America’s urban-rural split grows ahead of Election Day

Global Business

The upcoming U.S. presidential election will be decided by voters with very different sets of priorities and values. And more than ever, some analysts said, geography, where people live, will be a predictor of who they vote for.

CCTV America’s Hendrik Sybrandy looks at America’s urban-rural divide from Colorado.

Boulder, Colorado has long prided itself on its liberalism, its progressive ideas. Its residents vote Democratic as reliably as the sun shines here, which is often.

Also, Boulder is a home to the University of Colorado, has always strongly leaned Democratic. But travel a little bit outside of the city, you’ll find a different landscape and a very different state of mind.

Seth Masket of the University of Denver said people living in U.S. cities are increasingly voting Democratic while those in rural areas tilt Republican.

“More and more the type of lifestyle we want, whether it’s the type of food you want to eat or the type of commute we want to have to work or the places we want to work and live correlate much more heavily with how we vote than they used to,” he said.

Bumperstickers

Bumperstickers at a GOP campaign headquarters in Boulder, CO.

Urban and rural areas have also fared differently economically. In 2010, according to one study, Boulder had six times more high-tech start-ups per capita than the nation’s average. Meantime, much of rural America has struggled. Some say that’s accelerated the divide.

They’re looking at the election through very different lenses. America has always had differences of opinion. This year, a lot may depend on where you live.