of Rancho Cucamonga. We could not afford to buy in Pasadena. I have liberal friends who go to All Saints and they love it. It's where a lot of my friends went to church growing up. I, too, am Catholic, and I just stopped going to church in Pasadena/South Pas because it was like you said.

[Kerrytravelers]

69. Rancho, huh? Whew. Best of luck.

I protested the shrub when he came out here. Some moran tired to attack me with an American flag when I was walking back to my car. I was a bit bigger and strong, so she stopped. I asked her why all * fans are so violent? Is it something wired in their brains, or are their hearts just incapable of human compassion. That stunned her long enough to get in my car and get away. Haven't been back since then.

[renate]

85. that's a great question about * supporters

It must suck so totally to be so full of anger and violent feelings. To be fair, it's only a minority of his supporters that act that way. Still, it's kind of telling that so few on our side are like that. We're angry, but we behave ourselves.

Anyway, I'm just chiming in to suggest that anybody moving to Oregon for the liberalism should be sure to stick to Portland or Eugene, unless he/she researches a specific neighborhood elsewhere very carefully. The rural areas tend to be much more conservative.

That said, Oregon is absolutely gorgeous and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

[progressivebydesign]

113. Grew up around there. (now near Seattle). Love South Pas..

And I worked for a home for children there, that was affiliated with the Episcopal Churches, including All Saints. Very nice church.. and people. I would move back to Pasadena in a heartbeat if 1) many of the people moved away -- too many people for my taste now 2) it got moved near the ocean. ;)

But I do love the architecture, what they've done to old town, the food, and the people most of all.

[GRLMGC]

57. When I move back to LA

Those places are totally on my list

[Raine]

99. but definitely not the

South Bay area of Los Angeles County, that's where I live and it's lousy with fundies and RW repugs. :puke:

[yorkiemommie1]

170. i'm in south bay

but lucky that everybody where i work HATES *. everybody from the bosses to the custodians! ( well except for the one fundy who keeps her mouth shut ). even our resident GOP 'patriot' says she's done w/*.

edit to say ' Hi, neighbor! ' If U see anti * stickers/flyers at Target or Del Amo, that would be me. Also I have been lax in my duties lately!



:hi:

[Raine]

213. Hi to you too!

:hi: I'm in Torrance and every now and then I do see anti-* stickers! :-)

[yorkiemommie1]

217. i'm in torrance, too!

" NO on Dan Walker, Mauno, Guyton, McIntyre!"

pm me if you like.

[Raine]

225. I hate Dan Walker

I remember going to a city council meeting over the Begonia Farm (do you remember the place?) and Dan Walker didn't even show up so they had to reschedule the whole thing. :mad:

[katty]

139. Santa Monica here-Liberals R Us-Bush lover tourists get

uncomfortable in Santa Monica...it's fun to watch.

[Kahuna]

28. Northern Jersey, across the Hudson from NYC. There are a lot

of choices in Bergen and Essex Counties. You're close to NYC, but able to enjoy the suburbs and driving your car vs. depending on public transportation. I live in NJ less than 15 miles from Midtown Manhattan and I love it.

[nashville_brook]

50. i'm finding lots of NJ jobs, but know nothing about it

so, i've been a little sheepish. Essex county comes up a lot on job searches.

[Kahuna]

79. Keep us in mind. Housing is very expensive though. So maybe

you should check out the real estate market too. :hi:

[NJ Democrats]

83. I love it here

I live in Sussex Country (don't come here) but do go to Bergan. I love Bergan. Otherwise pretty much anywhere in the Northeast (NE, NY, NJ, PA) are great.

[Jersey Devil]

194. Depends on the town

Bergen County has 76 towns ranging from liberal to wingnut. If you're 15 min from midtown you are probably in Hudson County and then, sure, you'd be right about places like Hoboken, but Bergen is no where as liberal.

[stepnw1f]

47. Boston is Pretty Cool

Cambridge as well. Can't forget Burlington, Vermont or Province Town, Cape Cod. There are plenty more I'm sure... more than right wing nazis would care to know. So let's let them all know how many of us there really are.

[Quixote1818]

55. Santa Fe, Taos, Boulder and most New England City's. nt

[mb7588a]

60. Washington, DC

the most liberal in the nation. There's more Green members than Dems.

[nashville_brook]

63. that's something you don't hear often!

when i was in college DC was my fave big city. "the chocolate city with the marshmallow center and graham cracker crust of corruption..."

[MountainLaurel]

205. That description made my hungry

Darn you, NB!

:hi:

BTW, thanks for asking this question: Mr. Laurel and I are going to relocate next year so that he can go to law school (assuming her aces his LSATs), and we've been looking at many of the places listed here.

