Major cities with Republican enclaves vs. ones without

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

What exactly is the reason that results in this?

For example we all know about Philadelphia's Republican areas thanks to many. And then there's NYC even if you exclude Staten Island which has many noticeable Republican areas (even in the Bronx believe it or not.) On the other hand Minneapolis has none, there are no parts where the Republicans can even be competitive. Chicago is largely the same way. San Francisco just goes without saying. Places like DC and Detroit are obvious, but what causes some cities to have pockets of Republicans that many just lack?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It will be to do with the structure of the city (in terms of economy, society and housing) and civic culture, basically. And sometimes boundaries, though not in the case of any of the places you mentioned.

[phk]

Orthodox Jewry
Blue-Collar Whites
Police
People who've historically dealt with busing issues

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Blue-Collar Whites
Police

We have both of those.

It will be to do with the structure of the city (in terms of economy, society and housing) and civic culture, basically. And sometimes boundaries, though not in the case of any of the places you mentioned.

I specifically left out places like Jacksonville and Phoenix with a bunch of sprawl within the city limits.

[Verily]

Places like DC and Detroit are obvious, but what causes some cities to have pockets of Republicans that many just lack?

Diversity.

In two senses. First, New York City has some unusual demographics that would be Republican anywhere but which only really exist in numbers in NYC (Orthodox Jews, recent Russian/other ex-Soviet immigrants). Second, New York City has ethnic diversity that has alienated, politically, lower and middle class urban whites from a Democratic Party dominated by a combination of ethnic minorities and wealthy whites (ideology really plays no part here). Other cities with great diversity, like Chicago, have their lower/middle class whites in suburbs only, but NYC still has a bunch in the city.

[Torie]

Sometimes it depends on the city boundaries. Philly's NE quadrant was built mostly in the 1950's and is a long way from downtown, and is or was really suburban. The same with the San Fernando Valley in LA (LA goes east about 4 miles, and west about 35 miles, so some of the eastern burbs are urban, and parts of the San Fernando Valley very suburban. And the demographics change. NW Chicago used to be politically marginal, when those bungalow wards were heavily Polish. Now the place is getting more diverse, and as neighborhoods are gentrified with hip urban sophisticates, or persons of color, and folks with kids decamp, particularly the white lower middle class, such enclaves can disappear. In most of the GOP cities, or ones that were until recently, and particularly in the North, those enclaves are under a lot of stress now, in Cincinnati, Columbus, Indianapolis (less so, but still so), Denver (yes not so GOP, but it did have enclaves), and Houston.

Oh yes, two precincts in Hancock Park (about 5 miles west of downtown LA), did vote for McCain - barely. And Beverly Hills, of all places, is becoming a GOP enclave due to wealthy Iranian Jews.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Something I have noticed is that downtown Minneapolis is non-negligably more Republican than the city in general (it was about 75% for Obama.) I've figured that's due to rich people living there, plus things like someone making a ton who works at a right wing law firm might prefer to just get a condo downtown next to work than a McMansion out in the exurbs. But it's not to any significant level or even swingable. Interestingly the U of M dorms are some of the most strongly Republican precincts in the city thanks to College Republicans from the suburbs.

[Lunar]

Racial segregation may matter (for multiple reasons, including creating defined enclaves), in addition to obvious population and geographic size variables: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315078/Race-maps-America.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/11/07/2010-11-07_how_segregation_plagues_bloombergs_new_york_black_white_and_wrong_all_over.html


Also, what may matter too, is the organizational strength of the local Republican parties -- when was the last time a Republican wasn't competitive for a mayoral race in NYC?  If you can get a Republican party that can raise money & effectively seize 50.1% of voters on an upswing and win local offices, it would seem to help the whole registering and branding process for your party in the city

[Verily]

Something I have noticed is that downtown Minneapolis is non-negligably more Republican than the city in general (it was about 75% for Obama.) I've figured that's due to rich people living there, plus things like someone making a ton who works at a right wing law firm might prefer to just get a condo downtown next to work than a McMansion out in the exurbs.

