# What's up with Texas **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 6, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436 "2007-11-06T18:30:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/1 "2007-11-06T18:30:18Z")
Reddit recently posted a link to this website, [http://www.city-data.com](http://www.city-data.com), which as you can guess complies data about cities. The site recently posted a list of the top 101 cities in various categories. As I was browsing through it I couldn’t help but notice how high Texas cities, counties, and zip codes ranked in some of the less favorable categories: > [@](#): > > **Zip codes with the lowest charity contributions deductions as a percentage of AGI in 2004 (pop 5,000+)** > > 8 of the top 20, including Houston, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi > > **Cities with the least people having professional degrees (population 50,000+)** > > Number 9, California dominates this list > > **Cities with the highest number of rapes in 2006 per 10,000 residents, excludes tourist destinations and others with a lot of outsiders visiting based on city industries data (population 50,000+)** > > Number 1, Galveston > > **Cities with the most people below 50% of the poverty level, excluding cities with 15% or more of residents in college and with the median age below 28 (population 50,000+)** > > Number 17, Port Arthur > > **Counties with the largest number of children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000 (pop. 50,000+)** > > 10 of the top 20, including El Paso and San Antonio > > **Counties with the highest Particulate Matter (PM10) Annual air pollution readings in 2005 (µg/m3)** > > Number 9 and 12, El Paso and Houston > > **Cities with the largest percentage of people in federal prisons and detention centers (population 1,000+)** > > 5 of the top 20 For fairness sake I did check to see how Texas is represented in these categories’ counterparts, highest charity contributions, least rapes, etc. Texas makes an appearance on some of these lists but far less frequently. If this data is accurate I have to wonder, just what exactly are they doing down there? ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/2 "2007-11-06T18:39:54Z")
Well, if people would just stop messing with it… ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/3 "2007-11-06T19:04:19Z")
I haven’t followed your links, but as the third most populous state in the union, Texas should probably have a city in the top twenty of each of those catefories. Also, as was pointed out, all that messin’ with it. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/4 "2007-11-06T19:54:39Z")
What saiorse said, plus massive metropolitan areas with many, many municipal subdivisions. If you have a large state with more counties in a metropolitan area and more municipalities within those counties, you’re going to pop up on the radar for every problem associated with metropolitan areas that many more times. Texas is the third most populous state, has the second largest area, and two of the top six largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) in the nation, Dallas-Arlington-Fort Worth (12 counties) and Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown (10 counties), each of which have many municipalites within them, is completely witnin its borders. Only two states out of those six (CA and TX) have metopolitan statistical areas completely within their state borders, and only one has two separate ones, Texas. Add to that numerous smaller cities, El Paso, San Antonio, etc., and Texas has a likelier chance of nearly anything. ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/5 "2007-11-06T20:28:06Z")
I guess I should take a look at California then: > [@](#): > > **Zip codes with the lowest charity contributions deductions as a percentage of AGI in 2004 (pop 5,000+)** > > 2 of the top 20 > > **Cities with the least people having professional degrees (population 50,000+)** > > 11 of the top 20 > > **Cities with the highest number of rapes in 2006 per 10,000 residents, excludes tourist destinations and others with a lot of outsiders visiting based on city industries data (population 50,000+)** > > 0 of the top 20 > > **Cities with the most people below 50% of the poverty level, excluding cities with 15% or more of residents in college and with the median age below 28 (population 50,000+)** > > 0 of the top 20 > > **Counties with the largest number of children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000 (pop. 50,000+)** > > 2 of the top 20 > > **Counties with the highest Particulate Matter (PM10) Annual air pollution readings in 2005 (µg/m3)** > > 7 of the top 20 > > **Cities with the largest percentage of people in federal prisons and detention centers (population 1,000+)** > > Number 3 California wins in charity, rapes, poverty, insurance, prisons categories, but is clearly no no prize pig either. But, California did also had cities, zips, and counties having among the best showings in professional degrees, low crime, low pollution, and other categories. So did New York, despite both states having populations comparable to Texas. No state is without problems, but Texas seems to have a greater share of them. The case can be made that these aren’t enough categories to make the case that Texas is in fact doing poorly in social issues in comparison to other states, but I think it does create some impression, and not a good one. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/6 "2007-11-06T20:32:52Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] I haven’t followed your links, but as the third most populous state in the union, Texas should probably have a city in the top twenty of each of those catefories. [/QUOTE] Third? I thought it was second. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/7 "2007-11-06T20:35:53Z")
[QUOTE=cainxinth] California wins in charity, rapes, poverty, insurance, prisons categories, but is clearly no no prize pig either. [/QUOTE] I wonder if the charity part has a lot to do with demographics? Texas has no state income tax and also isn’t a retiree magnet like Florida. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/8 "2007-11-06T21:17:28Z")
Top 100 Least Racially Diverse Cities Pennsylvania has 21 entries, Texas has 3. Top 100 Cities with Highest Median Household Income Pennsylvania not only comes in after Texas, it has 1 entry to Texas’ 6. Top 101 zip codes with the highest 2004 average Adjusted Gross Income Texas - 6, PA 1 Top 101 zip codes with the largest charity contributions deductions as a percentage of AGI in 2004 Texas comes in before Penn and with 3 entries to 1. Top 101 cities with the most people having Master’s or Doctorate degrees (population 50,000+) Texas 5, PA 0 Top 101 cities with the most people having professional degrees (population 50,000+) TX 6, PA 1 Top 101 cities with the highest 2006 [city-data.com](http://city-data.com) crime index per resident, excludes tourist destinations and others with a lot of outsiders visiting based on city industries data (population 5,000+) PA 4, TX 2 For (population 50,000+) TX 4, PA 4 Top 101 cities with the highest number of murders in 2006 per 10,000 residents, excludes tourist destinations and others with a lot of outsiders visiting based on city industries data (population 5,000+) PA leads 6 to Texas’ 3 with 5 before Texas makes an appearance (50,000+) PA leads 5 to 3. Top 101 cities with the lowest number of murders in 2006 per 10,000 residents (population 50,000+) Texas 7, 6 before PA’s 1 Top 101 cities with the largest [city-data.com](http://city-data.com) crime index per police officer in 2005-2006 (population 5,000+) PA 4, TX 1 Top 101 cities with the highest number of rapes in 2006 per 10,000 residents, excludes tourist destinations and others with a lot of outsiders visiting based on city industries data (population 50,000+) PA3, TX 5 How is Galveston not a tourist destination? It also has a number of drunken social and ethnic gatherings including out of state tourists that undoubtably contribute to that number. Top 101 cities with the lowest number of rapes in 2006 per 10,000 residents (population 50,000+) TX 9, PA 0 Top 101 cities with the lowest number of assaults in 2006 per 10,000 residents (population 50,000+) TX 6, PA 0 Top 101 counties with the worst general health status score of residents (1-5), 3 years of data PA 5, TX 2 Top 101 counties with the highest percentage of residents relocating from other counties between 2005 and 2006 TX 9, PA 0 People move here in droves, including the Katrina evacuees we welcomed and absorbed and you’re surprised to see the spike? Top 101 counties with the lowest percentage of residents relocating from other counties between 2005 and 2006 PA 5 of the top 10 and 21 overall, more than any other state and for sure Texas’ 2. Top 101 counties with the largest number of people without health insurance coverage in 2000 Look at the map for that stat. They’re absolutely stacked along the border. Make sense? Top 101 cities with the highest percentage of family households, population 100,000+ TX 17, PA 0 Top 101 zip codes with the most museums in 2005 TX 6, PA 3 Top 101 zip codes with the most offices of physicians in 2005 TX 17, PA 0 Sooo… **cainxinth** , what’s up with Pennsylvania? ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/9 "2007-11-06T21:25:07Z")
> [@](#): > > **Zip codes with the lowest charity contributions deductions as a percentage of AGI in 2004 (pop 5,000+)** > > 8 of the top 20, including Houston, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi Probably because instead of throwing money away to feel better about themselves; the people of Houston choose to do things- An awful lot of Katrina victims had the red carpet rolled out during their crisis. I wonder if the crimes increased with the influx of people? Might explain the rapes in Galveston. This is purely speculation, as i do not have time to search for crime statistics ATM. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/10 "2007-11-06T21:32:32Z")