[nashville_brook]

210. Colbert gets the credit on the malamar

law school -- hell yeah! more dem lawyers! we need ya!

[abluelady]

65. Don't Really Have a Suggestion

but wanted to say I envy you your freedom. Enjoy yourself.

[nashville_brook]

66. if i had had my druthers ...

i would have stayed married.... but you know how those things go. might as well take the lemons (and the spousal support) and make lemonade -- :)

[Roland99]

68. Minneapolis/St. Paul? I mean, Wellstone and Keillor are from MN

:)

[Joey Liberal]

70. Providence, R.I.

Is there any other city with an "Impeach Bush" billboard located on a major highway (thanks to Carl Sheeler)?

[Blue_Tires]

81. my vote as well

[Rocknrule]

74. Denver? Proud to be a citizen

But the surrounding suburbs are as WASPy and RW as they come

[tenshi816]

77. Plus you've got James Dobson's empire in Colorado.

I've never been able to understand that. I love Colorado. How did all those dickheads end up there?

[Tesha]

127. The Air Force and Armagedon Central (NORAD)

> How did all those dickheads end up there?

The Air Force and Armagedon Central (NORAD).

Tesha

[scarletwoman]

78. I'll second the Minneapolis/St. Paul suggestion -- emphasis on Mpls.

I grew up in St. Paul, but lived over 20 years of my adult life (off and on) in Minneapolis. I've also spent time or lived in Colorado (Boulder, Breckinridge), Washington state (the San Juan Islands, Seattle), Oregon (Ashland, Eugene), Alaska, and both Northern (Bolinas/Marine County, San Francisco, Santa Cruz) and Southern (Venice {part of L.A.}, Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach) California.

All cool places, but I always ended up back in Minneapolis because it was the most comfortable and easy place to build a life. Great parks (lots of metro area lakes), lively art scene (theatre, dance, music, art museums, craft fairs, lots of festivals, etc.), great restaurants (including some wonderful ethnic eateries), and an economy that's consistently above the national average. Relatively decent mass transit; extensive bus system and one thriving light rail line (more planned). Definitely a blue city; creative, liberal and tolerant.

I live in the woods of northern Minnesota now, so I'm admittedly not completely up on the current state of things in The Cities; but I keep up with the Metro area news, and still visit my old urban friends. I'm pretty sure that Minneapolis is still a fine place for a liberal to set down roots -- especially if, as you say, you don't mind winter. The glorious summers more than make up for the occasional few weeks of misery per year.

No earthquakes, volcanos or hurricanes, and the occasional tornados rarely hit the heart of the metro area.

Anyway, I strongly encourage you to take a look at the Twin Cities as a possibility.

sw

[GAspnes]

89. Third Minneapolis

It's a *great* town, very very blue and everything else a person would want. New York without the crowding.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

95. Ditto.

Lots to do, nice scenery, and if you stay out of the suburbs, not too many Republicans.

[nashville_brook]

200. it's funny -- i don't mind COLD winter (winter should be cold)

what you say about "earthquakes, volcanos and hurricanes..." is actually something i think about (having grown up in hurricane-prone FL).

i've been in exactly ONE earthquake -- a tiny one that hit middle tennessee in the middle of the night - but i'll tell you, it freaked me out. the earth moving underneath you is unnatural.

so yeah -- there's something to be said for the solid ground of the upper midwest!

[Zookeeper]

223. As a former San Franciscan who wanted to own a home...

(many years ago) I went on a scouting expedition for a new hometown. Visited Santa Fe, Memphis, Nashville, Cinncinati, Ann Arbor (where I have lived), Chicago, Milwaukee, plus I had already visited every state in the lower 48 except for the Northeast states.

Mr. Z. and I chose Minneapolis/St. Paul. We started in Minneapolis, bought our first home in St. Paul. We are now living in our third home in a centrally located suburb that is 10-15 minutes from both downtowns. We are in a little neighborhood surrounded by woods, wetlands and lakes. Everyday I pass a small lake a couple of blocks from my house where folks are fishing (ice fishing in the winter). There are three other larger lakes 1-2 miles away. I threw my bike into the back of my van yesterday and drove three miles north to a great bike/hike trail that passed through praries, forests and wetlands. We are also only four or five hours from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area which is a non-motorized vehicle wilderness area.

Of course, if I want "culture" I can be at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Walker Art Museum, the Minnesota Museum of Art, the Science Museum, the Guthrie Theater, Orchestra Hall or the Ordway Theater in about 15 minutes.

