I thought this story was worth sharing, since it's so strange, considering California's political makeup.
Most of the rural counties--if not all of them--are some of the most conservative sections of the state.
But Alpine County is an outlier: one of the most liberal in the country.
How did this happen? Expats (if you will) from San Francisco and the Bay Area move to the area for retirement.
And they have turned the county blue!
Check out the whole story here.
Read these excerpts:
MARKLEEVILLE, Calif. —
Alpine County, perched like an emerald on the crest of the
Sierra Nevada, is as rural as rural California gets.
Vast distance separates its sparse settlements, tucked among
forests and crystalline streams. The views, unobstructed by city clutter, go on
forever.
There is no hospital, no supermarket, fast-food restaurant
or shopping mall anywhere in its 743 square miles. The only stoplight is
temporary, put in place for a bridge repair.
And yet if all goes as expected in Tuesday’s primary
election, Alpine County will vote along the same lines as Los Angeles,
Sacramento, San Francisco and other urbanized blue bastions.
Alpine County is small, population-wise, but its political
leaning poses a big mystery.
Is it liberals from the Bay Area choosing to cast their
ballot from a second home? Is it the Democratic-leaning Native American
community, which makes up a significant part of the population? Is it Democrats
moving in and Republicans moving out as people seek to live among like-minded
partisans?
All seem like plausible explanations.
What’s the appeal of life with no bank, no chain store, no
movie theater? Where it’s a 20-minute drive, or more, to get a haircut or
Frappuccino?
“That’s the appeal,” said Dianna Mitzner, 70, a
longtime Democratic activist who moved to Alpine County 20 years ago because it
seemed like a better place to raise a child than the Hollywood Hills. “It’s the
authenticity.”
-----
Maybe that’s another reason the party thrives. People come
here because they cherish the unspoiled outdoors and want to keep it that way,
and believe voting Democratic is the best way to do so.
-----
Lovell, 60, who works winters at Kirkwood and does a lot of
volunteering year-round, believes Alpine County leans Democratic because people
of a certain mindset — conservationist, socially liberal, OK with the federal
government owning most of their surroundings — have come and stayed put.
No comments:
Post a Comment