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Please tell us, oh mighty one, what does a "real US" town feel like?
U.S communities are set up on a more grand scale, everything is larger and more spread out... more modern architecture.
Down in Mexico, its more compact. towns, businesses and dwellings are all closer to each other... more historic architecture.
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Originally Posted by ajams22
Ironic considering how it was foreign nations that established the United States
The bulk of American towns and American infrastructure didn't develop the second people from "foreign nations" came over here... the U.S developed in its own way very much different compared to where our settlers are from.
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Originally Posted by Thoreau424
It's racist to complain about and run away from multiculturalism in a country founded with that in mind and as an ideal.
I won't speak for South Texas as I've never been there, but people I know who are of Mexican descent btw, have told me "Its practically Mexico." I would have to go and judge. I assume somewhere like Laredo might feel more "American" than maybe somewhere smaller thats overwhelmingly foreign born.
I was gonna go to El Paso in April for a wedding but they cancelled it, so I'm a little bummed about that. Never been near the Texas/Mexican border.
Also Miami has lots of US born residents but there's many, many areas and suburbs that flat out "don't feel American" and the residents will be first to tell you, including most of Hialeah. This is ironic as it used to be redneck central way back when.
I really don't think that a place having a lot of Mexicans means that it feels like another country. They're always gonna have US born kids and they all speak English.
For example, I was in Corona, Queens the other day which has a very large Mexican and Ecuadorian immigrant population, and I didn't feel like I was in another country. It just feels like an immigrant enclave in the US. I even ordered food from a very ethnic Mexican restaurant and the workers spoke English.
I won't speak for South Texas as I've never been there, but people I know who are of Mexican descent btw, have told me "Its practically Mexico." I would have to go and judge. I assume somewhere like Laredo might feel more "American" than maybe somewhere smaller thats overwhelmingly foreign born..
I think Laredo is about 95% Hispanic. At the actual border, it feels chaotic more than anything else.I won't say it feels like Mexico, but It doesn't feel like any other American city I've ever been to. Once you cross the border into Nuevo Laredo, you automatically know you're not in the United States anymore. Its a totally different vibe.
Away from the actual border, Laredo feels like an American city. Laredo has a nice mall. There are many of the major chain restaraunts and hotels and box stores. That part of Laredo doesn't seem all that much different than most mid size American cities, except that Spanish is the predominant language. Seems like just about everybody speaks Spanish. There's alot of people who are bi-lengual, but if English is the only language you know how to speak, you might be at a slight disadvantage living in Laredo.
I would second San Diego. It's nowhere close to same Mexican influence as cities in other states along the birder. Even L.A. has more Mexican influence.
I really don't think that a place having a lot of Mexicans means that it feels like another country. They're always gonna have US born kids and they all speak English.
For example, I was in Corona, Queens the other day which has a very large Mexican and Ecuadorian immigrant population, and I didn't feel like I was in another country. It just feels like an immigrant enclave in the US. I even ordered food from a very ethnic Mexican restaurant and the workers spoke English.
Well anywhere up north is not gonna feel like Mexico at all. Again there's lots of American born kids in Miami but trust me on this, there's places in Miami where you won't hear a word of English and where the median age is 40 so you don't see as many kids. These places don't feel very American. Let's say Cuban relations change in 20 years and now there's a community of American expats in their 30s and 40s who all speak English. To a Cuban on the island that place won't feel very Cuban. Maybe the kids of those Americans will be Cuban, absolutely. The Cuban community in Miami is hit and miss when it comes to assimilation. I see it with my own family. We been here since the last century and anyone who came here before the age of 13 speaks perfect English with an American accent. Even those that don't speak English wear American clothing styles and buy into American consumerist culture and eat American food and listen to English language music as well as Spanish language. These are first generation traits. Not raised here but adapted to here. Those who came more recently are even less assimilated and most come at an older age so you have entire communities of middle aged Cubans with kids who might know English but still speak Spanish at home. Considering the cultural segregation that goes on, the American cultural traits they pick up are from other first generation Americans. Going by my experience with that community, I don't find it hard to believe that there's places like that scattered across the Southwest though none are in a metropolitan area like Miami. I don't find it hard to believe that there's communities where most of the population is first gen American and English is hardly used. Take kids out of the equation because the average childless American adult doesnt interact with kids as much. And when those kids grow older they are inclined to move out of those towns for school or better opportunities, leaving behind their parents.
In other words, AZ is probably more deserty than what we think
What are you talking about? South of Flagstaff is Phoenix; South of Phoenix is Tucson; South of Tucson is Nogales (an actual border town); South of Nogales is Mexico. No on who looks at a map would ever consider Flagstaff a border town.
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