Yankees vs. Austinites (Houston, Dallas, Vidor: living, moving, suburbs)

[jwnulife]

How do Austinites feel about Yankees, in general?

[jread]

Indifferent.

Texas doesn't take part in the whole "North vs. South" thing... we're not a Southern state. Everyone is a Yankee for us

[jwnulife]

not a southern state? Please explain

[brattpowered]

I think there are enough people from all over that most people don't care. A lot of Austinites don't like Californians for moving in after they did, and have a "once I'm in, shut the door" attitude toward them. But as far as having a deep seated resentment or prejudice against "Yankees," I really don't think it exists.

[jread]

Originally Posted by jwnulife

not a southern state? Please explain

I'm not talking geography, I'm talking culture. Texas is not part of the "South" in any way (different dialect, different accent, different food, different history, etc.). I think we identify much more with the West in every single aspect. We're not stuck on who is on what side of the Mason Dixon line... we don't care. We don't share that common bond that the Southeastern states share... we have our own, unique identity. Like I said, everyone is a Yankee to us.

[jwnulife]

Originally Posted by jread

I'm not talking geography, I'm talking culture. Texas is not part of the "South" in any way (different dialect, different accent, different food, different history, etc.). I think we identify much more with the West in every single aspect. We're not stuck on who is on what side of the Mason Dixon line... we don't care. We don't share that common bond that the Southeastern states share... we have our own, unique identity. Like I said, everyone is a Yankee to us.

Interesting. Are you speaking for Texas, as a whole, or just the Austin area?

[brattpowered]

Originally Posted by jread

I'm not talking geography, I'm talking culture. Texas is not part of the "South" in any way (different dialect, different accent, different food, different history, etc.). I think we identify much more with the West in every single aspect. We're not stuck on who is on what side of the Mason Dixon line... we don't care. We don't share that common bond that the Southeastern states share... we have our own, unique identity. Like I said, everyone is a Yankee to us.

Just a thought, but I think people in places like Vidor or Jasper may disagree with this. Even in the southern suburbs of Austin I have seen rebel flags flying.

9th Texas Infantry - Red River Battalion - Reenacting Unit

[mark311]

Originally Posted by jwnulife

How do Austinites feel about Yankees, in general?

People will recognize your accent and ask where you're from probably out of curiosity. Otherwise, Austin has so many people from other places that nobody seems to care where you're from. It feels like I've met more people from Mexico, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida, and California than actual Texans during my almost 3 years of living here.

[CarnivalGal]

As a "Yankee" myself, I can say that I have heard my fair share of not-so-nice comments about people from the Northeast. Austin is not as bad as other parts of the state, but there is still some of it there. I think the biggest difference about Austin is that people think they are "joking" and don't mean anything by the comments, but that doesn't make them any better. That's like telling a racial joke but not considering it offensive because, heck, it was just a joke.

And it's true that Texans generally don't consider themselves Southern, but most people from outside of Texas seem to notice the similarites. The example of seeing rebel flags everywhere is a good illustration.

[centralaustinite]

Well I consider myself to be a Yankee and an Austinite!

Yankee in that my family roots come down firmly on the side of the Union if you want to go back to the 1860s. But I'm midwestern by origin not New England. If by Yankee you mean New England, then I do think that there are some cultural differences that can bother the heck out of New Englanders when they come south.

Yes, I know that these are broad generalizations but there is an emphasis on speed and efficiency over friendliness and sociability in NE, Texans and southerners in general are almost always willing to stop and chat. As a midwesterner, I love that. I have known more than one person from the NE who finds our "excessive sociability" incredibly annoying, they don't want to talk to the cashier or the mailman, they just want to get out and get on with the next hundred things on their list.

Cities south of DC tend not to snap and buzz with a certain NE urban vibe no matter dense they get (yes, I mean Atlanta and Houston and Dallas and Phoenix and everywhere else, Chicago excepted). Some folks from the northeast miss that terribly.