Not shocking. But there is no such thing as a "right-wing law firm". Except perhaps something like the Texas firms specializing in "natural resources" (i.e., oil) law.

[tpfkaw]

I'm sure there are Republican areas in south Boston, but I'm too lazy to look up any maps.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Something I have noticed is that downtown Minneapolis is non-negligably more Republican than the city in general (it was about 75% for Obama.) I've figured that's due to rich people living there, plus things like someone making a ton who works at a right wing law firm might prefer to just get a condo downtown next to work than a McMansion out in the exurbs.

Not shocking. But there is no such thing as a "right-wing law firm". Except perhaps something like the Texas firms specializing in "natural resources" (i.e., oil) law.

I'm thinking of ones that mostly specialize in rather shady but well-funded corporate clients.

[tpfkaw]

Something I have noticed is that downtown Minneapolis is non-negligably more Republican than the city in general (it was about 75% for Obama.) I've figured that's due to rich people living there, plus things like someone making a ton who works at a right wing law firm might prefer to just get a condo downtown next to work than a McMansion out in the exurbs.

Not shocking. But there is no such thing as a "right-wing law firm". Except perhaps something like the Texas firms specializing in "natural resources" (i.e., oil) law.

I'm thinking of ones that mostly specialize in rather shady but well-funded corporate clients.

Quickly, someone call Michael Douglas!

[Verily]

when was the last time a Republican wasn't competitive for a mayoral race in NYC?

Republicans were totally uncompetitive from 1969 to 1985. They were competitive in the 1960s only due to John Lindsay's cult following in Manhattan, and were then uncompetitive going back to 1941, when another cult following was busy electing Fiorello LaGuardia.

In fact, Republicans only lost in a close mayoral election once, in 1989. Every other election where a non-Republican won was completely uncompetitive.

[Verily]

Something I have noticed is that downtown Minneapolis is non-negligably more Republican than the city in general (it was about 75% for Obama.) I've figured that's due to rich people living there, plus things like someone making a ton who works at a right wing law firm might prefer to just get a condo downtown next to work than a McMansion out in the exurbs.

Not shocking. But there is no such thing as a "right-wing law firm". Except perhaps something like the Texas firms specializing in "natural resources" (i.e., oil) law.

I'm thinking of ones that mostly specialize in rather shady but well-funded corporate clients.

No; they support Democrats. Not unanimously, of course, but dollars to donuts lawyers at those firms overall vote for Democrats.

After all, if Republicans reduced such regulations, making shady business deals easier, they'd be out of jobs. They like it when their clients get in legal trouble. It gives them more business.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

It was an extreme oversimplification, but what I was thinking is that someone who lives downtown to avoid a commute is far more likely to work at a law firm or in banking, marketing or some type of venture capital firm as the people in the dense residential areas. Now obviously there are still tons of Democrats working at such places (not to mention the type of people who make hordes of money in tips at trendy restaurants or bars, and the owners of said businesses who I'm sure vote Democratic.), but they are far more likely to be Republican than the mostly dense but residential neighborhoods who are likely to have more municipal employees, teachers and university employees, service industry, blue collar or tech-oriented jobs. Racially similar areas in Uptown tend to be about 85% for Obama as opposed to the 75% downtown area.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

Well there's the Grosse Points in Detroit. I wouldn't count them as being part of Detroit but they're a pretty noticeable blob of ultra-Republican voting close by to some of the worst and most dilapidated parts of Detroit.

[Хahar 🤔]

when was the last time a Republican wasn't competitive for a mayoral race in NYC?

Republicans were totally uncompetitive from 1969 to 1985. They were competitive in the 1960s only due to John Lindsay's cult following in Manhattan, and were then uncompetitive going back to 1941, when another cult following was busy electing Fiorello LaGuardia.