As a single woman, there are a number of neighborhoods in Minneapolis that would probably be a great fit for you. Or St. Paul if you like things a little quieter.

Perhaps you need to do your own scouting expedition. Minnesota DUers are a pretty friendly bunch and I'm sure we would schedule a gathering if you head up our way. :hi:

Edited after checking your profile (you're not a "guy").

[proud2BlibKansan]

80. Lawrence, Kansas

Bluest city in the midwest.

[Dees]

204. Columbia, Missouri and Iowa City, Iowa might give

Lawrence a run for it.

[ComerPerro]

218. Iowa City, maybe. Colombia, definately not. Trust me.

I live in Lawrence, have lived in Iowa City, and have spent a lot of time in Colombia.

[ComerPerro]

219. Got that right

[NuttyFluffers]

86. San Francisco has yet to bore me

There's oodles of little nooks and crannies in this area as well, so whatever you're looking for is pretty much within easy reach. Think of it this way: wanna ski? mere 4 hours away. wanna surf? right next to us. want a beach to lounge at? santa cruz. want gorgeous forests? just about any park in the bay area; Muir woods, Mt. Tamalpais, Lake Chabot, etc. want beautiful marshlands? the protected marshland parks along the bay. want mountains? they're everywhere. want wide open spaces? Tri-Valley (Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore), Silicon Valley, or Gilroy area). wanna small town feel? straight up rural - Sunol, quiet enclave - Moraga/Lafayette, old money - Piedmont/Palo Alto/Sausalito. want urban? SF and Oakland. want suburban sprawl? Silicon Valley. want river delta? Martinez/ Pittsburgh/etc. want great cultural resources? SF, Oakland, San Jose, and Berkeley, Palo Alto due to UCB and Stanford. some of the nation's best cuisine? right here. gambling? hop skip and a jump away. that, and the weather is pretty much comfortable year round -- AND never boring. if it's too hot in SJ, visit SF. if it's too cold in SF visit the Tri-Valley or SJ.

everything you could pretty much ever want is pretty much here, and more. that said, housing is high priced. but... you just about get what you pay for. a lot of people have no interest in living in SF due to the cost, which is fine with me. if money is no object though, there's little reason not to get *some* property here. it really is a slice of paradise, and i have been around the world, and all over this country, so i think i have a basis from which to speak. but we need liberals in other areas of the country too, so you can go populate Portland or Denver. just come visit sometime.

[Kerrytravelers]

117. I grew up not far from there... in the hometown of Cindy Sheehan!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

87. Moved from L.A. to Portland 24 years ago. Never looked back.

We live across the river in Washington now. Even better on north of the Columbia.

[mnhtnbb]

92. Chapel Hill, NC

We've been in the "Berkeley of the South" for 5 years and I LOVE IT!
I was born in NYC, lived in northern NJ until high school, then moved to So. CA (north San Diego County) where I graduated from La Jolla High.
Went to UCLA and lived in LA area until 1988 when my husband and then 2 yo son moved to Missouri (St. Joseph) We spent 6 years there--then moved to Lincoln, NE and lived there for another 6 years.

Of all the places I've lived as an adult, Chapel Hill is my most favorite.
It has small town atmosphere, but sophistication from the home of the flagship campus of UNC. Excellent public schools, good restaurants, great variety of music, recently renovated Memorial Hall on UNC campus draws
internationally acclaimed performance artists. Lots of outdoor activities for biking, hiking, kayaking, canoeing enthusiasts. The beach is a 3 hour drive and the mountains are an equal distance.

Research Triangle Park is 20 minute drive. Home to many big name
companies like IBM, GSK, Pfizer, etc. Duke University is 20 minutes drive from Chapel Hill. Lots of hi tech companies, software companies,
bio tech companies in the area. Unemployment is lower than national average. Raleigh/Durham area was recently named as one of 10 top spots by Forbes magazine to be located for career development/business start-up.

Orange County, where Chapel Hill is located, went 66% for Kerry in 04.
Unfortunately, the rest of the state is not like that--but Chapel Hill is really special. Come see for yourself!

PS--You can buy a 2 BR condo in Chapel Hill for less than $200K. Chapel Hill real estate is more expensive than Durham or parts of Raleigh, but the schools are considered best in the state. NYC area/northern NJ/ CA can't begin to compete with the lower cost of living here.

[Egalitariat]

101. I second that. I lived in Southern Village for 2 years. I still miss it*

nm

[paparush]

174. Chapel Hill - Great! Chapel Hill Traffic - SUCKS!!

[mnhtnbb]

184. Take the bus. It's free! Walk. Ride a bike. Work from home.

Or better yet, try the traffic in a real city. If you think the traffic in Chapel Hill sucks, you need to expand your horizons.

