Dallas v. Houston - which is more "liberal"? (Austin: income, zoning)

[dsimicata]

What are the major differences between living in Dallas and Houston (besides humidity in HOU)? Which is more sophisticated?

If a liberal individual has a choice of living in either city/area which would you suggest and why?

thank you in advance

[RamblinKat]

I am going to vote for Houston as more liberal. I have lived there in the past but have not lived in Dallas. Just basing it on having lived in Houston. I think Houston is more sophisticated, because it is a more wordly place and isn't so texocentric. Being a port city, Houston has wordly influences and knows it isn't the center of the entire planet. I think it makes it more accepting to try new things and ways. I think the Dallas people are too into themselves and their city. JMHO.

[atxcio]

They are both about the same regarding how liberal they are. Liberal in the close-in neighborhoods, conservative in the suburbs. You can check out the voting trend county-by-county on CNN, and that will tell you which areas are liberal. More Obama votes = more liberal.

Austin, Dallas, and Houston, at least the primary county (where the city limits are located) were all about 60/40 in favor of Obama.

As far as sophistication, they are different -- but it depends on what feel you are looking for. To me, neither city feels particularly "Texan". Houston feels international and multicultural, and Dallas feels a bit more midwestern and cleaner. Houston feels a bit more dense with higher traffic. DFW has sprawl down to an art form, but with all that space comes some comfort that people like. And the city center is thriving. Pro teams in Dallas are more fun.

[mickeyinKATY]

Originally Posted by dsimicata

What are the major differences between living in Dallas and Houston (besides humidity in HOU)? Which is more sophisticated?

If a liberal individual has a choice of living in either city/area which would you suggest and why?

thank you in advance

HOUSTON is the more liberal of the two I think. I have lived in both places. I am from Houston (katy) and all you have to do is look at Houston City government. Houston is not near as conservative as Dallas.

[CMDallas]

They seem tied...
I'm pretty sure Dallas has a bigger Gay population...and we all know how conservative they are.
They are both pretty liberal...
They are both Politically very similar.
we have Hispanic Lesbian as it's sheriff...
I'm not sure about Houston, but if there was a winner it wouldn't be by an outrageous margin.

Originally Posted by RamblinKat

I think Houston is more sophisticated, because it is a more wordly place and isn't so texocentric. Being a port city, Houston has wordly influences and knows it isn't the center of the entire planet. I think it makes it more accepting to try new things and ways. I think the Dallas people are too into themselves and their city. JMHO.

I would Disagree. Sea port isn't all, Dallas has a larger Airport and receives most of Texas' China goods, and a pretty big chunk of the US ones.
We also get quite a bit from France, Japan, Mexico, and Brazil I believe.
You have a right to your opinion, but some of your statements were...rather...insulting, so I wouldn't be surprised if some other Dallas dude came over here and uh...said a few bad statements...

[Lakewooder]

I hate to say it but Houston is probably 'more texocentric'. Dallas, except for little pockets in certain neighborhoods, is liberal. Even the high society people accept gays in a major way. The suburbs however are much more conservative and like to look at Dallas as some sort of scary place where different people actually enjoy each other's company and don't run and hide behind gates if there is a minority child sitting in the next desk.

But please don't call Dallas, "Midwestern"!

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

But please don't call Dallas, "Midwestern"!

There's Midwestern SU in Wichita Falls. Nice try!

[houstoner]

I lived in Dallas for two years, much longer in Houston. I'll go with Houston as the kind of liberal I think you mean and here's why:

1) The Heights, Montrose, Museum District, Third Ward, etc. are home to quite a few progressive (for Texas) nonprofits like the Third Ward Bike Shop, Project Row Houses, and projects like Aerosol Warfare, along with a varied music scene(s). Inner Loop Houston feels like a small town so these things are pretty centralized, and not spread out all over creation.

2) U of H, UHD, and Rice U are universities unaffiliated with any religious body in or near downtown, which translates into loads of students hanging out and living in the aforementioned areas.

3) On top of that, "Houston has 600,000 people under the age of 19, the largest such population of any major city in the nation", according to PUSH Houston. The youth culture here is much more visible than in Dallas, and these kids get along amazingly well no matter their backgrounds.

4) KPFT, one of only five Pacifica stations in the nation, is based in Houston because

5) Houston has a long history of "underground" counter-culture activities, dating back to the 1960s/hippie era that continues today. (You can see the Obama volunteer office/Che Guevara flag controversy of last month for a hint of this.)

6) Houston's blue-collar and Southern roots combined with the O&G industry have made for a more laid-back atmosphere. Houston was a "sleepy blues and beer town" that grew astronomically in the 1980s while Dallas was already well-established as THE cosmopolitan, sophisticated Texas city. We have historically had many influxes of immigrants, which has made Houston a crossroads for the South, South Texas/Mexico, etc., rural Texas, and the Southwest. There is a lot of influence from Louisiana here, for example. Cultures here have blended in a way they haven't in Dallas. We have people of all backgrounds living more or less the same lifestyle; putting on airs is not common here. Except for the very upper-crust River Oaks types, most people "mix" in all spheres of life. You can be in a bar standing next to a senator's nephew and never know it unless he told you (I have!). Lack of zoning has probably also had something to do with this.

7) It is not well-known outside the nonprofit world, but Houston has a long history of philanthropy and volunteerism that continues to this day.

8) Houston has a large but intimately incestuous arts community.

9) According to the Alternative Education Resource Organization, Houston has been home to five of Texas' democratic, free schools. The only other one in the state is in Austin.

10) Houston feels more egalitarian and open to new ideas. One example of that is KIPP, a successful charter school for low-income students that started in Houston before going nationwide.

[Spree]

>> The suburbs however are much more conservative and like to look at Dallas as some sort of scary place where different people actually enjoy each other's company and don't run and hide behind gates if there is a minority child sitting in the next desk.<<

Plano probably has the most diverse student population - we're not talking just blacks or hispanics, but Asian, Indian and more. I talked to someone from Plano who said that there are 40+ different languages represented in the Plano student population.

[Spree]

double post for some reason