In fact, Republicans only lost in a close mayoral election once, in 1989. Every other election where a non-Republican won was completely uncompetitive.

Was Koch the first Mayor who was on the right? You have to go back at least past La Guardia, and the Tammany Mayors didn't really have ideology. I suppose Impellitteri might be, but I don't know whether he actually had political views.

[Brittain33]

I'm sure there are Republican areas in south Boston, but I'm too lazy to look up any maps.

There are people there who will vote Republican in federal or gubernatorial races on occasion, but they have a strong Democratic machine that will elect socially conservative, fiscally generous Democrats from their neighborhood from everything from city council up to House of Representatives so they are happy to vote solidly Democratic. If we had partisan politics within the city oriented on social issues and ethnicity, it's conceivable that they'd vote Republican, but we don't have that.

[TeePee4Prez]

Orthodox Jewry
Blue-Collar Whites
Police
People who've historically dealt with busing issues

1st one, yeah they're mostly GOP.  Thing is the live around Reform Jews who outnumber Orthodox Jews and if anything (yeah I'll mention it) make NE Philly more liberal.

2nd one, blue collar whites.  Mostly Catholic (or left)I know, mix of disenchanted secular Catholics (myself) vs. conservative adherent Catholics and everywhere in between.  Not as religious as rural/exurban areas, but more so than downtown areas.  The conservatism is more of a "law and order" type. 

3rd, police typically lean GOP, but not overwhelmingly and gun control is one issue they favor Dems on.

4th, not as big an issue as it once was.

[tpfkaw]

5. rich people, especially in "semi-suburban" parts (see Staten Island, Orange County).

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Orange County is completely suburban and not part of a major city at all. It has nothing to do with this conversation.

Staten Island technically does qualify but as I sort of implied in the OP, it's not really the type of place I'm referring to. I'm referring to actually urban places that are willing to vote Republican, not suburban ones that just happen to be in the city limits.

[Lunar]

What's the most densely populated, solidly Republican area?  Subjective as to what "densely" & "solidly" mean, naturally.

Re: "Orthodox Jewry"

Almost exactly one year ago, my first job I applied for when I moved to NYC was an unpaid position I declined for David Greenfield's campaign, and just last weekend, because I live now in the neighborhood next door, I took a nice stroll for the first time since through Borough Park, one of the hearts of Jewish Brooklyn [finally understanding what streets connect, as opposed to just having arrived a few days ago in a foreign city like last time].  The political leaders of Borough Park, Dov Hikind & David Greenfield, are Democrats.

[Lunar]

here's a classic article too, fwiw: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=72644

"Jewish Politics: 5 Reasons Why Paladino Lost The Orthodox Jewish Vote After Visiting Boro Park"

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

What's the most densely populated, solidly Republican area?  Subjective as to what "densely" & "solidly" mean, naturally.

The answer is probably Staten Island actually. I doubt there was a denser county in the country to vote for McCain. Those Russian-Italian neighborhoods in Brooklyn are probably denser though.

[Lunar]

What's the most densely populated, solidly Republican area?  Subjective as to what "densely" & "solidly" mean, naturally.

The answer is probably Staten Island actually. I doubt there was a denser county in the country to vote for McCain. Those Russian-Italian neighborhoods in Brooklyn are probably denser though.

When I posed that question, I was in neighborhood-mode, thinking of breaking things down much smaller than county.

I'm missing my NYC Obama-McCain map, what neighborhood would this be, anyway?  Sheepshead Bay? Brighton Beach? Bensonhurst?

Man, I gotta travel around more.  This Brooklyn area is bigger every time I encounter it.  You can walk 30 minutes in Manhattan and not really feel like you're in that different of a location, here, you do the same thing and you've traveled through enclaves going through something like Spanish, Chinese, Hasidic, Irish, and Chinese again.