[Yollam]

93. Pick a country with national health care.

Anyway, That's what I did.

If you're set on staying with the sinking ship known as the US, Asheville NC is very nice, but it is surrounded by the south.

NYC is good if you've got some dough.

In fact, that's the problem with a lot of "blue" cities. They tend to be a lot nicer, with more educated and affluent citizens, and are thus much more expensive to live in.
Portland is probably a good choice, but I would pick Boulder over Denver, which is a smog bowl during much of the year.

Stay far, far away from Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Tulsa and SLC.

[Dorian Gray]

96. Well...

I'm partial to New York City, which I personally think is the best city for ANYBODY! :)

But, you have to enjoy large cities and not mind living in a box while paying a small fortune. And there aren't too many outdoorsy things to do here. But, if you are looking for the arts, you can't beat it!

[Arugula Latte]

97. I'm partial to Portland (live here) but have you considered Boulder

instead of Denver? Boulder is $$$$, but gorgeous. Some areas of Denver can be a little scary.

The climate in the Rockies is way too harsh for me, but then I know people who can take the June snows and whiplash up and down temperatures of Colorado better than they can take our relatively mild but often grey and overcast climate here in the Northwest.

Our lovely green vegetation is a big plus we get from the rain, though. Denver is kind of brown and dried out for much of the year.

[Arugula Latte]

98. P.S. I also lived in Berkeley, S.F. and Cambridge (briefly) and

they are also wonderful, if you can afford them.

[SunDrop23]

103. San Fran is probably the coolest city on the planet.

[Breeze54]

104. Most Liberal Places

http://www.epodunk.com/top10/liberal/index.html

MOST LIBERAL PLACES
The Most LIBERAL COMMUNITIES in the U.S.A

BIG CITIES
(100,000 or more)
Boston, MA
Cambridge, MA
Berkeley, CA
Oakland, CA
San Francisco, CA
New Haven, CT
Providence, RI
New York, NY
Baltimore, MD
Seattle, WA

MEDIUM CITIES
(25,000-99,999)
Northampton, MA
Somerville, MA
Arlington, MA
Watertown, MA
Santa Cruz, CA
Alameda, CA
Ithaca, NY
Portland, ME
East Palo Alto, CA
Chelsea, MA

SMALL CITIES
(Under 25,000)
Provincetown, MA
Mount Rainier, MD
Albany, CA
Fairfax, CA
Garrett Park, MD
Orono, ME
Takoma Park, MD
Guerneville, CA
Bar Harbor, ME
Johnson, VT

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Are you seeing a pattern here?? :rofl:

;)

[NuttyFluffers]

108. hey look! there's a really dense cluster where i live!

in fact, it's the densest of the dense clusters. fancy that.

we also have the largest population of LGBT people as well. SF #1 in gay couples, Oakland #1 in lesbian couples. and you know what they say about LGBT people: where there's LGBT people there's quality entertainment, ;) and toasters!
:evilgrin:

ps: i forgot to mention that our traffic is like, what was it now, 2nd worst in the nation after LA. y'know, metro with a big honkin' bay in the middle means the roads along it, and the bridges that straddle it, are gonna be in for some major traffic. if you do choose here i strongly suggest purchasing an urban townhouse close to mass transit, unless you don't mind a lengthy commute.

[Breeze54]

130. Looks that way but

even half of SF moves to P-Town (Provincetown) in the summer!! :)
A lot of the MA cities, on the map, are right next to Boston,
with a few exceptions. But SF is beautiful!!

[Leopolds Ghost]

121. My town is on that list! n/t

[AllieB]

201. Clustered in, um, Massachusetts.

I used to want to move for better weather, but I'm staying put here in Metro North. :-)

[Logician]

224. Massachusetts... Boston, Cambridge, whole eastern coast

Came to college in 1973 and fell in love with the place.

As a queer, leftie, I really feel at home here. Sure there are bigots, but they are relatively few.

Now, if we can only purge ourselves of the Republicans in the governor's office!!!!!

[radio4progressives]

107. San Francisco, Berkeley is Deep Blue ...

but hey, we need progressives who are able to move to "Red" state cities and townships, not the other way around, imo.

[progressivebydesign]

110. I love Portland, Oregon. That'd be my choice.

Eugene, Oregon is also great, but less opportunities, as it's more isolated. Portland is just a wonderful place. I live a few hours north, but visit every chance I get. I LOVE that it's downtown core has not been torn apart for giant condos, like SEattle and Vancouver. Portland has interesting employers, lots to do outside, just a good vibe. It's still much less expensive than liberal areas in California (hey, Marin County is lovely, but who can afford to pay 2 million dollars for a 1,600 sq ft house built in the 70s?).

