# What do you guys know or think about Texas?



## Dallaz (Aug 6, 2011)

I've always wanted to know what foreigners thought about Texas? I'm going to list the things that's not true about Texas at all. 

Texas doesn't have cowboys
Everyone doesn't have pickup trucks
Everyone doesn't have a country accent
We don't ride horses to work
Texas isn't full of oil


----------



## yubnub (May 3, 2010)

Dallaz said:


> I've always wanted to know what foreigners thought about Texas? I'm going to list the things that's not true about Texas at all.
> 
> Texas doesn't have cowboys
> Everyone doesn't have pickup trucks
> ...


hehe you just ruined all my ideas of what Texas is like. 

As for Dallas the only thing I really know about it is the intro to the TV show "Dallas" that shows lots of shiny skyscrapers. Oh and I know it has a very magnificent statehouse. Personally I would like to visit the city one day


----------



## Dallaz (Aug 6, 2011)

yubnub said:


> hehe you just ruined all my ideas of what Texas is like.
> 
> As for Dallas the only thing I really know about it is the intro to the TV show "Dallas" that shows lots of shiny skyscrapers. Oh and I know it has a very magnificent statehouse. Personally I would like to visit the city one day


Ha ha ha ha......I've never liked the show Dallas. If you ever come to Dallas do not wear cowboy boots or a cowboy hat because you will be the only one wearing it. :lol:

They are remaking the show, here's the promo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d220ZdzdFTQ


----------



## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

Texas is just too big of a state to have a unified opinion, it's like it's own country (literally, it's bigger than several countries). Austin, Houston, and Dallas seem like up and coming cities, wouldn't mind living down there one day. Nice skylines and relatively low cost of living from what I see on the net but I've never been there personally.


----------



## mhays (Sep 12, 2002)

Large cities that are shiny but mostly suburban and not cohesive, with extremely low transit, walking, and bike usage. 

More culture, variety, and flavor that I used to think. Pockets of urban density though universally too much parking. 

Horrifically wide freeways with a new form of hell called the "frontage road." 

Goverment by batshit crazy people, even if the other 45% is embarrased. 

Boastful, whether merited or not. 

Populated by people who are sometimes embarassing to be around when in another country.


----------



## Dallaz (Aug 6, 2011)

mhays said:


> Large cities that are shiny but mostly suburban and not cohesive, with extremely low transit, walking, and bike usage.
> 
> More culture, variety, and flavor that I used to think. Pockets of urban density though universally too much parking.
> 
> ...


Dallas has a very decent public transit system. We have over 70 miles of light rail track and it's growing. By 2014 the system will have over 80 miles of track. There's also trolleys located in the Uptown area of Dallas.


----------



## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

mhays said:


> Horrifically wide freeways with a new form of hell called the "frontage road."


To be fair, this isn't only a Texas phenomenon. NYC has lots of frontage roads on it's highways and parkways even. 

But the difference is that they aren't as commercial and have trees separating them from the main highway.


----------



## Dallaz (Aug 6, 2011)

*Uptown and Downtown Dallas*



















*Uptown Dallas*










*Dallas from the City of Fort Worth*



















*From the Belmont Hotel in Oak Cliff (Dallas)*


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

mhays said:


> Large cities that are shiny but mostly suburban and not cohesive, with extremely low transit, walking, and bike usage.
> 
> More culture, variety, and flavor that I used to think. Pockets of urban density though universally too much parking.
> 
> ...


As much as I hate to say it, you pretty much nailed it.


----------



## Dimethyltryptamine (Aug 22, 2009)

Conservative/Republican, 'everything is bigger in Texas' attitude. That's about it.


----------



## Dallaz (Aug 6, 2011)

Dimethyltryptamine said:


> Conservative/Republican, 'everything is bigger in Texas' attitude. That's about it.


Yea, that's true but the major cites like Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio are actually Democrat and not really conservative.


----------



## FAAN (Jun 24, 2011)

Rural life, cowboys, trucks, but also big cities, heat, deserts. I think one of the most beautiful states.


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Dallaz said:


> Yea, that's true but the major cites like Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio are actually Democrat and not really conservative.


I would include Austin on that list as well, and Houston is the largest city in the US to elect a GLBT mayor.

But the rural areas (and the suburbs to a lesser extent) are still pretty conservative.



FAAN said:


> Rural life, cowboys, trucks, but also big cities, heat, deserts. I think one of the most beautiful states.


Deserts only compromise 10% of the total land area. Most of Texas is either grassland, wetlands, or forested.


----------



## Dallaz (Aug 6, 2011)

FAAN said:


> Rural life, cowboys, trucks, but also big cities, heat, deserts. I think one of the most beautiful states.


Texas does not have cowboys. You will only see deserts in West Texas. I didn't know Texas had deserts until the 5th grade because Dallas is green so I thought the whole state was the same way. I also don't own a truck.


----------



## Dallaz (Aug 6, 2011)

diablo234 said:


> I would include Austin on that list as well, and Houston is the largest city in the US to elect a GLBT mayor.
> 
> But the rural areas (and the suburbs to a lesser extent) are still pretty conservative.
> 
> ...


Dallas County also has a gay sheriff.


----------



## Sean in New Orleans (Apr 7, 2005)

Texans are very boastful about "Texas," and for some reason they feel the need inside of themselves to be boastful. It's kinda weird. But, it's OK in my book. They don't know how to boil crawfish, I can tell you that much.


----------



## Dallaz (Aug 6, 2011)

Sean in New Orleans said:


> Texans are very boastful about "Texas," and for some reason they feel the need inside of themselves to be boastful. It's kinda weird. But, it's OK in my book. They don't know how to boil crawfish, I can tell you that much.


I've never had Crawfish, people in Texas don't eat stuff like that. That should stay in the water not your mouth. :lol: I bet New Orleanians don't know how to fry a steak.


----------



## FAAN (Jun 24, 2011)

Dallaz said:


> Texas does not have cowboys. You will only see deserts in West Texas. I didn't know Texas had deserts until the 5th grade because Dallas is green so I thought the whole state was the same way. I also don't own a truck.



