Which city is more conservative, Atlanta or Jacksonville?

[David]

Before the Jax bashing begins,

Remember this - You can't buy beer from a store on Sundays in Atlanta. Yes, that's what I'm basing this whole debate around. Why would you let a law pass that bans the sell of alcohol based on religious beliefs?

Also, Atlanta feels even more southern and good ol' boy to me at times, then Jacksonville. Yes yes, it has the cosmopolitan vibe going on but the overall vibe from within the city makes Atlanta feel pretty conservative considering how large of a city it's become.

But since they have oh say....about 4 million more residents in their metro area. It could be my personal experiences in Atlanta have jaded me, but hey. You still can't buy a six pack on a Sunday in Atlanta! case closed.

[Driven1]

hmmm...does jax have a China Town?  i know we had it here in Jax, but i forget - what year did we have the Olympics ?

[thelakelander]

There may be exceptions on certain issues, but overall Jacksonville is more conservative than Atlanta.

[JeffreyS]

No no Atlanta has more fringe elements but if you have spent any time there it is the most conservative place this side of the Talaban.   

[downtownparks]

I grew up in the great liberal bastion of Massachusetts, and guess what... we had blue laws that disallowed the sale of alcohol on Sundays. in the early 90s they modified the law for towns that were less than 15 miles from the NH border could sell because they were losing too much money to NH on Sundays.

Im not sure where things stand now... But I guess my point is, the lack of alcohol sales doesn't

[David]

hmmm...does jax have a China Town?  i know we had it here in Jax, but i forget - what year did we have the Olympics ?

The superbowl is to jax what the olympics are to atl = a major event that both cities blundered.

Atlanta is  like our older southern brother who has grown tremendously, but at the end of the day is still plagued with the same ailments that plague all southern cities that want to  be progressive , it's population.

[David]

I grew up in the great liberal bastion of Massachusetts, and guess what... we had blue laws that disallowed the sale of alcohol on Sundays. in the early 90s they modified the law for towns that were less than 15 miles from the NH border could sell because they were losing too much money to NH on Sundays.

Im not sure where things stand now... But I guess my point is, the lack of alcohol sales doesn't

Who says the north isn't conservative either? I couldn't buy a drink on a sunday 70 miles northeast of New York City a few years ago, all because Danbury Connecticut has the same rational as Atlanta, Ga.

Any city that lets religion influence when you can have a beer seems conservative to me.

[RiversideGator]

hmmm...does jax have a China Town?  i know we had it here in Jax, but i forget - what year did we have the Olympics ?

The superbowl is to jax what the olympics are to atl = a major event that both cities blundered.

Atlanta is  like our older southern brother who has grown tremendously, but at the end of the day is still plagued with the same ailments that plague all southern cities that want to  be progressive , it's population.

Gosh, if we are so backward how did you screw up to end up here?  I mean a man of your obvious sophistication really should be living elsewhere.   

[RiversideGator]

To answer the question though, comparing Fulton Co to Duval Co, Jacksonville is undeniably more politically conservative, culturally conservative and Southern.  And, I dont think banning alcohol sales on Sunday is the sine qua non of conservatism.  You can buy hard liquor any day in gas stations in Louisiana but it is clearly conservative and Southern (with a French twist).  You couldnt even buy alcohol on Sundays here in Jax until the early 1990s.

[David]

To answer the question though, comparing Fulton Co to Duval Co, Jacksonville is undeniably more politically conservative, culturally conservative and Southern.  And, I dont think banning alcohol sales on Sunday is the sine qua non of conservatism.  You can buy hard liquor any day in gas stations in Louisiana but it is clearly conservative and Southern (with a French twist).  You couldnt even buy alcohol on Sundays here in Jax until the early 1990s.

I can agree with that. I started this thread just to gauge opinions, I don't a solid one of my own on this.  And I know the banning of alcohol sales isn't the only indicator of a city's political slant, but it does  perplex me that Atlanta has such a law for how large it's become. I figured Atlanta would be the more progressive of the two, but it's hard to see from my vantage point because as soon as I live five points in Jax, I go straight to little 5 points in Atlanta so other than the redclay and better selection of live music, I can't tell the difference.

[David]

hmmm...does jax have a China Town?  i know we had it here in Jax, but i forget - what year did we have the Olympics ?

The superbowl is to jax what the olympics are to atl = a major event that both cities blundered.

Atlanta is  like our older southern brother who has grown tremendously, but at the end of the day is still plagued with the same ailments that plague all southern cities that want to  be progressive , it's population.

Gosh, if we are so backward how did you screw up to end up here?  I mean a man of your obvious sophistication really should be living elsewhere.   

i screw up'd REALLY bad man.........I was born here.

shoot, i'm sophistamcated thanks to duval county's fyyyyyyyne public schoolin', but hey I like it more and more every year. The trick is, to not visit other cities that way you don't get the post trip blues upon your return.  I kid I kid, but I do have the native-born habit of taking shots at my hometown and when I took what appeared to be a shot at Jax by saying it's population holds it back from being progressive, i'm lumping myself in there too.

[RiversideGator]

Fair enough.  I am a native also who has traveled the world and I choose to live in Jacksonville because it is one of my favorite cities.  It really is hard to beat IMO despite its shortcomings.  One thing I have learned is the grass is rarely greener on the other side.

[vicupstate]

but it does  perplex me that Atlanta has such a law for how large it's become. I figured Atlanta would be the more progressive of the two, 

You are overlooking a CRITICAL fact here.  Cities don't control alcohol laws, STATES do.  Georgia is more conservative/backward than FL.  Thus the difference in drinking laws.  And while FL is pretty progressive for a southern state for the most part, I have always thought it odd that hard liquor licenses are so expensive in FL.  One Beer is the equivalent of one mixed drink, so why treat it so differently?     

[Keith-N-Jax]

Jax is certainly more conservative,,those laws were passed as a result of several incidents in Buckhead during Atlanta's Super Bowl and months after. I was living there at the time. Several shooting and a stabbing incident,right after those incidents made world news,alcohol was banned and night clubs had to close early on Sunday. Ray Lewis Ravens football player was invovled in one of those incidents.

[john stark]

I'm pretty sure that Atlanta's Alcohol Blue law is a result of the state of Georgia's legislation.  So you can't really use the "no buying alcohol on Sunday" thing against them.  IMO, Jacksonville is much more conservative than Atlanta, especially culturally (It is HOTlanta). However, if you were to compare Georgia and Florida; Georgia would be the more conservative.