The "guess how this hypothetical place would vote" thread

[Del Tachi]

Also a real place,

Type: Small town
Region: South
Population: 24,000
Race: White (65%), Black (29%), Asian (4%), Hispanic (1%) Other (1%)
Median Household Income: $22,590
Population affiliated with a religious congregation: 48%
Religion (of those who attend services): Evangelical Protestant (44%), Mainline Protestant (32%), Catholic (18%), Muslim (2%), Jewish (1%), Others (3%)   
Percent of married couple households: 34%

[Del Tachi]

Also a real place,

Type: Small town
Region: South
Population: 24,000
Race: White (65%), Black (29%), Asian (4%), Hispanic (1%) Other (1%)
Median Household Income: $22,590
Population affiliated with a religious congregation: 48%
Religion (of those who attend services): Evangelical Protestant (44%), Mainline Protestant (32%), Catholic (18%), Muslim (2%), Jewish (1%), Others (3%)   
Percent of married couple households: 34%

Just eyeing the white percentage I'd say about 65% Republican

You would be wrong.  This is Starkville, Mississippi--home of Mississippi State University--a college town that voted for Obama in 2008.

[Del Tachi]

Also a real place,

Type: Small town
Region: South
Population: 24,000
Race: White (65%), Black (29%), Asian (4%), Hispanic (1%) Other (1%)
Median Household Income: $22,590
Population affiliated with a religious congregation: 48%
Religion (of those who attend services): Evangelical Protestant (44%), Mainline Protestant (32%), Catholic (18%), Muslim (2%), Jewish (1%), Others (3%)   
Percent of married couple households: 34%

Just eyeing the white percentage I'd say about 65% Republican

You would be wrong.  This is Starkville, Mississippi--home of Mississippi State University--a college town that voted for Obama in 2008.

Interesting, I thought something seemed different with the religious data, but in the end the south and small town won me (wrongly) over.

The low percentage of households with married couples would have also been a large indicator of a very young (college aged) population.

[Del Tachi]

Where are you guys getting the religious data?

Try and guess this one which is a real city in Southern California:

Type: Suburban
Region: Southern California
Population: 48,527
Race: White (38%), Black (2.3%), Asian (17.8%), Hispanic (39.7%)
Median Household Income: $79,347

La Mirada?

[Del Tachi]

Here’s a fictional one:

DEMOGRAPHICS
Name: Midtown
Type: Small town
Region: Upper South/Appalachia/Rust Belt
Population: 16,523
Race: White (93%), Black (5%), Other (2%).  Hispanics represent 11% of the population.
Age distribution: Under 18 (20%), Ages 18 to 34 (14%), Ages 35 to 64 (50%), Over 65 (16%)
Percent of married couple households: 67.2%

ECONOMICS
Percent of population of “workable” age (16-64): 66%
Percent of workforce per economic sector:  Manufacturing and Mining (37%), Services-Health Care, Childcare, Education, and Government (29%), Services-Retail (20%), Services-Finance and Marketing (6%), Services-Hospitality and Benevolence (3%), Agriculture (3%), Other (2%)   
Unemployment rate (male, ages 18-64): 20.6%
Unemployment rate (female, ages 18-64): 12.4%
Percent unionized (all workers): 26.9%
Percent unionized (manufacturing only): 38.5%
Median household income: $27,606

RELIGION
Do You Believe in God?: 94% Yes
Percent claiming religious affiliation: 54%
Percent participating in religious services at least “twice monthly”: 32%
Largest religious groups (of those claiming affiliation): Catholic (61%), Evangelical Protestant (25%), Mainline Protestant (13%), Other (1%) 

EDUCATION
Students enrolled in city public schools: 2,314 (97.7%)
Students enrolled in private schools within city limits: 0 (0%)
Students homeschooled: 56 (2.2%)
Students otherwise educated: 16 (0.1%)
High School Graduation Rate: 73.4%
Size of most recent high school graduating class (2012): 143 students
University placement for most recent high school graduating class: 30.4%
Percent of adult population with college degree of any kind (Associates, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral) : 22%
High School Mascot: Midtown Miners   

LOCAL POLITICS
County Seat? : Yes
Government type: Mayor-Council (weak mayor)
Mayor: Democrat
State House seat: Democrat
State Senate seat: Democrat
Public perception of local government: Locals see their local government as a method by which their town’s social “elite”--in this case representing well-connected individuals whose families have lived in the area for generations--are able to maintain control over their city’s social institutions.  Voter participation and civic engagement are dangerously low and very seldom do incumbents lose reelection.