Okay. But I said what I was asked what I posted is what first comes to mind when I think of the U.S. state of Texas. Thank you for changing my view of this beautiful state. :cheers:


----------



## Dallaz (Aug 6, 2011)

FAAN said:


> Okay. But I said what I was asked what I posted is what first comes to mind when I think of the U.S. state of Texas. Thank you for changing my view of this beautiful state. :cheers:


Look at this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLIyeDBho_0


----------



## messicano (Sep 27, 2010)

I love texas,is full of mexicans and have cowboys,ugly beaches,oil,cows,high skycrapers in the cities,etc


----------



## Dallaz (Aug 6, 2011)

the spliff fairy said:


> Texas Chainsaw massacre (new version) made me wish to never, ever go cross country there


That was fake, it never happened.


----------



## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Dallaz said:


> That was fake, it never happened.


What? Really? You mean it wasn't a true story? :laugh:


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Dallaz said:


> I've never had Crawfish, people in Texas don't eat stuff like that. That should stay in the water not your mouth. :lol: I bet New Orleanians don't know how to fry a steak.


Wrong, plenty of people in Texas eat crawfish too, although it is not as popular as in Louisiana.




Dallaz said:


> That was fake, it never happened.


Actually it did happen ...... in Wisconsin. 










*Edward Theodore "Ed" Gein*


----------



## corredor06 (Oct 13, 2008)

I visited San Antonio like four year ago and i really liked the downtown area very lively with shops,restaurants,activities and the beautiful river walk.


----------



## Dallaz (Aug 6, 2011)

diablo234 said:


> Wrong, plenty of people in Texas eat crawfish too, although it is not as popular as in Louisiana.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I know people eat crayfish in Texas. I was trying to be funny.


----------



## Dallaz (Aug 6, 2011)




----------



## YagoHoffman (Mar 19, 2010)

Deserts, cowboys, fundamentalist Christians, Republicans, conservative, Burger, old people, heat, fat people ... and The A List: Dallas in channel Logo tv


----------



## NotTarts (Jan 24, 2012)

Texas looks very flat hno:


----------



## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

republicans, conservative christians. My boyfriend who is in Dallas for work was out at the gay bars last night and said there were big groups of people praying and yelling about how being gay is a sin massing outside of the gay bars. He said he sat in front of the bar and screamed back at them all telling them they were pathetic.

You would NEVER see that in Chicago. He was shocked.


----------



## apinamies (Sep 1, 2010)

This is what Texas is:


Highway City by caribb, on Flickr


houston-highway-interchange-from-the-air by dandeluca, on Flickr


Highways by Bob Jagendorf, on Flickr


----------



## YagoHoffman (Mar 19, 2010)

Chicagoago said:


> republicans, conservative christians. My boyfriend who is in Dallas for work was out at the gay bars last night and said there were big groups of people praying and yelling about how being gay is a sin massing outside of the gay bars. He said he sat in front of the bar and screamed back at them all telling them they were pathetic.
> 
> You would NEVER see that in Chicago. He was shocked.


it does not happen even in the most conservative city in Brazil:bash:hno:


----------



## NotTarts (Jan 24, 2012)

Is 8-10 lanes the norm for Texas motorways? I don't see why you'd need so many, as the roads don't look that crowded at all.


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Chicagoago said:


> republicans, conservative christians. My boyfriend who is in Dallas for work was out at the gay bars last night and said there were big groups of people praying and yelling about how being gay is a sin massing outside of the gay bars. He said he sat in front of the bar and screamed back at them all telling them they were pathetic.
> 
> You would NEVER see that in Chicago. He was shocked.


Sorry he experienced that, but keep in mind stuff like that is extremely rare here besides the vast majority of people here have enough tolerance of GLBT individuals to elect a gay mayor and sheriff in Houston and Dallas (not to mention a local celebrity in Austin who is known for being a cross dressing vagrant). Anyways you can run into homophobic nutjobs anywhere, not just Texas.


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

NotTarts said:


> Is 8-10 lanes the norm for Texas motorways? I don't see why you'd need so many, as the roads don't look that crowded at all.


That's probably because those photos were *NOT* taken during rush hour.


----------



## yubnub (May 3, 2010)

reminds me of sim city


----------



## Cloud92 (Jul 26, 2011)

I don't know about the rest, but this is my Texas


----------



## isakres (May 13, 2009)

Well Texas is almost like my weekend and vacation home so Im very familiar with it.

Its a huge state and trying to find one single adjective to describe it could be a bit stupid.


----------



## NorthWesternGuy (Aug 25, 2005)

^^American.


----------



## provinciano (Mar 9, 2008)




----------



## Dallaz (Aug 6, 2011)

NotTarts said:


> Texas looks very flat hno:


Texas isn't flat at all. Texas has mountains, hills, beaches, swamps, wetlands, prairies, canyons, and more. Dallas is located on the prairie area of Texas. That's why it looks flat.


----------



## Dallaz (Aug 6, 2011)

NotTarts said:


> Is 8-10 lanes the norm for Texas motorways? I don't see why you'd need so many, as the roads don't look that crowded at all.


You will only see freeways that big in the Urban Areas. In the rural areas there's about 2-4 lane freeways. The widest freeway in Dallas is 8 lanes. That's small compared to most major cities in America.

During rush hour traffic, is very heavy on the freeways in Dallas. That's why the state is planning to expand the freeways. A lot of the freeways were built when President Eisenhower started the Interstate system in the 50s. A lot of our freeways needs to be expanded.


----------



## BringMe (May 7, 2011)

guns,conservative/republican,suburbs,big modern cities,highways, George W. Bush


----------



## henrique42 (Dec 5, 2011)

dust, ugly narrow minded people, jesus


----------



## Chrissib (Feb 9, 2008)

Traditional, yet modern, very proud. The American Bavaria!