I vote Portland.

[Glimmer of Hope]

150. I would go to Portland too..

It is one of the most beautiful cities in country. The people that live there are very progressive and take very good care of their city. The cost of living is reasonable and you have most of the advantages of a city (excellent public transportation, shopping, food etc..) with the coast and mountains nearby.

[JanMichael]

114. Ben Lomand, CA (Rural Santa Cruz County)

At least in 1974 it was a super duper Woody Guthrie singing place.

Either that or Arcata, CA. It's apparently the hippist Progressive town this side of Moscow these days.

[fun n serious]

118. Portland Oregon

Needs more liberals.

[crispini]

119. Why not look for a fight?

C'mon, don't you think that political scrapping is fun?! Move to a city where you can make a difference! Move to a city where, just by being a Democrat, you can be a dangerous rebel, and politics is a full-contact sport! Move to a purple city, where you can spend your spare times with your comrades in arms, blockwalking, phonebanking, and in the evening, sitting in bars drinking and bitching about the government! In other words, c'mon down to Dallas, we need the help! LOL.

Edited to add: hey, seriously, the housing is cheap, we've got jobs, and I know where ALL the Democrats hang out. :D

[girl gone mad]

124. I was gonna say the same thing.

I like arguing with my neighbors, and I've even managed to change a few minds. Dallas proper is turning blue, anyhow. Besides, with all the money we save on housing, we can afford to take some great vacations to all of the liberal cities on the list. :)

[nashville_brook]

128. i am soooo down with that -- just need a break

:)

lived in red red red florida. red red red tennessee. even ran a radical newspaper in johnson city tennessee -- in the mountains -- makes nashville seem like paris.

nashville is totally purple -- highly recommended!

but, i've put in my time. i'm worn out. need to refuel.

[XemaSab]

123. I lived in Arcata, CA and hated it with a passion by the time I left

Just so you know.

I've heard nothing but good things about Portland.

[nashville_brook]

137. why? was it too remote?

[thatsrightimirish]

155. please do tell

I'm considering going to Humboldt state

[XemaSab]

175. I really liked going to Humboldt State

I would never discourage anyone from going there. I got a great education and had a great time.... but by the time I was done, I was ready to leave.

It's a small town and after a few years I felt like I was seeing the same faces everywhere I went. Also, don't ever burn any bridges, because you will have to deal with that person like it or not.

What do you want to study?

[thatsrightimirish]

180. right now i'm thinking political science but

I'm not quite sure yet. Heard anything about the program?

[XemaSab]

188. All I know is that

if you're at all interested in natural sciences or natural resources you can't go wrong with Humboldt.

That and no matter how liberal you think you are, Arcata will turn you into a centrist but people will label you a conservative.

It's sort of like a giant DU in that regards.

[paparush]

125. Asheville, NC - Home of the 'crystal clutching colon cleansing crowd"

I LOVE asheville. Liberals galore. Hippies. Trustafarians. Cool architecture too.

[SunDrop23]

131. Carrboro NC

[immoderate]

134. New York City is Disneyland for adults.

For a single person it is paradise. You'll be at the heart of publishing and intelllectual communications.

In New York, everybody's got a story.

--IMM

[nashville_brook]

135. okay -- but where do you live in *NY* without being on the island

i can't afford it, there's no way.

is there anywhere on the train line that's outside of the city -- but close enough to do business and frolic?

[MsTryska]

140. brooklyn. nt

nt

[foo_bar]

156. Queens

Most of the marketing-themed jobs are in midtown (at least the ad/media industries), and there's cheap-but-good neighborhoods in Queens right across the 59th street bridge (of Simon & Garfunkel fame). Cheap like $800 for a studio (http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/fee/163567747.html), good like the best food in NYC:

This cheerful, handsome Greek steakhouse recreates the traditional Greek pairing of a butcher shop and a restaurant. Meals begin with fresh tzatziki, a combination of yogurt, garlic and cucumber, and tarama, the wonderful fish roe purée. Appetizer portions are big and easily shared, and there is a large selection of grilled offal if you like to precede your meat with more meat. Richly flavored steaks and chops dominate the menu, and some nights more traditional fare, like piglet and baby lamb, is turned on the rotisserie. Best desserts include baklava, a wonderful apple cake, and a plate of prunes and figs marinated in sweet wine. Closed Tue.

http://travel2.nytimes.com/top/features/travel/destinations/unitedstates/newyork/newyorkcity/restaurant_details.html?vid=1002207984951

Maybe not the offal part, but I'd live there if there wasn't a mortgage in Brooklyn.

