Why is there such a stark partisan divide between these two counties? Even with a massive swing this year, every precinct in Oconee voted Trump if Nytimes is to be believed. Meanwhile, all of Clarke County is Dem. Is the river a really stark dividing line?
Moreover, why exactly is Oconee so Republican? It's IIRC the most educated county in the country. The most obvious parallel, Chapel Hill, has swingy-to-Democratic 'suburbs'--see northern Orange county or Chatham. Is this just a matter of Athens being a less-lefty/more Southern place?
Oconee is far whiter. It's also not the most educated county in America. I think that's Arlington, VA.