----------



## aaabbbccc (Mar 8, 2009)

Texas has 2 types of people that I noticed 
Very friendly or very ignorant , nothing in between 
Texas is extremely rich and also extremely poor , very little middle class 
Nature is beautiful 
Texas in some parts are very unique 
A lot of history , but yet ultra modern 
Some of the most well educated people in Texas but also some of the stupidest people too 
Everything just feel large , the urban areas have a nice unique vibes , but too many suburbs and so much sprawl 
Guns , everyone seems to have them , a big gun culture 
I was surprised I did not see a single cowboy there 
You will always discover and learn something new every time you go back 
Si , Texas es una communidad hispana tambien , mas de 60 % vienen de Mexico , y bienvenido a Mexicotexas


----------



## Bannor (Jul 23, 2011)

Guns, immigration fence, oil companies (more than oil itself), emergency phoneline from outer space, guns, cattle, border patrol, guns.

That sums it up for me.


----------



## sweet-d (Jul 20, 2010)

Chicagoago said:


> republicans, conservative christians. My boyfriend who is in Dallas for work was out at the gay bars last night and said there were big groups of people praying and yelling about how being gay is a sin massing outside of the gay bars. He said he sat in front of the bar and screamed back at them all telling them they were pathetic.
> 
> You would NEVER see that in Chicago. He was shocked.


freedom of speech? but yeah i've never seen any thing like that.


----------



## KyleinOKC (Feb 19, 2012)

I don't think much of it


----------



## KyleinOKC (Feb 19, 2012)

Dallaz said:


> Texas is nothing like Oklahoma.


Thank God!!


----------



## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

Chicagoago said:


> republicans, conservative christians. My boyfriend who is in Dallas for work was out at the gay bars last night and said there were big groups of people praying and yelling about how being gay is a sin massing outside of the gay bars. He said he sat in front of the bar and screamed back at them all telling them they were pathetic.
> .


Assuming things happened as described, what about the freedom of speech of people who were there praying or preaching or expressing their opinions about something? 

Not that I think that is a good tactic or of any respectable taste, but freedom of speech should be almost absolute in that respect.


----------



## lawine (Jul 24, 2006)

General stereotypes about texas you might hear around here (no comment on the accuracy of them);


It's big and empty
It's got a lot of desert-like terrain with some old oil wells
Isn't that where they filmed some old soap they used to broadcast on tv when nothing better was on back when old people were young?
It's full of ********.
It's full of cowboys (same thing right?)
It's full of people who think cowboys are fashionable.
It's full of racists.
It's full of religious people.
Texas? What's that?
Sounds like an island in the north-sea.
Wasn't the asteroid in armageddon described as being texas sized?
Aren't those the guys that the rest of the US pretends not to know when they're abroad?
It's a name they put on locally produced 'american' food packaging to make it seem more 'authentic'.

I don't think that beyond these stereotypes, most people here think all that much of Texas.


----------



## Enzo (May 3, 2008)

Hi "y'all" ...

I've been there twice and liked it, specially Austin, it's beautiful. 
They have big freeways, serve really good big steaks at the diners. Most of the people are friendly, though they ask what church you attend. Texans are Not nearly as bad as some think. There's a lot of misconceptions about the state. It has its pros and cons just like any other place on the planet.


----------



## Somnifor (Sep 6, 2005)

I spent a week in Irving once. It was horrible. It was like a compilation of all the worst parts of American culture without any of the good ones.

I am sure there are nice parts of Texas but I didn't get to see them.


----------



## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

I think Texas is also a relatively diverse place because it is big. El PAso - Port Arthur is 1350km by road. Brownsville to Amarillo 1280km...

So I'm sure Texas Panhandle is very different from El Paso and from the coast .


----------



## messicano (Sep 27, 2010)

houston have great freeways


----------



## hc_ge (Oct 30, 2011)

Texas Instrument


----------



## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

Buddy Holly! Also Sonny Curtis, and the Bobby Fuller Four. And the Rich Texan out of the Simpsons.


----------



## eklips (Mar 29, 2005)

In the US, although I have been in neighboring states, I have never actually set foot in Texas. Although it is not a region I think about every day, on the top of my head, drawing from stereotypes, reads, movies, discussions, etc. (including a transit at the Houston airport ) here are a list of things I associate with Texas:

- It is like an exagerated version of the US. Texas and texans are to the US what the US and it's people are to the world.

- A very heterogenous place, lots of inequalities. Home to some very rich oil families and at the same time has some very impoverished rural and inner city areas, both white (symbolised by the "trailer trash", "*******" classist stereotypes), black and mexican (including rural undocumented workers). 

- Conservative stronghold, especially amongst blue collar white people who do not benefit from conservative policies. However I have also heard that this was not true at all in some of the big cities, mainly Austin.

- Contrasted racial situation. Houston is being presented as some sort of "post-racial America" mecca, at the same time, when I think of Texas I think of minutemen militias rounding up (or worst) mexican and central American migrants.

- Annoying accent, although I'd probably get used to it quickly if I ever stayed there for a while. 

- Annoying flip-flop wearing blonde girls walking in groups, although this can be generalized to the US as a whole.

- Dirty south and country music.

- Austin hipsters with complexes who wish Texas was more like California 

- A very auto-centric lifestyle. Green and clean cities, big houses, strip malls, SUVs, glass skyscrapers, empty streets..... the usual stuff talked about on SSC.

- Lots of nature, it's the size of France but with less than half of it's population, it can get quite hot and humid in summer.


That's it for now. This is a list of stereotypes and vague impressions of course, nothing to be taken too seriously.


----------



## TVN (Apr 26, 2008)

Down towns with to many parkinglots and without soul.
Give me older cities in the north please...:cheers:


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Since many of you brought up race demographics I figured I should post the 2010 census results.



> *Racial groups and ethnic origins*
> 
> According to the 2010 United States census, the racial and ethnic composition of Texas was the following:
> White: 70.4% (Non-Hispanic Whites: 45.3%)
> ...