[immoderate]

177. Also check out Hoboken and Jersey City

Short train ride into Manhattan via the PATH tubes. Hoboken has great restaurants, cheap.

--IMM

[Leopolds Ghost]

189. Scary to hear this is an actual recommendation

Between this, the fact that almost all the cities on the list (including my own) are enclaves or would-be enclaves of the rich and white, and the fact that Dems refuse to even consider the consequences of massive immigration, it seems that liberals and conservatives are increasingly becoming two plastic factions of what Michael Lind called the Overclass, each with their own Disneyland...

[immoderate]

191. Overclass?

Moi?:shrug:

Disneyland was a term I used hesitantly. There is great diversity in New York, and a dynamic artist and creative class. Economic pressures are unavoidable. There should be a remedy.

But its the most vital street life I've seen outside of Europe.

--IMM

[nashville_brook]

196. fair enough -- what's a "good" city, then?

i'm not rich. i only look white. and i HATE disneyland -- :) -- where to go?

[TheFriedPiper]

138. Atlanta - great town, great weather - just stay in the city!

Atlanta is great but you have to avoid the suburbs!

But PLEASE, be prepared to drive fast!!! We Atlantans are not just too busy to hate, we're also too busy to slow down to the speed limit! If you are moving less than 80mph, DO NOT RIDE IN THE LEFT LANE!!! You'll be run over!


If you are a slow moving kind of person, the suburbs would be more to your liking, but there are lots of right wing rednecks out there.

[Thirtieschild]

163. Agree that Atlanta is a great town, not sure I agree about the weather

We found it too hot and too humid. Do agree that you want to live in town, definitely not the suburbs. Intown can get expensive though.

[nashville_brook]

198. folks from the north tend to like atlanta weather

it's an all-encompassing warmth -- shall we say. :) to the bone.

[sabra]

142. Evanston, IL

North burb of Chicago.

- Northwestern U
- ex hippies


mix the two and you've go a very progress and cool town.

[mopinko]

176. evanston-

cool because it butts up against chicago. no, it's nice. i have a studio there.
edited to say- expensive, tho. far more affordable on the other side of the border.

[Samurai_Writer]

146. if you're thinking about Denver, move to Boulder

Liberal to the core, it's called the San Francisco of the Rockies by some. I love it here, having just moved here from West Palm Beach, FL in October.

[StellaBlue]

147. I vote for

1 - San Francisco

2 - Portland, OR

3 - Austin, TX

[pdxmom]

149. You sound like a Portland, OR kinda person. If you don't want to

live directly in the city, we've got a good public transportation system to get you there.

Lots of things to get involved with here...you'll never get bored. Tons of interesting people to share in whatever you are interested in.

Your creative side will be fed to satiation, from Saturday Market to the Pearl District to any one of the numerous musical venues in town.

Like the outdoors? You can't beat what Portland has to offer. Go to the mountains and ski in the morning, then be on the coast for a cookout on the beach in the evening.

And don't let the idea of our weather get to you. I'm used to it now. I'm originally from Virginia and have only lived here 12 years. It's wonderful to not have the humidity that VA is famous for. When it's rainy, it's pretty dreary. But you can't ask for more wonderful weather and beautiful days when the spigot is off.

[nashville_brook]

197. that blows my mind -- summer and low humidity?

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa? how could that BE? it's doesn't sound possible!

[ceile]

152. Austin, TX!

Lakes, hiking, culture, great food (Indian to Mexican and everything in between), great true-blue population, still has the small city feel even though the population is pushing 1mill.

[kwyjibo]

159. shh, let's keep it to ourselves :)

[tinrobot]

153. SF Bay Area

Probably Marin County (if I could afford it)

If not Marin, then perhaps the Berkely hills.

[sweetheart]

154. Toronto

Calgary
London
Vancouver
Sydney
Auckland
English Midlands
Inverness
Boulder
Chicago

[u4ic]

187. Calgary??!!?

:rofl:

Edmonton is much more liberal than Calgary, which is probably the most right-wing city in Canada.

[sweetheart]

193. Its a beautiful city though

Pardon misnaming. Much of what liberal persons are looking for is
space, a sense of privacy, to touch the earth on 40 acres, rahter
than another city urban... and i see the canadian rockys region
and its eastern plains as very interesting, both as it is canada
for peets sake, which makes a right wing city look like left wing
america, and as the population densities are lower, for people
who are stressed from overpopulation.

[u4ic]

212. It does have a lovely view

if you're in the right place. However, it is aggressively expanding, and a lot of people are concerned about the footprint that it's leaving. The new houses are all McMansions - real monstrosities.

