I always thought that red vs. blue was mostly of a function of what %age of the state lived in an urban environment.

Urban areas and coastal areas(the Northeast, Southern calif) have large cities that require a good amount of 'shared services' per person (sewer and water lines, trash collection, police and fire presence) just to function in a stable manner.

Rural areas do not require as many of the above services (per person?) to function in a stable manner.

Most of what people want is stability, and if you are a rural person - too many water lines or police officers threatens stability ("who is coming to town that needs a police cruiser parked at every intersection ?"). If you live in the city, too few fire trucks and sewer lines threatens that stability.

I dont disagree with the linked article. I'm sure that it is a combination of many different things.

-John

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