This means that Texas is one of the four Minority-Majority states (alongside California, New Mexico, and Hawaii) where no group holds a majority.

Texas also has one of the largest immigrant populations in the US with 17.73% of Dallas-Fort Worth's population, 21.39% of Houston's population, and 14.63% of Austin's population who were born outside the country.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2010/07/27/20-u-s-cities-with-the-most-immigrants.html#slide18

And here is the 2008 electorial map for any of you that are interested.










As you can see on the map nearly all of the major cities (except for Fort Worth) as well as South Texas favored Obama over McCain.


----------



## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

I've only been to Texas for a few days but I quite liked it as a place to visit, not sure it would be top of my list for places to live but that's different..

There were some nice looking houses and quiet beach communities along the coast between the Louisiana border and Galveston, though beach gave me a massive facial rash when I slept on it that lasted a couple of days, this has never been satisfactorily explained... 

Galveston itself looked pretty nice though didn't stop long, cool pelicans.

Houston looked very shiny from the freeway ringroad but didn't stop there.

Stopped for amazing bbq somewhere between Houston and Austin. :drool:

Austin was quite cool, nice little nightlife district, big fruit bat colony that came out at dusk, suburbs looked pretty comfortable.

San Antonio had a nice riverfront and the Alamo was a nice historic monument to see, you don't find many things of that nature in this region of the US, most things are newly built and seem quite functional without much backstory or deep sense of place.

Then heading west the scenery started to become more spectacular in a barren and rocky sort of way, very different to what I'm used to at home.

Fried chicken in Del Rio was dirt cheap and greasy as hell :laugh:

50 miles west of Del Rio I slammed into a deer at 50mph, didn't see it as oncoming truck lights meant I couldn't see it. Stench of deer guts and crap pervades car for next hour. That was pretty unlucky as I'm noticing by now that you can drive along the highway for 15-20 minutes at a time between meeting oncoming vehicles. That would be unheard of on even the quietest UK roads where 15-20 seconds between cars indicates a quiet stretch.

Turn off towards Big Bend NP, the wildlife on the roadside starts to get freaky, big rabbits with enormous ears, armadillos etc. Reach campsite in NP, very remote and rocky now, a gang of strange squealing wild pigs called Javelinas try to invade tent during the night, chase them off with sticks.

Next day exit Big Bend NP along Mexican border, walk round ghost town abandoned in 19th century, drive down extremely remote and quiet road (but in great condition, very nice to drive) to town of Presidio. Seems almost entirely Hispanic, very poor, dusty, many houses little more than shacks. Head back up towards I10[?], get stopped by a 'border' checkpoint some 40 miles from the border checking the trunk etc for illegal immigrants and narcotics.

A looooong, boring drive along the interstate to El Paso, which seemed a pretty nondescript, mid sized border city but had the cheapest Chinese buffet I found in the US (3$). Crossed into Mexico for a walk around Juarez, came back and was quizzed for 2-3 hours by US border guards. 

Exit Texas into NM.....

Like Eklips said, the state seems to be an exaggeration of many things that foreigners think of as 'typically American', it can take 5 minutes or more to walk just a couple of city blocks from one building to another as streets and sidewalks are often so wide that it feels like swimming across the Amazon to get anywhere on foot, even small towns are really spread out...

Food seemed to be mostly meat, meat, meat in ridiculous portions, very nicely cooked and delicious. But variety seemed a bit limited to Tex-Mex staples and hunks of grilled/fried muscle in many places and I can see how it would take extreme self-restraint not to become morbidly obese! :laugh:


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Wow, sounds like you really did some exploring.

Did you get a chance to check out New Orleans?


----------



## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

^^ Yes, spent a couple of nights in NO before heading into Texas, great place!

We basically drove from NYC south to NO, took a right to San Francisco then a left to LA.


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Jonesy55 said:


> ^^ Yes, spent a couple of nights in NO before heading into Texas, great place!
> 
> We basically drove from NYC south to NO, took a right to San Francisco then a left to LA.


Sounds like you had a fun trip. :cheers:

Honestly though if I were doing that exact drive I probably would have stopped in Fredericksburg and/or Marfa instead of Del Rio (not that I have been there personally, but I have been in enough border towns to realize that most suck).


----------



## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

eklips said:


> black and mexican(including rural _undocumented workers_) illegal aliens.
> 
> when I think of Texas I think of minutemen militias rounding up (or worst) mexican and central American *illegal criminal border trespassers* (i)migrants.


Corrected for a better description. Merely patrolling the countryside to increase chances of getting caught is a good service to the country. If they assault the trespasser, they are punished according to the law, and that is a rare event. Anyway: they reinforced border patrols there in TX, particularly around major cities (like Brownsville), so now majority of criminal trespassing of illegal immigrants into US happen on far more (naturally) dangerous areas with deserts or salty plain in NM and AZ.

I refuse to call illegal aliens "undocumented workers" like I refuse to call shoplifters and store thieves "shoppers without proof of payment". The term you chose out of PC ignores the major problem: their mere illegal presence (not like the went working and forgot passports or green cards at home lol).


----------



## eklips (Mar 29, 2005)

^^ Frankly suburbanist, I don't care how you wish them to be called and I also don't care much about what you consider to be "good" or "bad". Last but not least, I don't care either about your usual justifications of inequality/domination/exploitation/etc. I'm well past my phase on SSC where I'd loose my time in arguments quote after quotes and all over again.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but if the way I see things and describe them annoys you be sure that the reverse is also true . The only difference being that I wouldn't be bothered anymore of saying how completely crazy are some opinions around here, your's included.

No need to bother, really.


----------



## sweet-d (Jul 20, 2010)

Suburbanist said:


> Corrected for a better description. Merely patrolling the countryside to increase chances of getting caught is a good service to the country. If they assault the trespasser, they are punished according to the law, and that is a rare event. Anyway: they reinforced border patrols there in TX, particularly around major cities (like Brownsville), so now majority of criminal trespassing of illegal immigrants into US happen on far more (naturally) dangerous areas with deserts or salty plain in NM and AZ.
> 
> I refuse to call illegal aliens "undocumented workers" like I refuse to call shoplifters and store thieves "shoppers without proof of payment". The term you chose out of PC ignores the major problem: their mere illegal presence (not like the went working and forgot passports or green cards at home lol).