Make no mistake...it is booming, and will keep on doing so. Alberta isn't the place for progressives, though as I pointed out before, Edmonton is by far the most liberal city in the province.

It's where the oil companies headquarters are...gives you a hint about the mindset there. Public transportation is atrocious, so you have more cars on the road, not less. Also, with the expansions, it's very difficult to cycle if you're in one of the four corners.

Because of Ralph Klein (google him, what an ass), the gap between rich and poor is growing immensely. The government here is secretive as hell, and getting even more so. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/15052006/2/national-alberta-government-forcing-changes-contentious-info-law.html They also tried, once again, to ram private health insurance down our throats recently (their third try). Social services are lacking ("they just need a boot in the ass, they're lazy", etc. In his earlier days after the cuts -early mid 90's, Klein was giving out bus tickets to welfare recipients to go to BC where the services were better)

It's also in the middle of the bible belt here...then there's the infamous "Calgary school". It's the birthplace of the Canadian neoCons. Here's a bit about them: http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2005/11/29/HarperBush/ They are taking their cue from the American neocons, they are not the Tories of old.

I could go on and on about Alberta. It's going ass-backwards (though the most economically prosperous...sound familiar?)

Truly...there are many other cities in Canada more hospitable to liberals and progressives. All that I know of are looking to B.C. (again, certain areas...others are pretty conservative)

[Faygo Kid]

160. Traverse City, northern lower Michigan

A little too conservative for my tastes, but absolutely gorgeous, four season paradise with great wineries, too. And this year, play ball! A minor league team, the Traverse City Beach Bums!

http://www.record-eagle.com/readerphotos/

[kerry-is-my-prez]

179. Ann Arbor MIchigan is a GREAT place - used to live there.

n/t

[lumberjack_jeff]

164. Olympia, WA

On the southern tip of puget sound, the pacific coast is 45 miles west, Mount Rainier is 45 miles east, Seattle is 45 miles north.

The homes are getting more expensive, but it's still comparatively affordable (especially in the rural areas within commuting distance). No income tax, but high property and sales taxes. Very blue, with the Evergreen State College nearby.

Drop me a note if you decide to come check us out. :)

[wrate]

166. What about Austin TX? Any comments? n/t

[idlisambar]

182. great city

vibrant, liberal oasis in Texas. Has small town charm, people are generally unpretentious.

[nashville_brook]

199. Austin's one of those places that "i get"

it just makes sense to me. the first time i drove into the city, i found everything i needed in like 10 minutes. "everything" being wifi, coffee, cool people and cheap mexican food.

[World Traveller]

169. Houston- Great Dem Mayor, Great Job Market, Cheap Housing

Houston is a very cosmopolitan city, most of the people (adults) were born somewhere else, lots from blue states. VERY mild winter, a 6 month summer. And the jobs market is good and will stay good, since oil and gas industry is important here (Note: We also pay the high gasoline prices here...and most people DON't work in oil and gas indstry, so we're suffering too....) Cheapest housing in the country for a major metropolitan area. I'm originally from Chicago and as liberal as they come, and I've been here 30 years. We had a liberal woman mayor Kathy Whitmire from '82-'92, a black mayor Lee Brown, and now Bill White, the great humanitarian who opened Houston's doors without hesitation to the Katrina victims.

You can actually have a great 2500-2800 sq foot house with lots of custom features for $140,000. All my relatives are in Chicago and I cannot believe what they pay for their houses, triple the cost here. Since our salaries are same as rest of the country, you can actually have a life that includes something more than paying your mortgage. I have a very ordinary salary and yet I've traveled the world because my cost of living is low.

[lutefisk]

173. Housing cost is important! Houston looks very affordable.

Home ownership is really out of reach in most of the cities on this list, so it's good to see somewhere where someone without equity from cashing out of somewhere pricier or a substantiaal "nestegg" can afford a decent home.

Unfortunately, after 5 1/2 years of Bush, I don't think I could step foot in Texas. Just another thing that a-hole has ruined for me. Some parts of the state do look nice, affordable, and no doubt filled with good people.

[demdiva]

171. Washington DC / Maryland Burbs

I wouldn't venture too far outside the beltway on the Virginia side (you're in severe danger of getting shot for calling yourself a liberal), but the beltway is actually much more Democratic / centrist Republican then one would expect. Sure, right now we have more than our share of Texans, but a lot of them will be gone in a couple years. Most of the beltway Republicans are really NOT fans of Bush. More importantly, where else can you hop on down to a Save Darfur rally one week and an anti-war rally the next?

