Well this has been one heck of a couple of years for the Republican Party. Never in my life time have I see anything like it — given that’s a relatively short lifetime, but who’s counting?
And now that we’re headed towards the next big election, we wanted to get a better sense of what parts of Virginia would be the most likely to back Donald Trump again.
Specifically, which cities have the highest number of conservative voters in the Old Dominion?
In order to do so, we turned our sites on measuring how each city in Virginia with populations greater than 5,000 voted and contributed to political campaigns in the past several years. The cities with the highest percentage of voters who voted republican and gave the most to conservatives where named the most conservative cities in the state.
If you’re wondering, Petersburg is the most liberal city in Virginia of all those we measured.
And to be clear, we didn’t form this list based on our own biases — we relied on the cold hard data. For more on how we ran the numbers, keep on reading. Then we’ll take a closer look at each of our top 10 most conservative cities in Virginia.
And if you already knew these places were conservative, check out some more reading about Virginia and the most conservative places in the country:
How we determined the most conservative cities in Virginia for 2019
We started by making a list of every city in Virginia over 5,000 people based on the 2013-2017 American Community Survey (The most recent data). That left us with 62 cities and towns.
We then measured the voting record and donation data to determine which places lean the most rightward in their allegiances by:
- Percentage Of Registered Republicans
- # Of Contributions To Republicans Per Capita
- $ Amount Contributed To Republicans Per Capita
Next, we ranked each city from 1 to 62 for each of the criteria where number one was the most conservative.
The winner, Richlands, is “The Most Conservative City in Virginia For 2019”.
Let’s go through these conservative places, shall we?
The 10 Most Conservative Places In Virginia For 2019
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Richlands is a town in Tazewell County, Virginia, United States. The population was 5,823 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bluefield, WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,578.
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Population: 5,058
Percent Republican: 81.7%
$ Republican Amount Per Capita: $5.8
# Republican Contributions Per Capita: 0.02
More on Bluefield: Data
Bluefield is a town in Tazewell County, Virginia, United States, located along the Bluestone River. The population was 5,444 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,342. The micropolitan area is the 350th largest statistical population area in the United States.
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Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. The population was 5,643 at the 2010 census.
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Marion is a town in Smyth County, Virginia, United States. The population was 6,033 according to a 2017 count- not estimate- using local resources, information and current data. It is the county seat. The town is named for American Revolutionary War officer Francis Marion.
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Wytheville is a town in, and the county seat of, Wythe County, Virginia, United States. It is named after George Wythe, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and mentor to Thomas Jefferson. Wytheville’s population was 8,211 at the 2010 census. Located at the intersection of Interstate Highways 77 and 81, the town has long been a crossroads for travelers. During the American Civil War, Wytheville had a strategic importance, and was attacked in 1863 and 1865. The town is also the birthplace of Edith Bolling Wilson, wife of President Woodrow Wilson.
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Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, United States, 133 miles southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,191 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washington County. The town encompasses several historically significant sites and features a fine arts and crafts scene centered on the galleries and museums along Main Street.
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Poquoson is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,150. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Poquoson with surrounding York County for statistical purposes.
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Bristol is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,835. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, just across the state line, which runs down the middle of its main street, State Street. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Bristol, Virginia, with neighboring Washington County, Virginia, for statistical purposes. Bristol is a principal city of the Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the “Tri-Cities” region.
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Bridgewater is an incorporated town in Rockingham County, Virginia, United States. The population was 5,644 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bridgewater is also home to Bridgewater College.
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Woodstock is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States. It has a population of 5,097 according to the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Shenandoah County.
Summing Up The Conservative Strongholds in Virginia
Well there you have it, the places in Virginia that have the highest number of conservatives per capita, with Richlands ranking as the least conservative in the entire state.
If you’re curious, here are the least conservative cities in Virginia:
- Petersburg
- Charlottesville
- Richmond
For more Virginia reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In Virginia
- These Are The 10 Best Counties To Live In Virginia
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Virginia
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Virginia
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In Virginia
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In Virginia
- 10 Safest Places In Virginia
- 10 Worst Cities In Virginia For 2017
