Being from Houston, and living in Waco for awhile, I have heard much of the rivalry talk between Houston vs. Dallas. The negative steriotypes I have heard about Dallas, has all been talk. It is a beautiful town. The people I have met are friendly. Houston has a little more funky charm IMHO, but Dallas has its share. Plus, Dallas has fairly extensive light rail.
What I do find totally weird about Dallas is its alcoholic beverage laws. Huge chuncks of Dallas appear totally dry. I’m not just talking about suburbs, which makes Dallas little able to annex anymore. In some areas, you have to drive past a couple of convenience stores just to find one that sells beer.
I have some theories:
Zoning. Whereas zoning in Houston has next to none, Dallas, like most major cities, has extensive zoning. Maybe more so.
Annexation. There is a small area of Houston that is dry. What was the original Houston Heights. Annexed in the early 20th century. Maybe Dallas had to make similar concessions on a much larger scale.
Religion. That part of Texas traditionally was more Baptist and Church of Christ. Not that Houston is lacking in those, but there is a long standing Catholic and Lutheran communities, coming from German and Czhech immigrants, who are more open about drinking.
I may be totally blowing out my ass on this one, so what’s up, Dallas Dopers
Different municipalities can set their own laws, and you’ve got quite a variety in the D/FW area. On business trips of the past, I’d found that some parts were open, some parts were dry and some parts had odd “join the club” legislation in effect. I’m a proud “member” of the JoJo’s on the Central Expressway.
The county I live in …Davidson County…is dry except for the only two cities with any size, Lexington and Thomasville. There have been several referendums for making the county wet but none have passed. So wet and dry conjoined is not a Texas phenomenon.
I know that parts of New Jersey are dry but most likely that’s due to blue laws that are only in effect on the weekend rather than declaring vast portions of counties or the state being dry. One of the most irritating things was going to South Carolina with a girlfriend and we went to the supermarket to get booze on a Saturday night. Unfortunately it was five minutes to midnight and I was unaware they had asshole, cocksucking, backwards, hick Baptist laws that state one can not purchase alcohol on Sundays. Plus I just asked an acquaintance who is from Dallas, Texas and he states that Dallas is most certainly not dry but he may run in different neighborhoods or whatnot.
I’ve lived in the Dallas area since 1980. It is my understanding that wet/dry areas are determined by voting precinct. It’s quite stupid because really there are no truly dry areas. Back in the 1980’s you would have to carry around a wallet full of “club membership” cards which you would get from each restaurant / bar that you patronized. The cards were either free or cost a couple of dollars. The cards were only valid at a particular location so if you had one for one Fridays, you would need another for another Fridays. Other areas were fully wet and didn’t require the cards.
At some point a company found a loophole in the law and introduced the Unicard which could be used at multiple establishments. Most places in “dry” areas started using these which were renewed once a year and the cost was usually eaten by the establishment. Now most places use either the Unicard or retain a private membership system. I don’t think you have to pay for either at most places.
As for alcohol beverage stores, I think that is based more on a city wide and zoning basis. In Carrollton where I live you can’t buy any alcohol. In Plano you can buy beer and wine only. In Addison there is one stretch of road where you can buy beer, wine, and liquor. In Dallas there are liquor stores in some areas and not in others.
I think the primary motivation for this madness is due to the Baptists. They are pretty high on hypocrisy. They condemn drinking so they vote their area dry and then drive across town to get their hooch. (No offense intended to non-hypocritical Baptists.)
I grew up in the Dallas area (from ages 7 through 18) and traveled very little. I had no idea that the strange liquor laws were not normal. I remember the first time I vacationed out of state as an adult and discovered liquor being sold in a grocery store! I was shocked! Shocked! And I don’t shock easily.
I’ve definitely grown to hate our labyrinth of laws regarding alcohol sales. Two Rows recently opened a restaurant here in Allen and I was thrilled that I would be able to get some microbrew without having to drive 20 miles. What a disappointment to learn that due to the law in this city Two Rows cannot bring in their microbrew, though they’re free to sell any of the regular crap that you can get anywhere (Bud, et al).
LOL! I know exactly the stretch of road you’re talking about!
I think it would be more correct to say that the original genesis of this condition would be Baptists, but its continuation is due to the machinations of those who control the alcohol establishments.
For example, the dinky little municipality (“town?” “city?”) of Buckingham lies within the city of Richardson (a suburb of Dallas). Herein are located at least one adult video store and some liquor stores. I am convinced that the sole reason for the existence of this town as a separate entity is commericial.