6 States Where Non-Wealthy Rural White People Actually Vote In Their Economic Interest
http://www.alternet.org/economy/6-states-where-non-wealthy-rural-white-people-actually-vote-their-economic-interest-instead
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1. Vermont
If any New England state stands out as the poster child for being rural, predominantly white and generally liberal/progressive, it is Vermont—which is every bit as rural as any state in the Deep South yet has very different politics from Mississippi, Louisiana or Alabama. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Vermont is the least populous state in New England—its largest city, Burlington, has a population of just over 42,000—and is roughly 95% white. Yet Vermont is where Sen. Bernie Sanders, who proudly describes himself as a “socialist” and makes no bones about his left-of-center politics, was reelected with 71% of the vote in 2012. Sanders, an independent, often votes with Democrats in the U.S. Senate, but his politics are closer to the Green Party and some of the left-wing parties of Western Europe. In polling conducted by Public Policy Polling (PPP) in 2011, Sanders had an approval rating of 67% among Vermont residents.
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2. Oregon
Republicans love to point out that Baltimore, Detroit, Camden, NJ and other cities run by Democrats have a lot of poverty, yet they fail to mention that some of the most upscale, hyper-gentrified places in the U.S.—from New York City to San Francisco to Seattle to Santa Monica, California—are also dominated by Democrats. Republicans are having a hard time with both the urban poor and urban college-educated professionals, which is why the GOP needs rural working-class whites so desperately. And when a state has as many rural white liberals as Oregon, it’s never good news for the GOP.
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3. Washington
Washington’s political and economic landscape is quite comparable to Oregon’s. Seattle epitomizes the ultra-gentrified side of Democratic America—the city is liberal, dominated by Democrats, full of college-educated tech workers and expensive as hell. But there’s much more to Washington State than Seattle, and while Washington has its conservative streak (the late Jim West, Spokane’s far-right Republican mayor from 2003-2005, was a rapid proponent of anti-gay legislation), there are many rural whites in Washington who lean liberal or at least centrist Democrat, especially in the western part of the state. And between Seattle on one hand and all the small towns and rural areas in western Washington that lean liberal, the state has become problematic for the GOP. Even when Democrat Michael Dukakis lost to Bush, Sr. in Vermont and California in 1988, he carried Washington State.
4. Minnesota
Political generalizations can be problematic because for every rule, there are major exceptions. Even though Minnesota is considered a generally liberal state, it is also where Republican wingnut and Tea Party favorite Michelle Bachmann has been serving in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2007. However, Minnesota also has a long tradition of rural liberalism, which some political commentators have attributed to its Scandinavian heritage. Minnesota was 85% white in 2010 (according to the U.S. Census Bureau), and apart from urban areas like Minneapolis/St. Paul and Duluth, it is sparsely populated. However, a Republican hasn’t carried Minnesota in a presidential race since Nixon’s landslide reelection in 1972 (even Ronald Reagan lost in Minnesota in 1980 and 1984), and Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader won 5% of the vote in Minnesota in 2000.
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we're probably in Houston until hubby retires, but that's at 65 with his firm so I've been researching places like Oregon and also Arizona or New Mexico. We should be retiring as the youngest child finishes college so we'll see where they end up as well. I just want relatively warm, coastal, and would love a more progressive area - considering Mexico as well. 
it would be amazing to have a garden!
I don't do well in desert climates, so I mostly like the weather (although there are weeks when you think you'll never see the sun again in your life). East of the Cascades you get a variety of climates. If you don't mind snowy winters you could check out the Bend area in central Oregon -- it is GORGEOUS and quite sunny for much of the year. The scenery is incredibly varied (snowy peaks, forests, high scrubby desert, volcanic black rock, ginormous rivers, several alpine lakes) and the recreational opportunities are great. Bend is a pretty cute town. If you could deal with being a bit isolated form a major metropolitan area it might be a good fit.
