Question about Pennsyltucky

[old timey villain]

Pennsyltucky: the rural, conservative, predominantly white area of Central Pennsylvania between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Why is it SO historically conservative compared to other rural regions of the Northeast and Midwest? It pretty much votes like the south, even though rural areas in neighboring states like New York and (parts of) Ohio are often D or swing regions. What is the history of that area that creates such strong support for conservative Republicans?

[Skill and Chance]

Pennsyltucky: the rural, conservative, predominantly white area of Central Pennsylvania between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Why is it SO historically conservative compared to other rural regions of the Northeast and Midwest? It pretty much votes like the south, even though rural areas in neighboring states like New York and (parts of) Ohio are often D or swing regions. What is the history of that area that creates such strong support for conservative Republicans?

It is culturally an extension of Appalachia.  This extends up into the southern tier of NY.  The dividing line seems to be around I-90 where you transition into rural New England voting patterns.

[barfbag]

Pennsyltucky: the rural, conservative, predominantly white area of Central Pennsylvania between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Why is it SO historically conservative compared to other rural regions of the Northeast and Midwest? It pretty much votes like the south, even though rural areas in neighboring states like New York and (parts of) Ohio are often D or swing regions. What is the history of that area that creates such strong support for conservative Republicans?

You've got a lot of Quakers, Amish, and Mennonites with fundamental conservative beliefs and values. It's also less densely populated than most of the northeast and Midwest until you get out to the great plains. There's also an older population.

[muon2]

Pennsyltucky: the rural, conservative, predominantly white area of Central Pennsylvania between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Why is it SO historically conservative compared to other rural regions of the Northeast and Midwest? It pretty much votes like the south, even though rural areas in neighboring states like New York and (parts of) Ohio are often D or swing regions. What is the history of that area that creates such strong support for conservative Republicans?

It is culturally an extension of Appalachia.  This extends up into the southern tier of NY.  The dividing line seems to be around I-90 where you transition into rural New England voting patterns.

More than an extension of Appalachia, it is a significant subregion of Appalachia. The map is from the official classification of the Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal-state partnership for economic development.

[Brittain33]

Gwinnett County really ought to have graduated from membership in that commission by now.

[ilikeverin]

Pennsatucky is pure evil, but I'm scared what Piper's actions will lead to.  Can't wait for Season 2!

[old timey villain]

I get that the region is part of Appalachia. But other regions of Appalachia near Pennsyltucky like Eastern Ohio and WV were historically supportive of Democrats. Even Obama won several coal counties in Ohio his first time around. Central PA looks to have a very long history or Republican support.

[DINGO Joe]

I get that the region is part of Appalachia. But other regions of Appalachia near Pennsyltucky like Eastern Ohio and WV were historically supportive of Democrats. Even Obama won several coal counties in Ohio his first time around. Central PA looks to have a very long history or Republican support.

The counties that do mine coal in PA will vote for Dems when coal is doing well.  The counties that don't mine coal always vote R, though they do like their porkers like the Shusters.

[Skill and Chance]

I get that the region is part of Appalachia. But other regions of Appalachia near Pennsyltucky like Eastern Ohio and WV were historically supportive of Democrats. Even Obama won several coal counties in Ohio his first time around. Central PA looks to have a very long history or Republican support.

Not all of Appalachia was historically D.  East TN for example opposed secession and has been monotonically 2:1 R since 1860.  The areas that started off pro-Union (obviously this applies to PA) and never had coal/steel have always been R. There must not have been enough union influence to flip the region in the 1930's.

[Skill and Chance]

Pennsyltucky: the rural, conservative, predominantly white area of Central Pennsylvania between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Why is it SO historically conservative compared to other rural regions of the Northeast and Midwest? It pretty much votes like the south, even though rural areas in neighboring states like New York and (parts of) Ohio are often D or swing regions. What is the history of that area that creates such strong support for conservative Republicans?

It is culturally an extension of Appalachia.  This extends up into the southern tier of NY.  The dividing line seems to be around I-90 where you transition into rural New England voting patterns.

More than an extension of Appalachia, it is a significant subregion of Appalachia. The map is from the official classification of the Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal-state partnership for economic development.

Interesting.  It seems a stretch to consider counties in MS just south of Memphis Appalachian.

[hopper]

Didn't James Carville once say that Central PA in between Philly and Pittsburgh its like Alabama voting wise?

[Hatman 🍁]

Pennsatucky is pure evil, but I'm scared what Piper's actions will lead to.  Can't wait for Season 2!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this when reading the thread title

[old timey villain]

Pennsatucky is pure evil, but I'm scared what Piper's actions will lead to.  Can't wait for Season 2!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this when reading the thread title

She's one crazy hillbilly, that's for sure. Piper really gave it to her, so we'll see what happens!

[barfbag]

Didn't James Carville once say that Central PA in between Philly and Pittsburgh its like Alabama voting wise?

He said roughly, "Pittsburgh in the west, Philadelphia in the east, Alabama in the middle."