Your probaly the biggest troll on this site but I think he was talking about france and not texas.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ls-deported-33-000-people-just-12-months.html


----------



## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

^^ Geez, exploitation. Who cares frankly about it? Sounds like a 1974 textbook.

=============================

I have a question: how weak or strong are links of the Texas Panhandle and El Paso with the major Texas metros? They are quite far apart, and closer to bigger towns in other states. Particularly El Paso, that is quite isolated otherwise.


----------



## Manitopiaaa (Mar 6, 2006)

sweet-d said:


> Your probaly the biggest troll on this site but I think he was talking about france and not texas.


:lol:


----------



## Manitopiaaa (Mar 6, 2006)

Suburbanist said:


> ^^ Geez, exploitation. Who cares frankly about it? Sounds like a 1974 textbook.
> 
> =============================
> 
> I have a question: how weak or strong are links of the Texas Panhandle and El Paso with the major Texas metros? They are quite far apart, and closer to bigger towns in other states. Particularly El Paso, that is quite isolated otherwise.


The Panhandle and El Paso are both pretty unconnected to the major metros. Amarillo is the major Panhandle hub but for bigger services you could argue that Oklahoma City has more influence than Fort Worth or Dallas. Then again the Panhandle has like 2% of Texas's population so it's pretty minor. I wouldn't go there to save my life. While Lubbock isn't technically in the Panhandle, I went there for an OSU game and couldn't wait to leave. The area is boring and the people are just hno: Dallas and Fort Worth are much better representations of Texas. El Paso is probably more closely linked to New Mexico and Chihuahua State than to the other parts of Texas. I have friends there and the city is literally like a forgotten corner. It's doing very well right now. The population is booming and the economy is doing well. Crime is also still ridiculously low despite being across the river from Juarez. All in all, both areas (Panhandle/El Paso) are worlds away from the rest of Texas. South Texas can also be seen as far way from 'real Texas' in both cultural and geographical terms. South Texas does have more gravitational pull from San Antonio though (not much though). Corpus Christi has some small pull as well. With Hidalgo County growing in population (the area is upwards of 1.1 million), extreme Southern Texas looks to pull off from San Antonio's influence and become another El Paso or Panhandle.

Here's the CommonCensus map of influence:


----------



## eklips (Mar 29, 2005)

sweet-d said:


> Your probaly the biggest troll on this site but I think he was talking about france and not texas.
> 
> 
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ls-deported-33-000-people-just-12-months.html


There are no private militias akin to the minutemen in France, however you are right that the way the french government treats immigrants is hardly better.


----------



## Enzo (May 3, 2008)

eklips said:


> ^^ Frankly suburbanist, I don't care how you wish them to be called and I also don't care much about what you consider to be "good" or "bad". Last but not least, I don't care either about your usual justifications of inequality/domination/exploitation/etc. I'm well past my phase on SSC where I'd loose my time in arguments quote after quotes and all over again.
> 
> Sorry to burst your bubble, but if the way I see things and describe them annoys you be sure that the reverse is also true . The only difference being that I wouldn't be bothered anymore of saying how completely crazy are some opinions around here, your's included.
> 
> No need to bother, really.


----------



## seattle92 (Dec 25, 2008)

Sorry Dallaz, but i don't think that in Portugal (probably in whole Europe) we go beyond the stereotypes regarding Texas. 

So here it goes:

Guns, cowboys, death row, everything big, ********, conservatives, Bush, oil, fat people,...

The good part:
Meat and girls


----------



## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

Suburbanist said:


> Assuming things happened as described, what about the freedom of speech of people who were there praying or preaching or expressing their opinions about something?
> 
> Not that I think that is a good tactic or of any respectable taste, but freedom of speech should be almost absolute in that respect.


He said it was a non-threatening group of really fat people with signs who were wasting their entire Saturday night being angry and yelling at gay people who were just going about their lives.

Freedom of speech is one thing, but it's pathetic to have these groups (thank god nowhere near the majority) who find it necessary to devote themselves to harassing innocent people who are doing no wrong and just trying to actually _live_ their lives.

It's a little surprising to be walking down the street to grab dinner and drinks with a friend after a long day of work and then have a group of random strangers basically tell you that you're not a worthy human being, you're going to hell and you should be ashamed of yourself.

My BF looked around at the locals and most of them just rolled their eyes and said "welcome to Texas!"

If you want to be a loser who fusses about everyone except yourself fine - but at least do it in an empty field or in your living room. I wish people would understand that when you do "protests" like these - NO ONE.....NO ONE actually listens to anything you're saying or changes their actions/viewpoints. The only thing you do is make people be offended at your cause and think you're an extremely pathetic persno who can't actually support a life of your own, so you go be a mindless lemming to someone else and pretend that your life means something.


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Chicagoago said:


> He said it was a non-threatening group of really fat people with signs who were wasting their entire Saturday night being angry and yelling at gay people who were just going about their lives.
> 
> Freedom of speech is one thing, but it's pathetic to have these groups (thank god nowhere near the majority) who find it necessary to devote themselves to harassing innocent people who are doing no wrong and just trying to actually _live_ their lives.
> 
> ...


Once again a group of a few idiot bigots do not define the majority of people. Even in San Francisco there have been a few attacks on gay people.

By the way I think you would find this article to be interesting.

