What are some liberal places to live in Virginia?

[XanaDUer]

But, not too expensive.

Nearby a liberal place is fine, too.

Thanks!

LC

[Cha]

1. I hear Roanoak is more Liberal than

other places in Virginia.

[2Design]

5. isn't roanoke....real near jerry falwell and that rw group

[JohnKleeb]

9. well Roanoke is democratic actually

Lynchburg is what you have to worry about, thats where Falwell and the gang are. Even if you love beaches, stay away from Virginia Beach, thats where Robertson is, and personally I dont like that beach.

[Flaxbee]

8. Roanoke is turning into a sh*thole...

drove through there recently and it looks like it's dying. Seriously, don't go there.

Charlottesville and Richmond are improving - C'ville supposed to be nice, but it's also been rated recently as one of the best places to live in the country, so of course housing prices have gone up. But there is a lot of student housing (b/c of UVa) so I'm sure there are affordable areas. Richmond seems to be making a huge effort to pull itself up and not feel quite so heavily industrial.

[electricmonk]

13. Had no idea my town was a dying shithole

Like any city it has it's problems but I love living here. It's cheap, fairly liberal, no traffic to speak of unless there's a wreck, a city center with more bars/clubs than you can hit on a single night all within walking distance of each other, an excellent arts community, Appalachian Trail on one side of the valley, Blue Ridge Parkway on the other. The new $30 million art museum designed by Randall Stout starts construction later this year will add an IMAX theatre to town which will compliment the recently opened O. Winston Link museum/gallery. I could go on but won't.

Discover Roanoke

[Flaxbee]

14. maybe just the areas we drove thru, then..

certainly did not mean to be rude (though I guess my use of words could have been better -- I'm sorry). We stayed at a hotel near the old ITT offices, I think, and then drove around into town by a few strip malls that just looked unbelieveably decrepit. The place we didn't go thru is the older downtown area, which seemed like it was picking up two years ago. The outskirts definitely looked careworn, but as with most places, I guess you need to know its secrets and unplanned sprawl (the stuff we saw) often dies first.

[Zomby Woof]

17. no, it's a shithole

Chamber of Commerce propaganda aside.

[electricmonk]

18. Yeah what do I know

Just a 12 year resident since I moved back from Oregon. Personally think EVERY city has it's shithole parts, don't know of any place that's perfect. But if one is looking for a decent place to live Roanoke is as good or better than lots of other places, especially in Va. It's the only city in this state I would consider. And other than NC's Outer Banks the only place on the east coast I would live.

[Zomby Woof]

19. it's just that VA is such a shitbin

That any town by default is debased by being there.

But at least you can pump your own gas. Dreary-ass Oregon sucks too.

[electricmonk]

21. LOL

"But at least you can pump your own gas. Dreary-ass Oregon sucks too."

Yeah the first day driving into Oregon we stopped for gas and got out to pump it and an attendant came running out and stopped my friend. We were like 'what the hell you can't pump your own gas?'. The guy said nope state law. That still baffles me.

On the whole though I loved Portland but I moved there at the height of Bush I's recession and never did get a decent job there so after I year I moved back here.

[chaska]

2. Ha! That's funny.

But seriously, there's Twin Oaks Commune and its offspring Acorn commune. That's about it.

[2Design]

3. virginia voted in the worse hate law against gays...the current

senator george allen is very rw, pat robertson operates in virginia beach, jerry falwaell types have the mountains wrapped up... I did hear northern virginia might be more liberal.....but the state legislature is the one who voted in the hate law....so i would say they are not liberal....and current governor is a dem, george allen is a past governor who is now the rw nut senator.......but only can serve one term..term limits....

John Warner, the head of the torture investigation is rethug....and with what isn't happening with that investigation.....I am not sure justice for torture will be served....

No one cares about justice....just tell us junk and keep their jobs...

so I am cynical about our government.....

[JohnKleeb]

7. northern va tends to be liberal socially but more moderate economically

no the last governor was Jim "Car Tax" Gilmore.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

10. Trouble is, NoVA, especially near DC, is one of the most overheated

real estate markets in the country. I don't know how rentals go if you're going that route but I can't imagine they'd be real cheap.

[cyclezealot]

4. Any place where Liberals might be a majority?

[JohnKleeb]

6. hah hey

Is there any? Then I can recommend you a nice democratic town in Arlington but its not really liberal but democratic.

[renegade000]

11. northern virginia (i.e. washington metropolitan area)

arlington, fairfax, alexandria, falls church.

i live in arlington and its a solidly democratic area.

[carpetbagger]

12. Depends on what brand of liberalism you're looking for.

If it's a New Deal, labor union, public service, people-who-believe-in-the-Golden-Rule type liberalism, your best bet is southwestern Virginia. However, you might as well just go to West Virginia.

Similarly, Richmond and the Norfolk-Newport News areas have solid numbers, probably majorities, of people who hold views of working class liberalism.

For social liberalism, your best bet would be Northern Virginia (if you live in a tiny apartment, you should more than make up for it with good wages), and the secondary areas would be college towns (Charlottesville, Salem, Blacksburg), although they aren't liberal enclaves along the lines of Chapel Hill or Athens to the south.

In response to the previous post, Falwell owns Lynchburg, not Roanoke.

Very illiberal areas include the Shenandoah Valley, the outer suburbs of DC (Leesburg, Warrenton, etc), Lynchburg, Danville-Martinsville, and most, but not all, places in Richmond and the Norfolk/NN/Va Beach area populated by white people.

[Zomby Woof]

15. No chance

None. Sorry.

The fact is, the very few liberal places are too pricey or too fucking remote.

Otherwise, the state is a freeper armpit. I lived there for over 12 years off and on - graduated high school, started college... I know it all too well.

[Bertha Venation]

16. Nearby liberal place: Adams-Morgan or Dupont Circle, Washington, DC.

But unless you're independently wealthy, forget it.

I know, big help, eh?

[XanaDUer]

20. Thanks, everyone!

Just musing over where to live next. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, could be worse than the armpit I now live in.

It used to be cheap,b ut is getting worse and worse money wise.

Expensive and freeper is not a combination I want to deal with.

[JohnKleeb]

24. you live near jacksonville right?

north florida. Va really as people have said doesnt have any place really liberal, we of course like all states have our democratic areas but its not like this area was liberal, fairfax county never went for Clinton once though it was close.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

22. All I know is

my in-laws live in Virginia Beach, which seems to be VERY white, and my in-laws would make Rush Limpballs look like a pinko commie, they are such huge freepers.



Sorry. Plus it seems very expensive to live there.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

23. And try this website

http://www.cjnetworks.com/~cubsfan/geo.html

The site is called Turn Left. Liberal friendly and liberal unfriendly places to live in the US.

[MorseMoose]

25. Norfolk

Virginia Beach is conservative, but nearby Norfolk is pretty liberal, especially this one really cool neighborhood called Ghent. Lots of cool bars, restaurants, and a great, very liberal indie movie theater called The Naro (and next door is a GREAT indie video rental store). And the cost of living isn't that high.

Morse

[MorseMoose]

28. Speaking of Norfolk...

Kerry's coming here on Tuesday!

[bookfreak]

26. A caveat....If you are gay or lesbian....

Virginia just aint the place for you!


Virginia may be for lovers, but only for heterosexual ones.

[Eurobabe]

27. Definitely Charlottesville