Most Conservative Areas (Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake: homes, school, college)
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how are your recreational opportunities? I asked on the TN website about rail trails and such but it still seems like that's a bit lacking in the upper east end. I want to be able to do a short drive, like here, and be near a river, pond, lake, or bike trail where I can spend the time. Not drive an hour to get there although there are some places here that are that far, but are worth getting to.
thanks again.
There are lots of places you might like up and down I-81 in Virginia. Many of them, especially in the Southwest corner of the state, are very conservative. If you want to be near hiking trails, check out Washington County Virginia. There's South Holston Lake. If you want to know more about property taxes, see https://www.tax-rates.org/virginia/property-tax.
There are lots of places you might like up and down I-81 in Virginia. Many of them, especially in the Southwest corner of the state, are very conservative. If you want to be near hiking trails, check out Washington County Virginia. There's South Holston Lake. If you want to know more about property taxes, see https://www.tax-rates.org/virginia/property-tax.
Thank you so much Ersatz. I will check this out tonight and take a look at Washington County, too.
Don't get me wrong, I know we all have to pay taxes, but this state taxes every penny you bring in and funds the education system with the property tax. Without any substantial industry, much of the burden falls on the everyday taxpayer.
In VA, a governor can only serve on term. On the other hand, VA is considered a "strong governor state." With wide budgetary powers, broad emergency powers and broad authority to change the bureaucracy. VA not only has a national guard, but a state militia and an unorganized state militia (most folks don't know by statute all male and female Virginians between 16 and 55 are enrolled in the last). While the authority has been used in moderation, it did not prevent Governor Cameron from personally leading a naval "force" of a tugboat and a freighter to take on oyster pirates on the Rappahannock River in 1882. He did it again in 1883. On the other hand, the powers of a liberal governor were on full display by Governor Northam.
This so called "Empty Land" you are talking about is where the OP wants to live.
(You may want check the population stats on it sometime by the way)
The 'empty land' is still subject to the rules and laws made by politicians beholden to the folks in the metropolitan areas. It doesn't matter that there's parts of VA where conservatives dominate when it comes to gun laws etc. Ask the folks in Eastern Oregon how much they like being the conservative minority in a state dominated by the residents of the Portland metro and the Willamette Valley.
Almost every political decision, argument, conflict in the world comes down to jurisdiction. And if you live in Virginia you live in a jurisdiction where Democrats get their way most of the time. Is it as one-sided as Massachusetts or New York? Nope. But no less than say Pennsylvania or New Jersey at this point i.e. states which occasionally will vote for Republicans but usually end up with Democrats.
This so called 'Empty Land' is where a 1/3rd of the population of Virginia lives.
As we've seen in the last decade, the Republican shift in some of these areas to 80% has completely eroded the Democrats standing in statewide elections.
What happened in 2021 is most certainly the culmination of a trend since about 2013-14. The 2021 election was not some special election; all of VA's statehouse and governor elections are 'off year' so that state politics is not nationalized quite like they would be if they held them at the same time. Despite this, the 2021 elections were nationalized (and hyper partisan) with a record turn-out. More votes were cast for governor than at any other time in VA's history, culminating in more total votes for Governor Youngkin than any other previously sitting Governor of VA.
U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D) won in 2008 with close to 60% of the vote in rural Southwest -- that vote eroded so much that Republicans shifted the area R+ 68 with Trump on the ballot. The Republican vote was even higher in 2021 when Youngkin was on the ballot.
As you can see, way back when in the 2000's the Democrats still had an inkling of a connection to rural 'working' people, which is no longer the case. The Democrats are now seen as the party of 'big city elites' and 'smug liberals' who want to confiscate guns, tell everyone how they should live and impose a woke culture on us all.
Thanks for your comments VAOutdoorsman. Hubs and I like TN but VA was a possibility. We also need to get out of a deep blue state, realizing that there may be super liberal politics wherever we go. We are just tired of every.single.issue and every.single.news story being something far left AND that will cost us more in taxes. VT is one of the highest taxed places in the nation. What are your property taxes like there?
We are moderate conservatives.
Since you are outdoorsy how are your recreational opportunities? I asked on the TN website about rail trails and such but it still seems like that's a bit lacking in the upper east end. I want to be able to do a short drive, like here, and be near a river, pond, lake, or bike trail where I can spend the time. Not drive an hour to get there although there are some places here that are that far, but are worth getting to.
thanks again.
Riley, like Vermont we have mountainous areas with some pretty steep creeks, rivers and streams but the difference is they flow all year - so you can fish and kayak all year round in Virginia. Hiking trails galore all over the state and not just in the SW corner. Hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, kayaking, horse-back riding, beaches, rural living, etc.
