Last updated on May 28th, 2023 at 03:19 pm
Stop looking, the best conservative cities are located along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. They include Ocean Springs, Biloxi, Long Beach, and others. People who live along the Mississippi Gulf Coast want little government interference in their daily lives. Low taxes compared to most other states are one of the hallmarks of a conservative state. If the Mississippi Gulf Coast was a state, it would be one of the most conservative states in the United States.
Seniors are provided with generous exemptions on their property tax bills. Veterans receive public respect. Children went to school during most of COVID and you can wear a mask if you want. Our cost of living is among the lowest in the nation.
Beautiful beaches and good employment prospects draw good people to the Mississippi Gulf Coast who want to raise their families in a friendly place. Freedom of expression is permitted here. There are no riots here and crime is not out of control.
The Coast has its problems as many areas do but they are not compounded by elected officials looking the other way. The majority of residents are Republican and they treat their Democrat neighbors with respect. Compare the respect for others’ opinions in the District of Columbia for example.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Cities
Most cities on the Mississippi Gulf Coast would consider themselves conservative. The percentage of registered Republicans is one measure and attitudes toward taxes and government spending are another. These are small cities compared to Los Angeles and San Francisco but then they don’t have big-city problems e.g. crime etc.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Cities are among the best conservative cities in the state which are considered to be conservative. A client once asked if they would be welcomed from a blue state if they moved to Ocean Springs. The point was that if they moved from Ocean Springs to San Francisco they may not receive a warm welcome. Of course, they would be welcomed. This is the South where being polite is the rule, not the exception.
Cities along the Gulf Coast offer a welcoming atmosphere to all who visit. Don’t be offended to see Trump bumper stickers, they are all over the area. A Trump sticker in some blue cities would invite vandalism. Even a Biden sticker in any of the Coast Cities will go unmolested. This is what conservatism is all about along the Gulf Coast. Live and let live, freedom of speech, etc.
It’s a toss-up as to which city along the coast is the most conservative city. Some of the more rural areas (only a few miles away) could be considered conservative towns as they are places in unincorporated counties. They are all great places to live and visit.
Some people believe that personal freedoms are infringed upon in liberal states
Many people have moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for two key reasons: politics and conservative values. They go on to say that in the liberal state, they moved from, lawmakers are constantly passing bills that cost them more to live there. Onerous mask mandates are on the list.
Children could not attend classes well after the bulk of COVID passed. One state wants to do away with gasoline cars in 10 years yet the electrical utilities struggle to keep up with demand.
For many, the constant need for government to control the daily lives of the majority is too much. These individuals want a safe place to live. Considering the defund police calls in many liberal areas, the Gulf Coast is a refreshing change. As mentioned, we are still America, we have all kinds of issues as people are people.
What we do not have is the government’s hands on the rudder steering us on the wrong course. Conservatives that I have met here don’t discuss politics daily yet they are not oblivious to what is going on in the rest of the world.
Gulf Coast residents contrast their conservative lifestyle
On the contrary, they keep up with the good, bad, and ugly of the rest of the country. Coast residents find themselves contrasting our lifestyles against those in Blue states. Every day the news gives us a feeling that we have truly found the best place to live, the best most conservative place to live.
Did you know that a family living on minimum wage can afford to own a house on the Gulf Coast? In recent years the minimum wage has gone up here as it has elsewhere but you still can not live on it in California. The concept of affordable housing here means that people can buy a house. In California, it means that higher-income areas must build low-income houses and see their values drop.
The best conservative cities are among the least expensive
The low cost of living here permits families to enjoy the benefits of living in this great area. The median income is lower than in California and other blue states but then so is the cost of living as well. Median home prices are a fraction of the cost to live in California. With lower costs applied across the board e.g. gasoline, people don’t need to spend their lives working.
The U.S. Government and others consider the Coast as one of America’s rural areas. The population here is very low, about 400,000 people live in three counties. Our cities have small city ratings. Perhaps this is one reason why liberals do now want to move here. It’s hard to demonstrate and destroy at night and hide during the day. People know their neighbors here so the bad people don’t get far.
Yes, Mississippi is a red state
You should have guessed that Mississippi is a red state which makes the Mississippi Gulf Coast a red area. The whole state while being red includes the blue city of Jackson, so there is representation here for other points of view. According to BestPlaces, 66.5% of Jackson County (one of three Gulf Coast Counties) residents voted Republican in the last presidential election.
There is no need to discuss your political affiliation. You can tell a Democrat from a Republican here, just ask if they want the government to ban something. Simple. This is not to imply that people living here are in any way anti-government or don’t want to pay their fair share in taxes.
Roads are in good condition, the beaches are well cared for, and, elected officials seem to be considerate of other opinions. The city employees that I have met have a more pragmatic attitude than those in California.
If you have an issue here, the city employees are far more likely to help you find a solution. Many government employees in California and other blue states are Democrats whereas, in the Gulf Coast Cities, many are Republicans who do not want to see wasteful spending.
Perhaps it’s because we do not have the pressure because are not one of those urban areas. The Mississippi Gulf Coast is truly one of the best places to live.
Municipal Government
The conservative cities along the Mississippi Gulf Coast jointly ensure that most regulations are somewhat similar. This cooperation helps to reduce costs and leads to limited government. Their political philosophy is simple. Before you consider spending other people’s money, ask them. We have lots of hearings here.
Often spending items die because they are not popular. Several elected officials are members of founding families. These families have helped keep the area conservative for generations. City governments pay attention to major employers and work with them to secure employees.
While the city government can not make unemployment policies, the state provides limited benefits and requires applicants to get back to work. This is a major difference between conservative and liberal cities. Low crime rates are the norm in most coastal cities.