[afleitch]

Pennsatucky is pure evil, but I'm scared what Piper's actions will lead to.  Can't wait for Season 2!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this when reading the thread title

She's one crazy hillbilly, that's for sure. Piper really gave it to her, so we'll see what happens!

I quietly cheered.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I was about to mention coal, but then I found this map:


Oddly enough, the coalfields in PA are mostly confined to the western portion of the state, and cover less than half of the state overall, so energy/environmental issues likely don't have a large impact on the voting patterns of central PA the way they do in other coal states.

[old timey villain]

I was about to mention coal, but then I found this map:


Oddly enough, the coalfields in PA are mostly confined to the western portion of the state, and cover less than half of the state overall, so energy/environmental issues likely don't have a large impact on the voting patterns of central PA the way they do in other coal states.

which is why western PA historically supported Democrats up until recently. It votes kind of like West Virginia and is prone to the same political trends.

There doesn't appear to be any kind of coal industry in central PA which explains why it has been more historically Republican.

[angus]

Pennsyltucky: the rural, conservative, predominantly white area of Central Pennsylvania between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Why is it SO historically conservative compared to other rural regions of the Northeast and Midwest? It pretty much votes like the south, even though rural areas in neighboring states like New York and (parts of) Ohio are often D or swing regions. What is the history of that area that creates such strong support for conservative Republicans?

http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2006/11/09/28-the-10-regions-of-american-politics/

[Indy Texas]

I was about to mention coal, but then I found this map:


Oddly enough, the coalfields in PA are mostly confined to the western portion of the state, and cover less than half of the state overall, so energy/environmental issues likely don't have a large impact on the voting patterns of central PA the way they do in other coal states.

which is why western PA historically supported Democrats up until recently. It votes kind of like West Virginia and is prone to the same political trends.

There doesn't appear to be any kind of coal industry in central PA which explains why it has been more historically Republican.

No, but the people who took the coal and made it into things like iron and steel were located in central and eastern Pennsylvania. So you had steelworkers in what was up until the early 20th century a very anti-labor environment and may have been more inclined to vote Republican as a result; and all of the engineers, managers, factory owners, bankers and lawyers working in the steel industry who were voting Republican out of self-interest.

[All Along The Watchtower]

I was about to mention coal, but then I found this map:


Oddly enough, the coalfields in PA are mostly confined to the western portion of the state, and cover less than half of the state overall, so energy/environmental issues likely don't have a large impact on the voting patterns of central PA the way they do in other coal states.

which is why western PA historically supported Democrats up until recently. It votes kind of like West Virginia and is prone to the same political trends.

There doesn't appear to be any kind of coal industry in central PA which explains why it has been more historically Republican.

No, but the people who took the coal and made it into things like iron and steel were located in central and eastern Pennsylvania. So you had steelworkers in what was up until the early 20th century a very anti-labor environment and may have been more inclined to vote Republican as a result; and all of the engineers, managers, factory owners, bankers and lawyers working in the steel industry who were voting Republican out of self-interest.

It's interesting to compare the 1948 and 1960 maps for presidential elections, and see how similar the patterns were in PA.

1948:


1960:
 

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It doesn't actually exist. The historically prosperous (and very German, for whatever that's worth) manufacturing towns between Philly and Harrisburg don't have a lot in common with the much more genuinely rural far north of the state. And so on and so forth.

No, but the people who took the coal and made it into things like iron and steel were located in central and eastern Pennsylvania.

!?!?!

Rather famously, the main centre of the steel industry in Pennsylvania was Pittsburgh.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Most 19th century centres of the iron and steel industries (but especially the iron industry, which was - obviously - older and which collapsed nastily towards the end of the century. Merthyr Tydfil has literally never recovered) were on coalfields for obvious reasons. You only see a big movement towards coastal steelworks as technological change in the steel industry really gets going and the advantages of a coastal location became overwhelming (helped by the fact that you could just rail the coal in by that point. This wasn't the case with the early iron industry, obviously).

[angus]

...You only see a big movement towards coastal steelworks as technological change in the steel industry really gets going...

The quest to gain naval superiority was the main driver, I suspect.

[traininthedistance]

It doesn't actually exist. The historically prosperous (and very German, for whatever that's worth) manufacturing towns between Philly and Harrisburg don't have a lot in common with the much more genuinely rural far north of the state. And so on and so forth.

No, but the people who took the coal and made it into things like iron and steel were located in central and eastern Pennsylvania.

!?!?!

Rather famously, the main centre of the steel industry in Pennsylvania was Pittsburgh.

I think people are thinking of Bethlehem Steel, whose failure happens to be particularly famous.

[J. J.]

Geography.

A sizable number of people entered Pennsylvania's Cumberland and Lebanon Valleys from the south, but from the area beyond the Blue Ridge.  It was culturally different, even in the 1760's.



Here is a map of slave population in 1860; it has the same pattern:



While most of the US immigration was east to west, a lot of this region was populated south to north.

It is interesting that, in 1863, the 44th MA Regiment drew about 5% of its forces from the Pennsytucky region.