Texan Mentality? (Houston, West: move, friendly, metro)

[Huckleberry3911948]

Originally Posted by NOTAM

Texans are friendly, down-to-earth folks.
My impression of Californians-and yes I have been there before (in Hollywood/Beverly Hills/LA/San Diego/Miramar/Del Mar) is: superficial, liberal, plastic, fake, vain, rich, materialistic, snobby.

that is not true. btw did i tell you about my new 159 dollar coffee maker?

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948

that is not true. btw did i tell you about my new 159 dollar coffee maker?

My California friends just bought a $3500 espresso maker and had it plumbed into their kitchen. Yes, I was envious!

[Huckleberry3911948]

Originally Posted by Topaz

My California friends just bought a $3500 espresso maker and had it plumbed into their kitchen. Yes, I was envious!

i am humbled but of course i am only a fake californian, a U of H graduate.

[EmergencyOps]

Originally Posted by NOTAM

Texans are friendly, down-to-earth folks.
My impression of Californians-and yes I have been there before (in Hollywood/Beverly Hills/LA/San Diego/Miramar/Del Mar) is: superficial, liberal, plastic, fake, vain, rich, materialistic, snobby.

My thoughts on Californians from that area are the same. But then again, some areas of Texas are like that; Southlake comes to mind, having recently been dubbed richest city (http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/1084741.html - broken link) in terms of median household income. Not that I'm jealous or anything...

[cubssoxfan]

OK, so provide some advice, pointers on not being labeled a Yankee or damn Yankee if I move from Chicago. I hope being polite, friendly, open to learning what's different about local culture & tradition and accepting it* (Vs. wanting to change it)and respecting others opinions will work. If I will be labeled just by the way I talk, walk or look then maybe I don't want to move. I went through that when I lived in Western GA. Because I only had the drawl after 5-6 beers, I heard the Yankee thing too often. Jeez, the Civil War (I'm sorry, the War Between the States) has been over for 150 years. AND besides, I'm a Midwesterner not from the NE. I am not a fri@*&# Yankee!

* Unless it's illegal or immoral

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

OK, so provide some advice, pointers on not being labeled a Yankee or damn Yankee if I move from Chicago. I hope being polite, friendly, open to learning what's different about local culture & tradition and accepting it* (Vs. wanting to change it)and respecting others opinions will work. If I will be labeled just by the way I talk, walk or look then maybe I don't want to move. I went through that when I lived in Western GA. Because I only had the drawl after 5-6 beers, I heard the Yankee thing too often. Jeez, the Civil War (I'm sorry, the War Between the States) has been over for 150 years. AND besides, I'm a Midwesterner not from the NE. I am not a fri@*&# Yankee!

* Unless it's illegal or immoral

I don't know about the rest of Texas, but many people I meet in the Houston area aren't even from Texas. And I think people feel more free to be a bit rude with the "damn Yankee" talk when they are on an Internet relocation forum than they ever would be in person. I wouldn't worry about it too much as anyone who is "polite, friendly, open to learning what's different about local culture & tradition and accepting it" will do just fine.

[Canine*Castle]

I just refer to people as damn fools when it's warranted. It doesn't matter if they're southern, northern, eastern, or western.

[blueskies49]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

OK, so provide some advice, pointers on not being labeled a Yankee or damn Yankee if I move from Chicago. I hope being polite, friendly, open to learning what's different about local culture & tradition and accepting it* (Vs. wanting to change it)and respecting others opinions will work. If I will be labeled just by the way I talk, walk or look then maybe I don't want to move. I went through that when I lived in Western GA. Because I only had the drawl after 5-6 beers, I heard the Yankee thing too often. Jeez, the Civil War (I'm sorry, the War Between the States) has been over for 150 years. AND besides, I'm a Midwesterner not from the NE. I am not a fri@*&# Yankee!

* Unless it's illegal or immoral

You sound like a pretty decent and level-headed person in any Texan's book - or anyone else's book. You don't have anything to worry about!

[kittymama]

Having lived in a few states, I find this interesting. Currently, I reside in Alaska, which I hate because of the winter. I lived in Massachusetts as well. It is funny, but Alaska has some of the same independent streak that Texas does and is very Republican. Yet, I have never seen a place where as high of percentage of people work for the government or belong to a labor union. People move here to get away from "people" by which they mean society and the government - and then they go and work for it and join labor unions.

In Boston, everyone was very "liberal." This doesn't mean "open-minded" because if you disagreed with certain issues, they looked down on you. Strangers aren't as friendly to one another as they are in Texas, but I can say the climate has something to do with that because I see it in Alaska too, even though people like think Alaskans are friendly and help one another. Alaskans are not as "judgmental" as people in either the South or the Northeast coast as far as impressions go. They don't spend a lot of time talking about you behind your back - they just really don't care. I think southerners are more chattier and friendlier because harsh winters really make you just want to get away from everyone and hunker down and not really care about "small talk." Bostonions will talk about you behind your back if they don't like you, but they don't have any pretense about being your friend. Some people mistake Southern hospitality for friendship.

[TexasHorseLady]

And some people mistake friendliness for friendship, when it is merely the prelude to friendship, which develops over time after the initial contact is made, if all goes well.

I sometimes think Liz Carpenter might have been the epitomy of Texas friendliness. She was famous for her small, intimate parties, and at her parties, one might find both Lady Bird Johnson and the clerk at her favorite grocery who she invited while going through the checkout.