*TIME Magazine: The Lavender Heart of Texas*


----------



## Nikom (Sep 24, 2005)

Before my visit to Texas, my thoughts were about cowboys, oil, highways to everywhere, desert, conservative people and Bush :lol:
But, after being three days in Houston, my opinion changed a bit. I found lots of vegetation (and not those Saguaro Cactus :nuts very interesting people (for reasons of work, I spent much time in the Texas Medical Center), and they all were extremely friendly and welcoming and also open minded. I stayed at the Houston Marriott near de Medical Center, but I used the light rail several times to go Downtown and it was a little surprise to me, I was expecting to find a dead city, however, I found a vibrant and growing city, with lots of people on the streets and parks enjoying a nice week of sun. I had a great time :yes:

In the next fall, I'll return, with my girlfriend (and not with boring coworkers ), and we're going to visit a lot more, Dallas, San Antonio, the Alamo, etc.. :cheers:


----------



## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

I guess Houston is particularly humid, so it's bound to have some vegetation at least.


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Nikom said:


> Before my visit to Texas, my thoughts were about cowboys, oil, highways to everywhere, desert, conservative people and Bush :lol:
> But, after being three days in Houston, my opinion changed a bit. I found lots of vegetation (and not those Saguaro Cactus :nuts very interesting people (for reasons of work, I spent much time in the Texas Medical Center), and they all were extremely friendly and welcoming and also open minded. I stayed at the Houston Marriott near de Medical Center, but I used the light rail several times to go Downtown and it was a little surprise to me, I was expecting to find a dead city, however, I found a vibrant and growing city, with lots of people on the streets and parks enjoying a nice week of sun. I had a great time :yes:
> 
> In the next fall, I'll return, with my girlfriend (and not with boring coworkers ), and we're going to visit a lot more, Dallas, San Antonio, the Alamo, etc.. :cheers:


Glad you enjoyed your visit. :cheers:


----------



## musiccity (Jan 5, 2011)

Jonesy55 said:


> a gang of strange squealing wild pigs called Javelinas try to invade tent during the night, chase them off with sticks.


Sounds like a typical night in Texas.. LOL :jk: Peccaries are so ugly! Saw some while I was in Texas. Fun fact, they're actually not in the pig family, they just resemble pigs.

Anyways, I actually love Texas, about 1/8 of my family lives in the state. (The rest live in Alabama and Arkansas hno

I love steakhouses and the wide open spaces of Texas, the cities are also cool but it's the atmosphere of Texas that I love the most! :yes:


----------



## gabrielbabb (Aug 11, 2006)

The closest state to go at just 12 hours from Mexico City by car to buy cheaper electronic stuff and cars than in Mexico, extreme tempreatures (sometimes too hot sometimes cold). Cowboys. Anyone you talk to knows spanish. Is almost one more state of Mexico because of the quantity of mexicans, houses are enormous. Nice Skylines. Nellie is a very common name.


----------



## apinamies (Sep 1, 2010)

Little bit more of Texas:


Houston suburbs by Nelson Minar, on Flickr


Houston, nice suburbs and lake by Hotu Matua, on Flickr


Aerial, Dallas suburbs by La Citta Vita, on Flickr


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Some of you may or may not already know about this, but did you know that one of the world's largest music festivals takes place in Austin?

South by Southwest this year has more than 2,000 performers including 800 international bands, playing in more than 90 venues, in addition to featuring films and other interactive media.






If you want to see which bands are playing at SXSW this year just click here.


----------



## purenyork123 (May 22, 2009)

my family lives in Houston, Texas, but I prefer to live in the city because New York is amazing. However, texas has a wrong stereotype being a racist or close minded city. The southerners are very nice and actually very curious about our religion or origin since my dad has a business there. I like it. But yes, they do despise obama and one guy said "cant believe we have a black man as a president!" Shocked.


----------



## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

diablo234 said:


> Some of you may or may not already know about this, but did you know that one of the world's largest music festivals takes place in Austin?
> 
> South by Southwest this year has more than 2,000 performers including 800 international bands, playing in more than 90 venues, in addition to featuring films and other interactive media.
> 
> ...


SXSW is pretty well known here, it gets live coverage on some of the better radio stations.


----------



## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

Yes, South by Southwest is quite well known across the pond...


----------



## YagoHoffman (Mar 19, 2010)

eklips said:


> ^^ Frankly suburbanist, I don't care how you wish them to be called and I also don't care much about what you consider to be "good" or "bad". Last but not least, I don't care either about your usual justifications of inequality/domination/exploitation/etc. I'm well past my phase on SSC where I'd loose my time in arguments quote after quotes and all over again.
> 
> Sorry to burst your bubble, but if the way I see things and describe them annoys you be sure that the reverse is also true . The only difference being that I wouldn't be bothered anymore of saying how completely crazy are some opinions around here, your's included.
> 
> No need to bother, really.


----------



## eklips (Mar 29, 2005)

^^ ?


----------



## bayviews (Mar 3, 2006)

sweet-d said:


> Like a bigger version of Oklahoma except it doesn't get as cold in the winter as OK. Also "Houston we have a problem."



Texas is like Oklahoma plus Louisiana, Arizona, & New Mexico!


----------



## Kensingtonian (Nov 8, 2008)

I picture really abrasive people, some of whom are carrying guns.

I've heard Austin's cool tho


----------



## musiccity (Jan 5, 2011)

Abrasive? Definitely not. Texans are much friendlier than folks across the pond.

Gun carrying? Yes. haha


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

I already posted this article in the American Demographics thread but I thought I might as well post it here too.



> *Houston region is now the most diverse in the U.S.*
> By Jeannie Kever
> Updated 10:52 a.m., Monday, March 5, 2012
> http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-region-is-now-the-most-diverse-in-the-U-S-3382354.php
> ...


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Alberta, but with bigger hair and more church.


----------



## musiccity (Jan 5, 2011)

And warmer


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

With more Mexicans as well.


----------



## OtAkAw (Aug 5, 2004)

My ultra-narrow-minded Perception of Texas thanks to Pop Culture

- Everyone has a gun (Miss Congeniality)
- Everyone is fat (Morgan Spurlock, SuperSize Me)
- Everyone eats beans, chili and other quasi-Mexican food
- Everyone speaks like this:






- and everyone's a cowboy


----------



## krkseg1ops (Mar 19, 2009)

Texas:
Pros:
friendly people with shotguns, lots of Mexican food, open borders. 
Cons:
Texas Corridor, Bush, Bush 2.0


----------



## KamZolt (Oct 22, 2010)

I remember when I got off a Greyhound bus in Amarillo. That was the very first time I set my foot in Texas. It was so scorching hot that I thought, "the heat must be coming from the bus's engines". A minute later I discovered how wrong I was ! 

