UPDATE: Check out our new 2023 Best Cities to Live in the U.S. list.
#4. Gainesville
Voters in Gainesville, Fla., are split by Congressional District lines that also separate liberals and conservatives. The eastern side of the city is located Florida’s 5th Congressional District, which is represented in Congress by Democrat Corrine Brown. The city’s western side and much of the northern end of town is situated in the state’s 3rd Congressional District, which is covered by U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, a moderate Republican according to GovTrack. Democratic presidential candidates have won the popular vote in Gainesville and surrounding Alachua County since 1992.
Home to the University of Florida, Gainesville became known as the “Berkeley of the South” during the 1960s in which the city hosted many anti-war protests. Since then, the city has seen a more conservative shift in values. Both of the city’s U.S. representatives hold rather centrist political views, while many residents identify themselves as Republicans.
Residents here are likely to …
- drive a Cadillac.
- eat at Hardee’s.
- shop at Sam’s Club.
- watch The Bachelorette.
- read Good Housekeeping.