Half of the U.S. Population lives in these counties.

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What is it about Urban America that makes people more liberal and vice versa?

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CULCHA

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CULCHA

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Black people make up ~12-14% of the population... you still have ~36% to account for.

I get it. Louisiana doesn't have counties hence none being shaded

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. How can there be such a disconnect between rural and urban America?

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People live in bubbles. They surround themselves with like minded people.

Plus people that are raised in cities tend to stay in cities, while people raised in rural areas tend to stay in rural areas.

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What is it about Urban America that makes people more liberal and vice versa?

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It's not "urban America makes people liberal", its more certain people enjoy living the urban lifestyle, and those people tend to lean more liberal.

Plus you have the minority demographics, which also tend to lean democrat (not so much liberal).

More diverse areas are usually more liberal. They have no choice but to be tolerant of others beliefs, religion, race, etc. People in smaller towns are closer knit and more likely to not want change or outsiders. They feel threatened. Both of them are credulous to different things. Neither are better.

Poor and uneducated who depend on handouts

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More diverse areas are usually more liberal. They have no choice but to be tolerant of others beliefs, religion, race, etc. People in smaller towns are closer knit and more likely to not want change or outsiders.

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This doesn't mesh with my experience of reality.

I've travelled all over the world and I've never seen more intolerant people than in major cities. They don't like strangers and are distrusting.

Quite the opposite in small towns. Most small town people are wary of outsiders, but they make an effort to accept them.

Again though, that's personal experience. Not to discount others.

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Much like religion though, if I were born in L.A. chances are I'd be liberal.

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correct

just like if you were born in rural Alabama, chances are you would be a conservative

environment matters, and the people and their views that make up that environment will more than likely affect your worldview

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Spend some time in a big city and your mindset will become slightly more liberal. Vice versa for rural America. Being surrounded by millions of people in close quarters tends to make one wish for more oversight and control.

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There are some studies that suggest dysfunction in overcrowded populations. I'm not saying they are 100% indicative of human nature. But they are interesting non-the-less.

One such theory is known as Behavioral Sink. LINK

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I've travelled all over the world and I've never seen more intolerant people than in major cities. They don't like strangers and are distrusting.

Quite the opposite in small towns. Most small town people are wary of outsiders, but they make an effort to accept them.

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I dont mean to say outsiders as in different locations specifically, I mean a muslim gay couple or family of black people moving to a small area with where everyone knows each other and has the same mind set.

This isn't to say blacks/muslims/gays dont have their prejudices against rural whites, we see that all the time (due to the same ignorance from lack of education). Especially muslims not being able to get along in society. I meant more if you live in a large city you're more forced to understand others ways of life.