Friends and I had to drive from New Orleans to Phoenix a few decades ago, and we literally started shouting when we hit El Paso. It felt like a week of driving. And boooooooring scenery. I know there are pretty places in Texas (ThelmaLou’s backyard) but I haven’t been to them.
I have such mixed feelings about Texas. I was born & raised there, lived in Dallas, Fort Worth, some suburbs of each, and Austin, and then left at 35. At the time I left, strip malls, golf courses, apartment complexes, and highways were metastasizing across the cities I’d lived in, and I’d have enough of endless driving and heat.
I do miss some of the people I knew, and I still love some bits of Texas, but at this point I’m closer to New Englander than Texan.
Next time they introduce a bill to secede in their Legislature, we should withhold Hurricane Relief, until they apologize & admit it’s all garbage.
I consider them fairly backwards in a lot of ways, but in their defense their housing is affordable due to lack of regulations. They don’t let zoning boards intentionally limit housing to drive up prices like California does.
Don’t like the heat. I’ve been there, but not extensively.
I’ve been in one corner of Texas, for one day, many years ago. It was nice and the few people I met there in the process were nice to me. The sample isn’t large enough to mean much.
Texas is a very large state with a whole lot of people in it. I assume that it therefore contains a whole lot of variation, both in the land and in the people.
Texas appears to have a very poor setup, due to lack of regulation, both for preventing storage facilities for explosive materials from blowing up residential areas and for keeping the electricity on. On the other hand, Texas produced Molly Ivins, which was definitely a good thing.
@ Left_Hand_ There is a need for that! It was slim pickin’s the one time I was looking to rent a tux. In Dallas I found 1 place with the right size without driving and sitting in a traffic jam.
I Have lived in Texas since 79 and economically speakiing, it was a win for me. I found the Texans treated outsiders with skepticism and were slow to become friends with outsiders initially. The Texans that became my friends remain my friends.They were very helpful in finiancial matters and in business climate. Without their advice and help I would have had a much harder time establishing my business.
The one thing I can’t stand about Texas is the church going; lying, drinking, drug taking, stuck up, bIg mouthed, adulterating hypocrites in the small towns with their gossip mills. Where do you think all their politicians got their training?
If all that energy was harvested you would have enough power to provide every small town in Texas 100% green energy.
We should let them.
Where else can you get Southern ignorance without all that pesky Southern hospitality?
I was once stationed in San Antonio for a short time, and I’ve visited Dallas, Houston, and Austin. My chief distinct impression is that driving is a nightmare around the cities. The. traffic is heavy, the highways are weird, the drivers are erratic. Especially in SA there was this janky access road system that I guess was intended to give drivers time to accelerate, because the on-ramps are like 1/5th as long as I’m accustomed to. All around me, Suburbans whipping around changing 3 lanes at a time.
The vibe in San Antonio was kind of different. I can’t explain the subjective feeling very well, but it really felt isolated from both the US and from Mexico, sort of a frontier outpost. I’ve never had tex-mex food like that, though, it was amazing.
A lot of good people come out of Texas.
And they never go back!
I’ve driven Route 66 many, many times. That part of Texas seems nice. If a bit flat.
Texas is a big place so, statistically, I’m sure much of it is fine and parts are splendid. Likewise, I’m sure most people are fine and some are wonderful. All the ones I’ve known, though, were insufferable. I’ll admit to some amusement during the winter storm thing. Again, feeling bad for individuals affected but smirking at how quickly the whole “We’re only Americans as a favor to you guys” thing fell apart.
Texas: A nice place to be from.
Texas is fine as long as the Texans stay in Texas. Of course, we say the same about California.
I’m an Indigo Girls fan. Emily Saliers mentions Texas in two of her songs.
The first verse of “Southland in the Springtime” has the lines
Played our heart out all night long in New Orleans
We’re dirty from the diesel fumes, drinking coffee black,
When the first breath of Texas comes in clean.
That makes a powerful impression.
Then more recently Emily titled a whole song “Texas Was Clean.” Beginning:
Texas was clean like an oilman’s dream
A slate that I’d never written on
and concludes
I wanna go there (It’s just another place to go)
As far from the South without getting out
Is it wise to get one’s geography from music? Perhaps not, but I love music and I really love the Indigo Girls. As far as geographical songs go, I think the line “As far from the South without getting out” perfectly sums it up.
I really miss Molly Ivins, that’s how I really feel.
I love Willie Nelson with all my heart.
Has anyone checked out Jared Padalecki’s new Walker series? It’s his rebound from Supernatural. Jared suffers from depression and I’m glad to see him working on something he loves. The show is all TEXAS! this and TEXAS! that, and the best thing about it is Ramirez, the first female Chicana Texas Ranger.
As a general rule, you know how Texans appear to other Americans like you & me? That’s how Americans appear to the rest of the world.
Yes, I am aware. Texans even outboor other Americans.
God I miss Molly Ivins.
Been awhile, most impressed with the local air carriers. Commuter turbo prop service between far afield Texas cities. Only way to cross that damn state.
When I decide to retire permanently Texas is on our short list as to where we are going to spend the remainder of our lives.
Great observation.
Of course, the idea of the “ugly American” is not exactly new.