Anyway, I associate Texas with huge open spaces, highways, oil fields, its rich history, and ...the weather. The majority of the Texans I met were friendly and very proud of living in the Lone Star State.

I definitely have to go back over there with my camera someday.


----------



## JJG (Aug 4, 2010)

Just wanting to point two things out:

1. Big Bush and Lil' Bush are NOT Texans. They're northerners who moved down here with one of them catching the accent.

2. We're not all conservatives, or Republicans.


----------



## krkseg1ops (Mar 19, 2009)

^^ They are not? I'm sorry for the Texans then for having Bushes represent their state.


----------



## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Visited Texas back in the mid 90s especially Houston and San Antonio.

But in all Texan cities, San Antonio is my favourite since it is more pedestrian oriented at the city centre plus it is vibrant especially Riverwalk.


----------



## JJG (Aug 4, 2010)

NordikNerd said:


> Texas is
> 
> Cattle
> Oil
> ...


YEE-haw! 

If you're gonna stereotype, at least get _those_ right.

hno:


----------



## Rdx MG (Jan 19, 2011)

One of my favorite US states. I love Texas.


----------



## Kiboko (Nov 30, 2011)

:lol:


----------



## Sweet Zombie Jesus (Sep 11, 2008)




----------



## weava (Sep 8, 2007)

My thoughts on texas

-king of the hill is one of my top 5 shows of all time 
-they love high school football
-home of people retarded enough to vote for rick perry

-I have been in Dallas, Houston, Lubbock, and El Paso. Dallas and Houston are the poster child of American Sprawl. El Paso is the least american feeling city I've ever been in, then again 2/3rds of the metro area lives on the Mexico side of the border.


----------



## master-chivas (Oct 31, 2011)

Dallas, San Antonio, Houston are cool the rest is a ******* farmer steaks eating noman's land...


----------



## Highcliff (May 4, 2006)

texas....
I like some movies about texas...








http://www.btchflcks.com/2011/08/best-picture-nominee-review-series-no.html


----------



## Mornnb (Dec 26, 2010)

Dallaz said:


> I've always wanted to know what foreigners thought about Texas?


I've never been there. I respect it as an economically powerful state of the US. From what I know in some ways reminds me of my country Australia. The cowboy and ranch culture, a hell of a lot like Queensland. The obsession with BBQs. Whole boastful proud Texans thing, is something that is a lot like Australians. But I also have this impression of a crazy place of gun mad science hating bible thumpers. I don't know how much truth there is to that stereotype, but as an atheist bisexual from a very liberal big city I don't think of Texas as a place for me.
I've heard Austin is better in those respects?


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Mornnb said:


> I've never been there. I respect it as an economically powerful state of the US. From what I know in some ways reminds me of my country Australia. The cowboy and ranch culture, a hell of a lot like Queensland. The obsession with BBQs. Whole boastful proud Texans thing, is something that is a lot like Australians. But I also have this impression of a crazy place of gun mad science hating bible thumpers. I don't know how much truth there is to that stereotype, but as an atheist bisexual from a very liberal big city I don't think of Texas as a place for me.
> I've heard Austin is better in those respects?


Houston is the largest city to have ever elected a lesbian mayor and Dallas has even elected a lesbian sheriff so it is not that unfriendly to GLBT individuals although some of the small towns might be a different matter, plus I am agnostic myself and I have had no problems living here so far as almost everyone that I run into keeps their religion to themselves.

Anyways if you are refering to the science/history textbook controversy it should be noted that it was unpopular among Texas residents as well and the board members of the school board that instigated that change were voted out of office.


----------



## The Cake On BBQ (May 10, 2010)

I don't really know much about Texas, only streotypes:
********, Cowboys, oil, desert, people who love to bbq, people who love guns, beer-o-holics, homophobics, xenophobics, people who wear shitty shirts all the time, people who speak with a funny accent, die-hard christians, stupid frat parties, republicans.


----------



## desertpunk (Oct 12, 2009)

*Austin TX*


Austin Skyline...Ruined Reflections by Michael Tuuk, on Flickr


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Crazy4scapers said:


> A backward vile gun obsessed state full of religious extremist christian taliban.
> Hate everything it represents.


----------



## WeimieLvr (May 26, 2008)

As one would expect, the Texas stereotypes are alive and well outside of the U.S. But hopefully Americans are not as uninformed about a state within their own country.


----------



## mhays (Sep 12, 2002)

I'm sure Texans would generally describe San Francisco, Boston, etc., with a nuanced understanding! 

Much like the eye goes to movement, people's attention goes to what's different or flashy, not what's the same. Texas has all kinds and some neighborhoods are exceptions, but overall it's obviously more bible-thumping, right wing, sprawly, etc., with weaker core cities than nearly all coastal regions.


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

mhays said:


> I'm sure Texans would generally describe San Francisco, Boston, etc., with a nuanced understanding!


This just proves how provincial the rest of the US is as far as I am concerned.

Many if not most "Texans" are actually either transplants or the children of transplants from either the rest of the US (inc New York, California, Illinois, Florida, Michigan, etc) or from a different country altogether (such as Vietnam, India, Pakistan, El Salvador, Colombia, Laos, Honduras, China, Venezuela, Nigeria, Mexico, UK, etc). But somehow a few ignorant posters think that the whole state is somehow reminiscent of the movie "Deliverance". :doh:


----------



## koolio (Jan 5, 2008)

Texas is my favourite state in the US.