I live in south central Virginia, in the Piedmont, and we have some pretty great rivers here and the topography is hilly.
If you bike there are nice long trails like the one from Richmond to Jamestown, also along the New River, the High Bridge near Farmville, the Tobacco trail, the Virginia Creeper trail along the South Fork of the Holston/Laurel Creek, etc. Plenty of outdoor recreation here.
Tennessee is a great option too, plenty of outdoor activities there, especially the East TN which is easy to get to from Virginia via I-81.
Good luck and don't be afraid to DM for more questions, especially outdoors things to do in VA.
Hello. My husband and I are looking to relocate from the horrific blue state of Rhode Island. We are very conservative, have no children, physically active and are looking for a like-minded community in Virginia. We are not WOKE and do not want to relocate anywhere where this crap is celebrated. Just looking for an old-fashioned town that we can settle down in.
Thanks!
Michelle
I'm in Virginia - in a smallish town. I never discuss politics. However, there are some liberals who speak their mind. If you don't take the bait, political talk will stop. There also seem to be conservatives who are more circumspect. Still, its better than NY/NYC or MA - where I lived previously.
This so called 'Empty Land' is where a 1/3rd of the population of Virginia lives.
As we've seen in the last decade, the Republican shift in some of these areas to 80% has completely eroded the Democrats standing in statewide elections.
What happened in 2021 is most certainly the culmination of a trend since about 2013-14. The 2021 election was not some special election; all of VA's statehouse and governor elections are 'off year' so that state politics is not nationalized quite like they would be if they held them at the same time. Despite this, the 2021 elections were nationalized (and hyper partisan) with a record turn-out. More votes were cast for governor than at any other time in VA's history, culminating in more total votes for Governor Youngkin than any other previously sitting Governor of VA.
U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D) won in 2008 with close to 60% of the vote in rural Southwest -- that vote eroded so much that Republicans shifted the area R+ 68 with Trump on the ballot. The Republican vote was even higher in 2021 when Youngkin was on the ballot.
As you can see, way back when in the 2000's the Democrats still had an inkling of a connection to rural 'working' people, which is no longer the case. The Democrats are now seen as the party of 'big city elites' and 'smug liberals' who want to confiscate guns, tell everyone how they should live and impose a woke culture on us all.
You can't win in VA if you lose so badly with the rural population -- it's a major voting bloc (and vice versa with Northern Va).
Except of course Democrats did win in Virginia in 2016 and 2020 vs the king of the rural disaffected voter himself. You can win VA without the rural population, you just need turnout and margin in the urban areas. There were several reasons as to why Youngkin won, but the biggest one was that suburban moderates following local issues gave him a chance and not enough national-minded liberals who vote in Presidential years came out to drown them out. Youngkin was never the candidate of rural VA, he's a NoVa guy and there was a local NoVa issue that made local moderates vote GOP.
And the Democrats were already seen as the part of the 'big city elites' back in 2017 when Northam won re-election pretty easily. Rural VA didn't stop that. And Northam was liberal enough he could easily have been a governor of a Northeastern state. In a race where the GOP candidate got things going and the Democrat is a dud, the GOP can win in VA, sure. That's true in most states. Hell, a Republican won a Senate seat in MA in the 2010 mid-terms. But states have tendencies where they more commonly end up. And since 2008 Democrats have won 11 out of 13 statewide races for President, Governor and Senator in VA.
Nobody says VA is a deep blue state, but VA has gone from a GOP lean to a Dem lean in the last couple of decades. And it's simply down to a shift in the numbers. VA has conservative rural areas that are similar to their neighboring rural areas in NC, TN, WV and KY politically. VA has liberal urban areas that are pretty similar to nearby urban areas like Baltimore, Philadelphia or Raleigh for that matter. The latter section has seen aggressive growth, the former not so much.
Except of course Democrats did win in Virginia in 2016 and 2020 vs the king of the rural disaffected voter himself. You can win VA without the rural population, you just need turnout and margin in the urban areas. There were several reasons as to why Youngkin won, but the biggest one was that suburban moderates following local issues gave him a chance and not enough national-minded liberals who vote in Presidential years came out to drown them out. Youngkin was never the candidate of rural VA, he's a NoVa guy and there was a local NoVa issue that made local moderates vote GOP.
