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i'm not saying Houston is insignificant. I'm just saying if you ask most Americans what's the 4th largest city in the country, most probably wouldn't think Houston. Although I might add Houston's sphere of influence probably includes a little bit of Mexico.
Agreed. Most folks here in PA think Atlanta is larger than Houston. Why? People hear about it much, much more frequently and give it more credence as a result. It doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't powerful or important, but when one here in the Northeast thinks of "South", Atlanta is usually the first major city that comes to mind. I suppose it's just difficult because so many in the North find it hard to qualify Texas as a whole being the "South." After all, when you head to places like El Paso, Lubbock, Amarillo, etc., you feel like you're in the Southwestern U.S. I might have to group Texas as being either "Southern Plains" or "Western South" (not to be confused with "Southwest" which would be AZ, NM, etc.) If we were to take the South as "Western South" and "Eastern South", as another member mentioned we should do, I'd say Houston dominates the Western South and Atlanta has the Eastern South.
i'm not saying Houston is insignificant. I'm just saying if you ask most Americans what's the 4th largest city in the country, most probably wouldn't think Houston.
Well, I think the same can be said about the second and third largest cities in the country. A lot of people likely think that Chicago is second largest. But Houston has been the fourth largest for practically decades now, so I'm sure enough people know.
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Although I might add Houston's sphere of influence probably includes a little bit of Mexico.
Not really. It never has been a city that was really in touch with Mexico. Plus, it's not close enough.
Agreed. Most folks here in PA think Atlanta is larger than Houston. Why? People hear about it much, much more frequently and give it more credence as a result. It doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't powerful or important, but when one here in the Northeast thinks of "South", Atlanta is usually the first major city that comes to mind. I suppose it's just difficult because so many in the North find it hard to qualify Texas as a whole being the "South." After all, when you head to places like El Paso, Lubbock, Amarillo, etc., you feel like you're in the Southwestern U.S. I might have to group Texas as being either "Southern Plains" or "Western South" (not to be confused with "Southwest" which would be AZ, NM, etc.) If we were to take the South as "Western South" and "Eastern South", as another member mentioned we should do, I'd say Houston dominates the Western South and Atlanta has the Eastern South.
Well no offense, but what from what you tell me, it appears as if our northern brethren need to put down the remote control and start educating themselves.
As I've put it before, anyone who doesn't think of Texas as part of the South does not know Texas or the south very well. And as I'm thinking about it, saying that the Houston area of Texas is "western" anything is a bit of a misstatement. The city really sits at a crossroads, and in fact is very much akin to that of a southeastern city. With the plant life and climate, it just barely passes as a Texan city. In fact, I don't even consider Houston a part of the western half of the U.S. I see it in the eastern half.
Houston isn't a glamourized, TV city (no thanks to misleading stereotypes), so that's the only reason many people don't know enough about it.
Simply because a great chunk of the United States population is educated by the television
Sadly, a lot of people on this forum know of my hometown of Scranton, PA simply because it is the home for NBC's "The Office." It is amazing how many people popularize cities based solely upon media/entertainment. I'm not saying that "The Office" hasn't been a boon to the economy here in the Electric City (which it most certainly has), but I'd love it if more of these folks would appreciate it for its amazing architecture, history/heritage, culture, etc. I think if another hit NBC sitcom is based in Houston you'll see your city's popularity swell as well. Like it or not most folks form judgments about cities based upon media/entertainment because America is a nation full of morons who skip work to see "American Idol."
Sadly, a lot of people on this forum know of my hometown of Scranton, PA simply because it is the home for NBC's "The Office." It is amazing how many people popularize cities based solely upon media/entertainment. I'm not saying that "The Office" hasn't been a boon to the economy here in the Electric City (which it most certainly has), but I'd love it if more of these folks would appreciate it for its amazing architecture, history/heritage, culture, etc. I think if another hit NBC sitcom is based in Houston you'll see your city's popularity swell as well. Like it or not most folks form judgments about cities based upon media/entertainment because America is a nation full of morons who skip work to see "American Idol."
Yeah, but I have a feeling that if there is television show in Houston it will draw unmercifully from those infamous Texas stereotypes that seem to entertain you guys up there so much.
Right now the only good show filmed in Houston is Cheaters.
i'm not saying Houston is insignificant. I'm just saying if you ask most Americans what's the 4th largest city in the country, most probably wouldn't think Houston. Although I might add Houston's sphere of influence probably includes a little bit of Mexico.
Many people don't even know Chicago is even in the top 5 lol. Normal people who aren't obsessed with cities and skyscrapers like we are wouldn't know much about any cities except for NYC and LA. There's people who actually though Dallas was the 3rd biggest city in the US!
I might have to group Texas as being either "Southern Plains" or "Western South" (not to be confused with "Southwest" which would be AZ, NM, etc.) If we were to take the South as "Western South" and "Eastern South", as another member mentioned we should do, I'd say Houston dominates the Western South and Atlanta has the Eastern South.
That member was probably me! That is, as suggesting the qualifier of "western" and "eastern" as opposed to "Southwestern" or Southeastern" LOL
But anyway, "Western South" is MUCH more apt than "Southwest" to refer to most of Texas in terms of history and culture and just about everything thing else. I used to try and make this point in much earlier threads on the topic of Texas' regional affliation and seemed like most Texans agreed.
But just as a matter of trivia, credit for the term itself belongs to Raymond Gastil, who wrote the great work "Cultural Regions of the United States." Anyone ever read it? It is a good one...
When did we become obsessed? Atleast I haven't, lol. I'm just very interested by this stuff.
obsessed/very interested....same difference lol
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