----------



## mhays (Sep 12, 2002)

diablo234 said:


> This just proves how provincial the rest of the US is as far as I am concerned.
> 
> Many if not most "Texans" are actually either transplants or the children of transplants from either the rest of the US (inc New York, California, Illinois, Florida, Michigan, etc) or from a different country altogether (such as Vietnam, India, Pakistan, El Salvador, Colombia, Laos, Honduras, China, Venezuela, Nigeria, Mexico, UK, etc). But somehow a few ignorant posters think that the whole state is somehow reminiscent of the movie "Deliverance". :doh:


Are you really suggesting that Texans know more about outsiders than vice versa? And does being a newcomer make someone more knowlegeable about anyplace other than where they came from?


----------



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

mhays said:


> Are you really suggesting that Texans know more about outsiders than vice versa? And does being a newcomer make someone more knowlegeable about anyplace other than where they came from?


Not necessarily (although having a large number of people who have lived elsewhere do contribute to a place being considered more worldly overall compared with other places where there is less migration), I am just saying that some of the comments on here are pretty retarded to say the least. Bottomline you can't group 25 million people together under one label, and Texas has a little bit of everything from techies, to hispanics, muslims, hindus, vegans, athiests, gays, etc and for the most part everyone gets along. It's like saying that California is full of hippies even though you have cities like Bakersfield and Redding which makes many cities in Texas look liberal by comparison.


----------



## Haddington (Apr 26, 2007)

Sorry I always thought that Bush 1.0 and 2.0 were Texan too. Personally I think Texas gets a bad press, especially from the 'liberal' states on the east and west coast. Just look at the charachter Sheldon (and his mother) in the Big Bang Theory. 

I'm not a religious person so wonder how I would fit in ! 

Having said that it is my life's ambition to drive coast to coast across the USA - and Texas will certainly be on my list.


----------



## Talbot (Jul 13, 2004)

I know a lot of non-religious people in Texas. It is more acceptable than most people would believe.


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

A Mexican version of Alberta.


----------



## 009 (Nov 28, 2007)

isaidso said:


> A Mexican version of Alberta.


lol, I like that one........Texas is a lot warmer though


----------



## synodbio (Mar 21, 2013)

Well, I've never been to Texas and I know that stereotypes are usually inaccurate, but here's what comes to mind when I think of Texas: Horses and cowboys


----------



## Quall (Feb 15, 2006)

all i care to know:


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

^^ I want one. :eat:


----------



## -Corey- (Jul 8, 2005)

it doesnt look that good :S


----------



## fieldsofdreams (Sep 21, 2012)

When I think of Texas, (as of now) I think of El Paso and a long string of border communities along the Rio Grande bordering with Mexico. I'm actually doing a research project on understanding the constraints of reopening passenger rail service between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, as well as formulating ideas on how to make it a reality since there are bridges that can be used to aid the cause, and underpasses are built on either side of the border to allow faster, safer movement of passengers and goods through the cities.


----------



## I(L)WTC (Jan 30, 2010)

Texas = Chile flag :lol:


----------



## Autostädter (Nov 29, 2009)

I think of this legendary road trip (although this was Alabama):


----------



## Dimethyltryptamine (Aug 22, 2009)

Everything is bigger in Texas? :dunno:

When I think of Texas, I think of big trucks, extremely cheap petrol, quite religious, new money, etc.


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

The higher the hair the closer to God.


----------



## ardamir (Jul 10, 2009)

synodbio said:


> Well, I've never been to Texas and I know that stereotypes are usually inaccurate, but here's what comes to mind when I think of Texas: Horses and cowboys


Most stereotypes about Texas are true, especially the stuff about American football:
(I realize it is four minutes but it is great if you watch the whole thing)


----------



## poshbakerloo (Jan 16, 2007)

Big Rich Texas...the best TV show ever!


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Gosh US end zones are puny. Not everything is bigger in Texas!


----------



## Longhorn Al (Jun 16, 2006)

I just read through the entire thread. I'll rock the boat a bit.

I am a 7th generation Central Texan through my surname, and moreso through other branches (Comanche). I live in Austin, but am a conservative, right wing, bible-thumping nutjob.  

Austin is certainly more liberal than I prefer, but I don't think it is nearly as liberal as people think. I believe it is more libertarian, which is actually conservative if you think about it. It's not what we think of as socially conservative, but it is Constitutionally conservative.

Texas does have cowboys. Not as many as outsiders who watch westerns think, but they exist. There are people who still ride horses, but it's not like we all ride them to school, work or the grocery store. 

Texas does have many more pickups than I have seen in other parts of the country. I have a pickup. It's great. Wish it had better gas mileage, though. 

Texas has a LOT of oil and natural gas. No, not everyone has an oil derrick in their backyard.

Texans are full of pride, and some are boastful. I consider myself a Texan first. I love America, but I'd side with Texas if something ever happened, not that it ever will. I don't go around bragging about Texas, but I have had people try and use the fact as some sort of jab. Got in an altercation with this little French-Canadian in Ottawa a couple years back. He yelled at me to go back to Texas with my guns and some other stereotypical nonsense. I laughed so hard. What he thought was an insult I actually take pride in. The laughing didn't help the situation.

Speaking of guns, I own some. Three handguns, 2 shotguns, 4 rifles and an AK. I am about to take my CHL training course as well.

With that said, I love Austin. I like that there is a vibrant urban core. I support developing said core. I support transit like some sort of rail. I don't trust Capital Metro to do it right, though. I support high speed rail in Texas. I support better highway systems. I'm not anti-car like some are. But I'm not anti bus/bike/train either.

I love nature, trees, flowers, waterways, animals, rocks, etc. I dislike urban sprawl. I dislike manacured lawns in areas that are drought prone. But I also dislake gov't dictating what I do with my own property. 

I love HS football, BBQ, Tex-Mex, guns, the Bible, the state flag, the Alamo, Goliad, San Jacinto, the Dallas Cowboys, and The University of Texas.

Honestly, I couldn't care any less what others think of Texas or Texans. If they don't like it, don't visit. If you do like it, or are interested in visiting, please do. You will find the food is great, the weather is usually great, and the people are friendly.


----------