There is not a single liberal city on the Mississippi Gulf Coast even though there are at least two cities with large liberal populations. We have no actual metropolitan areas here. Some of the cities have populations living just outside of the limits with the same mailing address.
Conservative Schools
How can schools be conservative? Easy, teachers who teach the basics and avoid the popular social issues that are taking down good schools in blue states. Last year when schools in California were closed, Gulf Coast City schools were open for business as usual.
Similar-minded people agree that they want their kids to learn. Schools on the Gulf Coast are typically highly rated. Being a conservative stronghold it’s hard for liberals to squeeze their concepts and textbooks into the schools.
Gulf Coast schools can’t waste their funds as can in Southern California. There are no funds for Gulf Coast schools to teach basket weaving or non-critical education.
After-school sports are very big along the Coast. Parents come out by the hundreds to see their children participate in a wide variety of sports.
Real Estate Values
While real estate prices in blue cities have skyrocketed, Gulf Coast city prices have gone up but not out of line. The housing market in the Gulf Coast Cities has been impacted by people who have been arriving from other states. They can afford to pay higher prices because they are just a fraction of what they would be paying where they came from.
Available housing in Ocean Springs and Bay St. Louis is slim to none on occasion. People tend to buy and stay. A good number of residents are moving into new housing developments. People from out of state find that the Mississippi Gulf Coast cities are on their list of best cities. Even people from a purple state can find a home on the coast.
You find new residents who have moved in to buy a great house for a low price may not express their political affiliations but you can soon tell which line they will be in on election day. By the way, the median home price is under $200,000 as of this writing. Far less than Las Vegas, New York, and even the nationwide average price.
Gulf Coast’s best conservative small cities have character
Not that small towns in most other states don’t have character but ours comes from deep roots. Cajun, Creole, French, and Spanish influences are unique here. Cultures have been blending here since 1699. This area was not always Republican but it was almost always conservative.
When the Democrats ran things in the South, they were what we could call conservative by standards today. This means that nothing has changed here in that respect.
The Coast’s small conservative cities are known for their parades and festivals. Many Big blue cities are known for their riots, homeless camps, and high taxes. The Mississippi Gulf Coast is like one small town where we all share the culture and the republican party is in charge because residents like that way.
The Blue States consider Mississippi one of the worst states
Many in the Blue states consider Mississippi and that means the Gulf Coast as one of their worst states. That’s because we don’t have a Starbucks on every corner and we permit the use of plastic shopping bags. The Gulf Coast must be on the blue state bad list because we don’t allow them to learn alternative histories in school.
Conservative political ideology does not conform to the blue state’s vision of the country as being just another among the world’s elite countries. Conservatives believe that even the fly-over state of Mississippi should have a voice in what is done.
Along with the visual displays of patriotism you find here, it’s clear that a liberal would be uncomfortable. Teachers here do not object to the pledge of allegiance, some blue-state teachers would find that curious. You might see a pick
Democrats in liberal states can take a lesson
As mentioned above, liberals and conservatives on the Gulf Coast get along with each other. They intermarry, go to the same churches, and join the same clubs. There is mutual respect for the differences of opinion. Democrats here believe in the same things that Democrats do in many other places.Â
These moderate democrats living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast were the real Democrat party a generation ago. I hope that the southern democrats can influence their blue-state counterparts so that the whole country could take a page from the Mississippi Gulf Coast way of life.Â
One reason that Donald Trump was so popular here is that he paid attention to more than just the Cities and large metro areas. Regardless of your opinion of him or his time in office, you should agree, that he did offer much to rural America.
Rural America defends this country
Mississippi is ranked 22 of all states in the number of active duty service members. That’s amazing since the population is one of the lowest in the nation. Further, only 14% of military personnel come from big cities.
Conservative states supply the bulk of the fighting force in the U.S. This area is also home to a large population of the retired military for all of the reasons stated above.
You can carry a weapon in Mississippi. This offends many people in blue states. Blue states tell everyone it’s the gun’s fault. Red states tell everyone that it’s the operators’ fault.
Compare conservative cities in other states
A chart that was created in 2014 by the Pew Research Center on the “most liberal and conservative big cities” with populations over 250,000 was included in an article. The chart listed many cities including New York and others. The top conservative cities listed were Mesa, AZ (1) and Oklahoma City (2). Both were listed as conservative on a scale from 1 to 0 to 11, these cities were between 0 and -.05. Hardly conservative if you consider on the liberal side San Francisco was a full 1.
If you compare the top conservative cities on their list with any on our list above there is no comparison. Our cities would move to the right of their scale. This proves their point that cities are almost always liberal. The degrees of liberalism vary but they are nonetheless much further to the left than any of the Mississippi Gulf Coast cities listed above.
Another key point they made was that liberals liked living in cities. Conservatives liked living in less urban, more rural areas. This correlates with the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Read the article for yourself.
Y’all Come on Down
If you want to live in a great conservative area, consider relocating to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Please read some of our popular articles about the area such as “Why I decided to retire in Ocean Springs, Mississippi“. This one is good as well:“Why you need to retire on the Mississippi Gulf Coast”. 2022 mid-term results will cause more conservatives to relocate
Should you like to see properties along the Gulf Coast, contact Gulf Coastal Realtors where you can look at homes on the MLS. If you want to locate a great place to stay when you visit, check out Christie’s Gulf Beach Rentals for a vacation rental.
Thank you for stopping by our website and reading this blog. Please leave us some comments about this article and others. For our long-time followers, this article is a rare departure from our normal format. I have attempted to leave politics out of all of my blog articles because of the intense reaction of some to information they disagree with.
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