Is Texas really as conservative/narrow-minded as people say it is? (Houston: transplants, movies)

[Sandy Springs Rep.]

I started this thread not to bash Texas, but to get some legitimate opinions from people who live in or have been to Texas. I admit, I have somewhat of a prejeduce against Texas for various reasons, but reading what people say on this forum has greatly changed my mind and I do not dislike it as much anymore.

It seems like Texas has a reputation for being very conservative, politically (more so than other southern states) and very "tough" and "competitive", I guess you'd say. My biggest question is, is this accurate? Is it really any more conservative than other states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, etc.? I used to think that it very much was, but the more I've thought about it, the more I've realized that Texas a very diverse, complex state, with many different demographic factors, and you can't generalize a state with 24 million people (2nd most populous state in the country) in any way.

So obviously, like any other state, Texas has many different geographic regions and areas that are all different. So my question for Texans is, when you compare apples to apples, are big cities in Texas (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, etc.) more conservative than big cities in other states? Are small towns in Texas more conservative/narrow-minded than other small towns? Are metropolitan areas as whole (Dallas and Houston) more conservative than other metropolitan areas as a whole? This is what has intrigued me the most.

Again, this is not an anti-Texas thread, I'm geniunely interested in the perspectives of people who have spent a significant amount of time in Texas.

[jluke65780]

Originally Posted by Sandy Springs Rep.

I started this thread not to bash Texas, but to get some legitimate opinions from people who live in or have been to Texas. I admit, I have somewhat of a prejeduce against Texas for various reasons, but reading what people say on this forum has greatly changed my mind and I do not dislike it as much anymore.

It seems like Texas has a reputation for being very conservative, politically (more so than other southern states) and very "tough" and "competitive", I guess you'd say. My biggest question is, is this accurate? Is it really any more conservative than other states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, etc.? I used to think that it very much was, but the more I've thought about it, the more I've realized that Texas a very diverse, complex state, with many different demographic factors, and you can't generalize a state with 24 million people (2nd most populous state in the country) in any way.

So obviously, like any other state, Texas has many different geographic regions and areas that are all different. So my question for Texans is, when you compare apples to apples, are big cities in Texas (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, etc.) more conservative than big cities in other states? Are small towns in Texas more conservative/narrow-minded than other small towns? Are metropolitan areas as whole (Dallas and Houston) more conservative than other metropolitan areas as a whole? This is what has intrigued me the most.

Again, this is not an anti-Texas thread, I'm geniunely interested in the perspectives of people who have spent a significant amount of time in Texas.

No it's not. We could possibly go democratic in the next election. It is mainly the suburbs of cities and rural areas that are conservative.

[kittymama]

When I moved from Texas to Oklahoma, I found Oklahoma to be a lot more conservaitve. My memories of Texas are mainly as a kid - I went to public high schools and I knew kids and teachers of just about every belief out there. I also lived in cities - Fort Worth and Austin as in actually going to school in the city as opposed to suburban districts. I've lived other places too. I never found anywhere that seemed as conservative as Oklahoma.

[brattpowered]

You're from Georgia and biased against Texas for being conservative? The usual rule is that the more isolated, poor, homogenous and uneducated an area is, the more conservative/narrow-minded it is. As a state, Texas is moving away from these things. Like a previous poster said, it's only a matter of time until Texas turns blue.

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by jluke65780

No it's not. We could possibly go democratic in the next election. It is mainly the suburbs of cities and rural areas that are conservative.

I gotta disagree with you a bit here, Jluke. Texas is essentially a convervative state (which I definitely share in, ideologically)

With that said though, you DO have a good point as to the voting patterns in larger Texas cities. However, much of this is due to the influx of northern transplants and immigration. This may remain established and even amplify. In which case what you say will continue.

But at the same time, let the good (relative) economic climate go away? And the attraction for those who otherwise feel no attachment to Texas at large? I venture to say, a good part of these trends will fade...because many of the same will move to other climes and places.

Most native Texans remain generally conservative.

[tstone]

The suburbs are still more blue than the rural areas. It's more of a shade of reddish purple. In the cities it is still purple, but a bluer shade so to speak. Suffice to say the metro areas are pretty moderate overall. I prefer this, because both sides are more likely to be respected.

When you get to the rural areas and small towns, they can be as religious-red as San Francisco is blue. Nuts and degenerates exist on both sides of the coin. However many people in rural areas have a pretty strong libertarian streak among them, i.e. "leave me alone." That actually describes a good portion of the conservative side of Houston IMO. There are a lot of red votes due to business alone.

When I lived in small-town Texas I didn't find it competitive at all. For me it was either get out, or stagnate.

[th3vault]

Originally Posted by TexasReb

I gotta disagree with you a bit here, Jluke. Texas is essentially a convervative state (which I definitely share in, ideologically)

With that said though, you DO have a good point as to the voting patterns in larger Texas cities. However, much of this is due to the influx of northern transplants and immigration. This may remain established and even amplify. In which case what you say will continue.

But at the same time, let the good (relative) economic climate go away? And the attraction for those who otherwise feel no attachment to Texas at large? I venture to say, a good part of these trends will fade...because many of the same will move to other climes and places.

Most native Texans remain generally conservative.

Well said. The "blue/liberal" leanings in Texas are mostly the result of transplants and immigrants.

Those two groups are the reason why Florida has gone Blue . But, unlike in Florida, Texas does have a sizable native population that remains quite conservative.

I don't see Texas following Florida down the Blue path anytime soon. (Hopefully FL will get off that path, now that all these Yankees are starting to go back up North )

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by brattpowered

You're from Georgia and biased against Texas for being conservative? The usual rule is that the more isolated, poor, homogenous and uneducated an area is, the more conservative/narrow-minded it is. As a state, Texas is moving away from these things. Like a previous poster said, it's only a matter of time until Texas turns blue.

Why do you associate being a conservative with poor, narrow/minded (whatever that means) and uneducated?

[brattpowered]

Originally Posted by TexasReb

Why do you associate being a conservative with poor, narrow/minded (whatever that means) and uneducated?

Not all conservatives are, but the narrow-minded socially conservative types the OP is asking about seem to usually fall into that demographic.

[hamiltonpl]

Texas is a pretty conservative place. But I'm unsure if it is "as conservtive as people say it is" because I don't know what those people are saying.

Many people base their judgments on life in Texas in the 21st Century from movies made in California about Texas set in 1880. You've done the right thing in realizing that 24 million people do not act as monolith. Texas is far from a backwards place. We have more Fortune 500 companies than any other state. Big companies aren't located in backwater burgs.

Texans are certainly not narrow-minded. In fact, I'd point out that anyone who thinks all conservatives are narrow-minded, is quite narrow-minded himself! Before women could vote, Texas elected a female governor. It also had the first all-female state supreme court. Dallas has a gay, Hispanic, female Sherriff. The list goes on and on.

But, Texas is a conservative place. In fact, Texas Democrats and New York Republicans essentially have the same platform. By and large, they're both pro-gun, pro-death-penalty, pro-choice, and pro-gay.