# Yup, that pretty much sums up Texas

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [February 2, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226 "2003-02-02T02:56:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/21 "2003-02-02T12:49:59Z")

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I’m a Texan by birth although I haven’t lived in Texas since 1963. I still have the Texas twang and I expect / hope to have it till the day I die. It is part of me and it speaks of my origins. The OP of this thread will be well advised, if he finds himself in East Texas, to keep his ignorance well hidden.

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**Author:** ![Texican](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ebca7d/32.png) [@Texican](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Texican)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/22 "2003-02-02T14:20:54Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by tmwster \*  
> \*\ ***neuro** ,  
> Please don’t invite the guy for a visit. Can’t we stamp out ignorance long distance? Send him a subscription to Texas Highways, maybe? \*\*

Texas Highways is the only thing that keeps this displaced Texan from going absolutely mad with homesickness.

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**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/23 "2003-02-02T14:49:25Z")

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One of the saddest days in my entire life was April 12, 1986. An announcement was made on KIKK radio that people now outnumbered cattle in my fabulous home nation of Texas. I cried. Then I moved. Damn cows.

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**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/24 "2003-02-02T14:55:01Z")

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But, I’m still Texan.

It’s like a whole other country.

BTW, South Texas is so much more cool that North Texas crap. We used to call Dallas residents “Damn Yankee Texans.” Houston and Corpus Chriti are so much better. 😃

(Born in the Baytown, TX swamps)

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**Author:** ![unclviny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e274bd/32.png) [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/25 "2003-02-02T15:39:47Z")

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American by birth, Texan by the grace of God.

As far as Servantto"thePrecious" is concerned, I have only one thing to say  
“get a rope”.

As a native Houstonian (Herman Hospital), I personally consider folks born north of I-10 to be yankees.

unclviny

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**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/26 "2003-02-02T16:31:16Z")

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**ServantTo"ThePrecious"** , You are obviously not a Texan, so you know not of what you speak. I’ve lived in 15 cities in 8 states, and if I could, I would move back to Austin TX tomorrow. AUSTIN ROCKS! And Texas is a big beautiful shit-kickin’ state.

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**Author:** ![japatlgt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@japatlgt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/japatlgt)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/27 "2003-02-02T16:32:27Z")

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IANFTX but I did go to college in E. Tx briefly, many moons ago. Biggest thing I learnt was that they talk funny. Get this - they don’t say “wash” in East Texas, they say “warsh” and they’ll fight you over it if you make fun of 'em! Some of the orneriest, nicest people I’ve ever met.

Joking aside, Texas IS a state of mind.

(thanks, t-keela for sharing that info. cannot imagine…)

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**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/28 "2003-02-02T16:44:03Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Unintentionally Blank \*  
> \*\*Being [temporarily] engaged to a texan, I got the impression that Texas was only begrudgingly a part of the united states.  
> \*\*

Darn tootin’.

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**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/29 "2003-02-02T16:57:24Z")

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The thing I’ve noticed about Texas and Texans is this intense pride in what amounts to an accident of birth. My SO is from Houston, and works that into every conversation as soon as he is able. I’ve been to Texas twice (Houston and Dallas) and each time was struck by how many of the advertisements made mention of “Texas-sized” or “big enough for Texas” or something that referred to Texas’ size. At then-Enron Field, “Deep in the Heart of Texas” was sung during the seventh-inning stretch. I cannot think of another state where people wear shirts or carry credit cards patterned after the state flag. I guess it’s the same as being proud of the country of your birth, but it always struck me funny.

That said, the state that produced my SO must have something going for it besides Texas-sized cockroaches.

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**Author:** ![\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b2d939/32.png) [@\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Sky)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/30 "2003-02-02T17:49:48Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by NoClueBoy \*  
> \*\*One of the saddest days in my entire life was April 12, 1986. An announcement was made on KIKK radio that people now outnumbered cattle in my fabulous home nation of Texas. I cried. Then I moved. Damn cows. \*\*

[/hijack]  
A few weeks ago KIKK radio changed to Jazz :eek: I listen to all kinds of stations, but that depressed me to scan across and discover IT CHANGED! ! ! It has been KIKK Fm Country radio as long as I can remember and I am 35.[/hijack]

I live in a small town outside of Houston and we lived on a Ranch (not owned by us) but there were over 300 head of cattle and just 3 humans so things are looking up **NoClueBoy**.

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**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/31 "2003-02-02T18:18:29Z")

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You know, **Precious** , he sounds a damn site more intelligent than you did above. I’ve worked all over East Texas in years past and found the residents to by and large be salt of the earth folk. They’re friendly, giving, and are just plain good people. I wish more people had their values.

Why would you judge an entire locale on a single sound bite? Would you want us to judge you solely on your insightful OP?

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**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/32 "2003-02-02T18:39:42Z")

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japatlgt is the only one who talked about Texas dialects who got it right. East Texas is distinctive from the rest ot Texas. It is more similar to what you may hear around rural Missisippi or northern Louisiana (among white folk, the black people tend to have a distinct regional dialect of their own. Most of us say “wash,” even those in rural areas.

A more accurate example of a central-south Texas dialect would be Tommy Lee Jones. Larry Hagman layed it on a little thick in the show “Dallas,” but he too is from central Texas and has a natural drawl.

Times are a changing, though. Having grown up in the city, I speak fairly nuetral. With immigration from the north and the south, the twang is definitely evolving.

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**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/33 "2003-02-02T18:44:04Z")

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I left out immigration from the far east as well.

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**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/34 "2003-02-02T18:44:34Z")

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You can talk to nutreas?

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**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/35 "2003-02-02T18:48:21Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Unintentionally Blank \*  
> \*\*Being [temporarily] engaged to a texan, I got the impression that Texas was only begrudgingly a part of the united states. \*\*

Just because Texas might not have joined the Union with full gusto doesn’t mean we can’t brag about being better. 😃

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**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/36 "2003-02-02T18:49:21Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by lieu \*  
> \*\*You can talk to nutreas? \*\*

Huh? I can’t tell what you are referring to. Yep, nutreas (giant swamp rats from South America?) have found a home around there. I hear some people eat-em.

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**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/37 "2003-02-02T18:52:39Z")

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Nuetral, the language of Nutreas. I get it

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**Author:** ![Texican](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ebca7d/32.png) [@Texican](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Texican)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/38 "2003-02-02T19:07:25Z")

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I am cursed with a Kingwood accent. This is probably the only place in Texas where no one sounds like they are from Texas.

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**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/39 "2003-02-02T19:54:02Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Texican \*  
> \*\*I am cursed with a Kingwood accent. This is probably the only place in Texas where no one sounds like they are from Texas. \*\*

**HOLY CRAP!**

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**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yup-that-pretty-much-sums-up-texas/152226/40 "2003-02-02T20:22:25Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by lainaf \*  
> \*\* If I could, I would move back to Austin TX tomorrow. AUSTIN ROCKS! \*\*

I’m going back tomorrow 😃 😃 😃

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