[QUOTE=cainxinth] California wins in charity, rapes, poverty, insurance, prisons categories, but is clearly no no prize pig either. But, California did also had cities, zips, and counties having among the best showings in professional degrees, low crime, low pollution, and other categories. So did New York, despite both states having populations comparable to Texas. [/QUOTE] The lists are comparing cities and counties, not state populations. Texas has more of both and a greater statistical chance of ending up on _any_ list of cities and counties, good or bad. Metropolitan areas in New York State - 5 Number of counties in New York State - 62 Metropolitan areas in California - 4 Number of counties in California - 58 Metropolitan areas in Texas - 25 Number of counties in Texas - 254 ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2007, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/11 "2007-11-06T23:15:29Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] Sooo… **cainxinth** , what’s up with Pennsylvania? [/QUOTE] Ooh, burn! … and erm, what the others have said about Texas being a populous state, which assures placing in a number of those categories. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2007, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/12 "2007-11-07T19:50:52Z")
Looks like **caixinth** caught us red-handed. The truth of the matter is that we’re just plain evil down here. Awful people. We are massively unlike any other people in the U.S., and I don’t mean that in a good way. You wouldn’t even know what country you were in. Don’t think about taking a trip down here to see how bad we are, either (a la the five points); it’s just too dangerous. I’d especially stay away from Galveston, because they actually thought they were a tourist destination, and are mighty pissed off to find out they’re not. I hear that Moody Gardens and the Strand are on fire, and they’ve sunk all the cruise ships. What will we do next? I don’t know, but I guarantee it’ll be evil. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2007, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/13 "2007-11-07T20:18:44Z")
Posted by **Kelly5078** > [@](#): > > What will we do next? I don’t know, but I guarantee it’ll be evil. For a start, get rid of those damn Corsicana fruitcakes. But don’t stop making pralines. ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2007, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/14 "2007-11-07T20:29:12Z")
[QUOTE=LouisB] But don’t stop making pralines. [/QUOTE] Not to mention the [Czech Stop’s](http://www.czechstop.net/home.asp) world-famous kolaches. And Texas has contributed at least one of our most outstanding Dopers. : coughs modestly : ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2007, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/15 "2007-11-07T20:37:14Z")
[_Made in Texas: George W. Bush and the Southern Takeover of American Politics,_](http://www.amazon.com/Made-Texas-Southern-Takeover-American/dp/B000F6ZAYA/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-2010750-0004000?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194467712&sr=1-1) by Michael Lind (a native Texan), offers some really fascinating insights into Texas’ social history and political culture(s). (Bush belongs to one tradition, LBJ to quite another.) ---
**Author:** ![Tony\_Montana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@Tony\_Montana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Montana)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2007, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/16 "2007-11-07T23:23:24Z")
Whats up with Texas? helephino. I **do** think it’s a cute lil state tho 😉 -TM (In Alaska.If Alaska was cut in half, it would make Texas the third largest state) :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2007, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/17 "2007-11-08T01:24:18Z")
[QUOTE=Indistinguishable] Third? I thought it was second. [/QUOTE] Texas is 2nd in population. They beat New York state in the 90’s with California being 1st for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2007, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-texas/425436/18 "2007-11-08T20:00:17Z")
Speaking as someone born in Longview, and never left the state. What kelly5078 said. Plus, we’re totally crazy, there’s no telling what we might do next. Seriously, though. There are a lot of tech jobs here. Most of those, while a degree is a plus, it is far from a requirement. A lot of my best co-workers, and my preivious and current bosses lacked 4-year college degrees (heck, the CEO lacks one). I would suspect that might factor into California’s high numbers in this area, as well. Oh, and, whoop whoop whoop, p-tang p-tang, googly googly googly, I’m a toaster. (it’s the sun, we can’t help it)