The Maryland/Delaware shore is close and it's really beautiful. Philly is only two hours away and NY is four. Compared to Illinois where I grew up the climate is pretty mild, but you still get seasons.

The big drawback with DC is that it is more expensive then a lot of cities. DC is slightly more expensive then Chicago (another city I'd suggest for all the reasons every one else said), but less expensive then San Fran and NY.

[Leopolds Ghost]

190. Three MD Burbs on the list of top ten "most liberal small towns"

Of course that was by statistics, not "general funkiness level", but Mount Rainier is probably the closest thing to Arcata in this part of the country. They have a food co-op, a bike co-op, and a tool co-op.

They also have a bus station (for local buses) separate from their train station (which is outside city limits).

The town has an unusual lay-out with single-family houses cheek-by jowl
similar to parts of Portland or San Francisco. The atmosphere is a mix
of Southern Mill Town and Rastafarian/Afrocentric Crystal Shop which is
unusual for DC.

(Our town is trying hard to compete, but same problem as a lot of towns
on these lists -- its too expensive to live there to credibly call it a
"progressive place to live.")

Mount Rainier bucks the trend by being one of the cheapest, tackiest towns in the DC area, and proud of it -- or used to be, anyhow! :-)

[Kaylee]

192. Another vote for the DC Area from a fellow Washingtonian!...n/t

[demdiva]

222. Hi Kaylee! Welcome to DU

[kerry-is-my-prez]

178. In Florida - Ft. Lauderdale, Miami.

[idlisambar]

181. Seattle

No shortage of liberals, an active economy, close to Canada...just in case :-)

[ourbluenation]

186. Mendocino County...

My town, Ukiah, is 2 hours up the 101 from the golden gate. Bluer than blue county.

[AllieB]

195. Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Amherst and Northampton

all in Massachusetts. Mass has a completely Democratic Washington delegation, our state legislature is 90% Dem, though our Governor is a Republican (not for long!). Four out of five of those cities gave more votes to Nader in 2000 than Bush. Cambridge has a gay African-American mayor.

I grew up in Cambridge and Somerville. The housing prices are among the highest in the country. I wish we could afford to live there-my parents still live there six months a year and Florida the other six months. We live in another small town north of Boston now. It's also very liberal, but has its share of rich Repubs.

[Minnesota Libra]

202. Hey, don't forget the Twin Cities - more specifically St Paul..........

....people are pretty nice and yes it is also pretty liberal. PLUS, we take our politics very seriously here.

[Blue_Roses]

206. Hey, why not --Arkansas?

Just joking of course! As your neighbor, I want to say howdy.:) Living in Arkansas sucks big time. Other than the scenery, it's miserable. Red state, HOT, HUMID weather (and it's already started) and lots of fundies. I'm with you--I want to go to a blue city. I'm looking at Bangor Maine.

Good luck with your search:D

[nashville_brook]

208. humidity is turning out to be a major downside to many cities

once you've lived it (florida, tennessee) you really wonder what it's like without it.

like, what's it like to get out of the shower and actually dry off in the summer? i have no idea. :)

[CottonBear]

207. Athens, GA

Great music, theater, arts and culture scene. Home of UGA. Wonderful and nationally renowned music halls and historic theaters. Close to scenic rivers for canoing and kayaking, close to many state parks and lakes, close to the NE GA and Great Smokey Mountains, the Southeast coast and Atlanta. A blue island in red NE GA. Progressive government and Democratic commissioners. Jewish, woman Democratic mayor (our second woman mayor!)

Downside: super dooper humidity and heat in summer, kudzu, biting insects, traffic, public transit not great but getting somewhat better. State Republicans recently split us in half state senate district wise and redistricted our federal congressman out of our town.

[Odin2005]

211. Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The culture capital of the Midwest and the center of Upper-Midwestern progressive politics.

[distantearlywarning]

214. Having lived on the Front Range of the Rockies

(Denver, Colorado Springs area), I would definitely NOT recommend Denver as a "blue" city. That entire area is extremely conservative in a fundie kind of way. Lots of mega-churches, military bases, Focus on the Family, etc.

[nashville_brook]

221. good info! i knew colo springs was crapola like that

but didn't get that vibe in denver proper.

keep in mind -- my baseline for comparison (the two places i've lived) Space Coaast Florida (military!) and Tennessee (upper east and middle). FUNDIE VATICAN!

yikes! ;)

[VaYallaDawg]

215. NYC is a must for you, IMO.

Given your talents and background, you'll zoom to the top so fast you won't know what hit you!!! No matter what, very best of luck to you and let us all know what you decide!!!

[nashville_brook]

220. wow -- thanks for the huge vote of confidence!

i really needed that today! :)