Do Austin folks look down on other TX cities? (Houston: wedding, places to live)

[perticusrex]

I just moved to Austin from San Antonio. With the exception of 1 or 2 people I've met, no one really has said anything disparaging. The couple ppl that do aren't originally from Austin anyways. Most people tell me how much they've liked visiting SA in the past, that the food is good in SA, and I guess the only maybe negative thing I've heard from someone frm Austin would be that SA is "big" and "rougher than Austin" --- I guess both of which would be true statements. Ha.

I still miss creature comforts of SA but Austin is growing on me =)

[theone33]

^everyone likes visiting SA it has neat stuff for tourists.

[RooCeleste]

I've lived all over Texas from North to Northeast to far South to Central for my entire almost-46 years and I have never heard comments bashing other cities nearly as much as I have since I moved to Austin a decade ago. However, all the comments I've heard have been from people who have moved into Texas and straight to Austin. The comments are quite comical -- someone complaining that Houston "has nothing - no museums, no sports, no good restaurants...only refineries" or that Dallas "is just big hair with nothing good to do." I could go on and on...but the main point is that I don't think I've ever heard another native Texan bash other cities like this (other than maybe saying they don't like to drive there because of the big highways and traffic).

[scm53]

Originally Posted by RooCeleste

...but the main point is that I don't think I've ever heard another native Texan bash other cities like this (other than maybe saying they don't like to drive there because of the big highways and traffic).

Exactly. We Texans laugh about the differences, as Austinite (and former Uranium Savage band member) Sonny Davis said in Bernie, "And then you've got your Austin, the People's Republic of Austin with your hairy-legged women and your liberal fruitcakes." But we laugh just as hard when he targets Dallas with its "snobs and their Mercedes" or Houston as the "Carcinogenic Coast".

The viciousness, the moral preening is definitely the transplants. And the acceptable/unacceptable line isn't far -- it is literally the Austin city limit. And there is a clearly discernible political aspect to the condescension. To think otherwise is either non-observant, or - to use a fine Texas expression -- pigs that don't know that pigs stink.

[perticusrex]

Oh man people actually say there's nothing in Houston?? It's kinda a culture mecca imo .. for Texas. And the food is freaking AMAZING! I gained like 7 lbs in 5 days there last year. Every major city in Texas has something great to offer.

[G Grasshopper]

I have not heard people saying anything bad about Houston and Dallas. Personally, I wouldn't want to live in either, but that's because I am not a big city person. I wouldn't want to live in any big city. Sure, there are some people who have attitudes about other places. But in general, I don't think people spend much time running down other Texas cities. And by the way, contrary to an earlier comment, I lived in northern California for 23 years, and never heard people saying anything negative about Texas or any Texas cities. Mostly it just wasn't on their radar. There were lots of other things to be concerned with. They may have had some inaccurate ideas about Texas - I don't know - but they never talked about them.

[sxrckr]

There is some of this, yes, but IMO it's not as bad as it used to be as people wise up (thankfully, because it's embarrassing). There's a real term for it, it's called Austitude.

Originally Posted by Gorfml

No we don't... But Houston just sucks... I have a right to say that cuz I was born and lived there for 20 years...

Originally Posted by cBach

Houston is a city where people live to work, they keep up with the Joneses in their neighborhoods, but the city itself is butt ugly.

^These types of statements are a few real life examples.

Also, often, but not always, you'll see Austitude with ignoramuses who either grew up in the 80s/90s in one of the far-flung Houston suburbs and have rarely/never set foot in modern day urban Houston; or who occasionally drive through, see it from the freeways and have little to no other experience with it. On the second example, they are usually from out of state originally.

[theone33]

Originally Posted by sxrckr

There is some of this, yes, but IMO it's not as bad as it used to be as people wise up (thankfully, because it's embarrassing). There's a real term for it, it's called Austitude.






^These types of statements are a few real life examples.

Also, often, but not always, you'll see Austitude with ignoramuses who either grew up in the 80s/90s in one of the far-flung Houston suburbs and have rarely/never set foot in modern day urban Houston; or who occasionally drive through, see it from the freeways and have little to no other experience with it. On the second example, they are usually from out of state originally.

Well Houston is a tough nut to crack if you want to experience the cool stuff

[ericsami]

regional pride can be just as toxic as extreme Nationalism.

we have a quite bit of it in Texas.

I have always wondered about those bumper stickers proclaiming "born in Texas Raised in Texas!"

and I think to myself, well what the hell does that have to do with you?

[hooky hornstein]

Originally Posted by ericsami

regional pride can be just as toxic as extreme Nationalism.

we have a quite bit of it in Texas.

I have always wondered about those bumper stickers proclaiming "born in Texas Raised in Texas!"

and I think to myself, well what the hell does that have to do with you?

Remember or imagine (whatever the case may be) what it was like 30 years ago - before the internet. Unless you subscribed to a newspaper from another town or had a relative writing you letters from that town, you had no idea what was happening there or what it was like there. People were more insulated in their own area. Distinctions were greater. Every place in America had its own distinct flavor.

Nowadays we live in a world of chain restaurants, big box stores and cross-country re-locators. Our facebook and forum friends may live 400 miles away from us but we're witness to their way of life.

Yes, there are still differences. One part of the country may be warmer than another. One city may have better parks or roads.

But a lot of distinctions are fading. Many times you have to drive into the heart of a city to see its uniqueness. Even then that often looks just like the heart of a dozen other cities.

There's not as much difference as there used to be. And yet it's amazing how passionate some folks can get about that little bit of difference.

We have MLB and you don't. We're better than you. Like I can't watch you stupid team from my house?!!!

We have a crazy-crossdresser and you don't. We're better than you. What? You don't think we have a crazy crossdresser too?

But we have more blacks in our city than you? We're better than you. I'm sitting in an office with seven other people and four of them are black. Who really gives a crap who's across town?

We have 14 Thai restaurants on one block. We're better than you. Oh really? Why do you need that many? Our eight suffice just fine.

And so it goes. It's really amazing and kind of childish.