Won’t You Be My Neighbor? No, Not You.

Fascinating piece in the new Economist about how some Americans are choosing the neighborhoods to which they’re moving — based on a little something called “political segregation.” Using Bill Bishop’s new book The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart as its jumping-off point, the piece says some are looking to move to places based not on how good the schools are or how close they are to work or downtown (ahem), but on how politically segregated they are — as in, are there too many or not enough “W” stickers affixed to folks’ rear bumpers. And, of course, there is a local mention, however rooted in cliché it might be:

Because Americans are so mobile, even a mild preference for living with like-minded neighbours leads over time to severe segregation. An accountant in Texas, for example, can live anywhere she wants, so the liberal ones move to the funky bits of Austin while the more conservative ones prefer the exurbs of Dallas.

And, we’re introduced to a new West Texas town: Paulville. As in: Ron Paul. –Robert Wilonsky