And the Democrats were already seen as the part of the 'big city elites' back in 2017 when Northam won re-election pretty easily. Rural VA didn't stop that. And Northam was liberal enough he could easily have been a governor of a Northeastern state. In a race where the GOP candidate got things going and the Democrat is a dud, the GOP can win in VA, sure. That's true in most states. Hell, a Republican won a Senate seat in MA in the 2010 mid-terms. But states have tendencies where they more commonly end up. And since 2008 Democrats have won 11 out of 13 statewide races for President, Governor and Senator in VA.
Nobody says VA is a deep blue state, but VA has gone from a GOP lean to a Dem lean in the last couple of decades. And it's simply down to a shift in the numbers. VA has conservative rural areas that are similar to their neighboring rural areas in NC, TN, WV and KY politically. VA has liberal urban areas that are pretty similar to nearby urban areas like Baltimore, Philadelphia or Raleigh for that matter. The latter section has seen aggressive growth, the former not so much.
I appreciate your theory.
But you asked about trends, so I provided you with some trends that the GOP is a lot more competitive in Virginia today than they were during the lost decade (2010s).
The point I'm making is that we've already hit the inflection point, from here on out into the foreseeable near-term, I'm predicting more wins for the GOP at the state-level. The reasons are simple; a much faster, larger shift to the Right in rural Virginia than the more elastic -- and reversible -- left-shift in the suburbs (see: Chesterfield County) and a leveling-out of the population growth in the most liberal part of the state (NoVa).
The culture wars benefit the GOP the most because it puts them on the offensive.
Now...the biggest monkey wrench to this whole theory is the Trump effect.
No doubt the election of Trump crushed the GOP in Virginia even while it boosted R numbers in rural parts of the state -- which, yes, could not counter the amount of never-Trump voting people in several blue-wave cycles. But it in turn made the rural areas way more aligned to the GOP than they ever were before -- I cannot overstate how huge this for the GOP if they can maintain it. To be a Democrat in rural Virginia today is akin to being a pariah, where you wish to hide that fact from your neighbors.
If Trump is not the nominee in 2024, I predict another win for the GOP in Virginia.
Don't forget that in 2013, the only reason McAuliffe won was because Sarvis, third party libertarian candidate, got 6.5% of the vote. Cucinelli just barely lost and had there been a better GOP candidate, we would have taken that election too and who knows, maybe Northam would've never even been elected.
But you asked about trends, so I provided you with some trends that the GOP is a lot more competitive in Virginia today than they were during the lost decade (2010s).
The point I'm making is that we've already hit the inflection point, from here on out into the foreseeable near-term, I'm predicting more wins for the GOP at the state-level. The reasons are simple; a much faster, larger shift to the Right in rural Virginia than the more elastic -- and reversible -- left-shift in the suburbs (see: Chesterfield County) and a leveling-out of the population growth in the most liberal part of the state (NoVa).
The culture wars benefit the GOP the most because it puts them on the offensive.
Now...the biggest monkey wrench to this whole theory is the Trump effect.
No doubt the election of Trump crushed the GOP in Virginia even while it boosted R numbers in rural parts of the state -- which, yes, could not counter the amount of never-Trump voting people in several blue-wave cycles. But it in turn made the rural areas way more aligned to the GOP than they ever were before -- I cannot overstate how huge this for the GOP if they can maintain it. To be a Democrat in rural Virginia today is akin to being a pariah, where you wish to hide that fact from your neighbors.
If Trump is not the nominee in 2024, I predict another win for the GOP in Virginia.
Don't forget that in 2013, the only reason McAuliffe won was because Sarvis, third party libertarian candidate, got 6.5% of the vote. Cucinelli just barely lost and had there been a better GOP candidate, we would have taken that election too and who knows, maybe Northam would've never even been elected.
It's the exact same the other way around in the D.C. metro. Polarization cut both ways. I think Republicans will struggle to maintain support among rural and older voters while trying to win back middle-class suburban voters - many of whom are now socially quite liberal and very anti-gun, pro-choice, turned off by evangelical Christians etc. because the policy stances that work in "Red Country" have the exact opposite effect in suburbia.
Of course, there's things people have in common but you can't play coy on the controversial stuff anymore because your hands are being forced. How would Youngkin have done if the race had occurred *after* Roe v Wade was overturned? I think he would have found it very difficult because he would have to formulate a position certain to **** off at least one section of his potential voter pool.
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how are your recreational opportunities? I asked on the TN website about rail trails and such but it still seems like that's a bit lacking in the upper east end. I want to be able to do a short drive, like here, and be near a river, pond, lake, or bike trail where I can spend the time. Not drive an hour to get there although there are some places here that are that far, but are worth getting to. 
