Why are cities more leftist?

@Ukonkivi You're right, of course. When I said "libertarian" I meant "Libertarian", with a big "L", as in the Libertarian Party (ie, libertarian capitalists). They've pretty much appropriated the word libertarian for themselves, but I should have been more specific.

For what it's worth, I could be described as a small-"l" libertarian as well, and I tend to vote Democratic.

With small towns being conservative: The blue collar workers in small towns tend to have their neighbors helping them replacing the social programs that are available in large cities. Law Enforcement also represents the government less, because the officers in that town are all locals who people probably grew up around. It feels less like big government when you went to high school with the Sheriff, as opposed to LA, which has thousands of LAPD officers, almost all of which you won't know. There's also a more religious hold in small towns as the church is one of the main institutions that brings rural communities together, organized religion is historically conservative.

I've noticed this split in California, where LA and San Francisco are majority Democrat, while places like San Bernardino county are mostly conservative, because they medium sized cities as opposed to huge metropolitan areas, the towns out in the Mojave are especially conservative on average.

edited 16th Jan '11 2:05:57 PM by Barkey

s. Law Enforcement also represents the government less, because the officers in that town are all locals who people probably grew up around. It feels less like big government when you went to high school with the Sheriff, as opposed to LA, which has thousands of LAPD officers, almost all of which you won't know.

Large cities have that mentality as well, as many police officers like working in areas that they grew up in, they develop a 'beat', etc etc so the police know the people in (at least some) of the neighborhoods of the city. Can you explain the difference (i am genuinely wondering).

Most large city metropolitan cops don't want to live anywhere near where they work, due to it being a dangerous prospect that work follows them home. My dad has been LAPD for about 19 years now, and he's never been less than an hours commute from work.

In large cities you won't know most of your cops, I'm talking in the 500k plus range. If you grew up there you might occasionally see people you know, but it's not something that happens often, and you don't get to pick where you patrol.

Barkey: That and the Central Valley, which is pretty much one big farm (...Or So I Heard).

Most large city metropolitan cops don't want to live anywhere near where they work, due to it being a dangerous prospect that work follows them home. My dad has been LAPD for about 19 years now, and he's never been less than an hours commute from work. In large cities you won't know most of your cops, I'm talking in the 500k plus range. If you grew up there you might occasionally see people you know, but it's not something that happens often, and you don't get to pick where you patrol.

I may have exxagerated re. my personal examples and info may be outdated (as in 1950s-1980s + fragmented current era info as of 2010s - and tha sounded like a history record). Also I mixed up fire department and paramedics I believe.

In a small town, you probably know all the cops, by face and very likely by name. In a big city, you may know a few of the cops by face and one or two by name — if you have regular non-law-enforcement-related interactions with them, like working at a restaurant they regularly have lunch in.

It also means less privacy overall, and people tend to be a bit more okay with more invasive measures.

• cough* ...strawman... *cough*

In general I don't have to say much about this. Here in Germany where I live the tendencies are similar though. Rural areas tend towards the Christian Right, while in cities there are more people who vote left, but also more people who vote what we call the "Liberals" (centered on "free as in free market")

Whenever reading discussions like this, it's quite weird for me as an European, because what we call "Liberal" parties here would very much be what your "Republicans" are (at least if you would mix them together with our Christian Right (or "Christian Democrats" as they call themselves), which happens quite often (coalitions) anyway), and more leftist parties thus usually avoid calling themselves "liberal"...

edited 17th Jan '11 10:00:13 AM by Herbarius