Worried about moving to TX from the North (Houston, Dallas: homes, wedding)

[vwgto]

If you had not stated as something you actually experienced, I would have been convinced it was a stereotype encounter someone from the NE might have made-up. Nobody in Houston cares where you are from beyond it being a potential topic for conversation, and I (being from NJ) have never encountered that attitude in any southern rural or metro area over almost 40 years.

[mkwensky]

There is a lot of cultural difference between major city Texas and small town Texas. You'll be completely fine in Houston or Dallas but as far as Tyler/Palestine is concerned who knows?

[bu2]

Originally Posted by winter251

^ Thank you. That makes sense that the smaller towns would have different ways of thinking. I also have another concern but I am hesitant to bring it up due to being afraid that it will come off the wrong way. I love my husband.. he is hard working and strives to be a good husband and father! One difference between us is our experience in education. This sounds awful(!!!) but I often have to tell him the meaning of certain words, spell things for him, and explain things to him that I consider to be common knowledge. So we clearly went to very different types of schools. How are the schools in Houston (public and private)? It seems like they would be much more rigorous than the smaller towns, no? I am a teacher and education is very important to me. I was expected to be an A-student all the way through grad school and will expect my children to try their very best in school as well, and that they will be challenged and held to high standards by their teachers.

I will move to TX for my husband but need to get my anxiety about these topics resolved. Thank you all so much!

There's a bumper sticker, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as quick as I could." That's the way most Texans feel about people who move here (and don't complain about how it was much better where they came from).

[chris_ut]

People are beating around the bush but Palestine is a backwaters full of barely educated people and you couldn't pay me enough to live there. Houston has nothing at all in common with Palestine the same way NYC has nothing in common with the part of NY you are from. If your husband wants to relocate to Texas insist to live in Houston or Dallas or you will probably be unhappy. They will always see you as an outsider there although maybe your grandkids or great grand kids would be accepted as locals.

[Scottamemnon]

You will not encounter this in Houston. I am from Massachusetts, lived in Houston for 4 years, moved back to Massachusetts for family reasons. Ever since I am back, we have our old Texan friends asking when we are moving back. These are people from all areas of Texas, including some small East Texas towns.

I actually have encountered far more anti-Texas comments in Massachusetts, than I ever did the other way around. Four years in Texas has made me too-Texan to continue relationships with some of my old friends up here for example, which is insane.

The only thing they hated in Houston about me being from New England was when the Patriots came to town...

[Houston parent]

There are intellectually lazy *******s everywhere. Chris Cuomo ("journalist" from New York) was just on CNN yesterday trashing the south, using lazy stereotypes to do so.

[mikeyyc]

It sounds more like a family thing. We moved to Houston a decade ago from Canada, and have had pretty much a perfect experience. There's the occasional dumb butt, but overall, people are welcoming, genuine and it's a great place. I stand with everyone else and say that you need to be in a metro location though.

[Shipresa]

I'm from a village wayyy north of Utica and I suspect I know whereabouts you may be from. Even so, I've lived over 7 years in Houston and that is complete nonsense.

Houston is as multi-cultural and open as you can get - probably the most in Texas! Brush up on Texas history and you'll see it isn't "the South." There isn't any north/south here. (You will find that in Alabama or Mississippi more often...NOT here..) It is Texas!

Yes, Texans DO think that Texas is great, and that is sometimes just simply FUN. I suspect your husband's family may be a bit...well...insular.

If you are coming from upstate NY and not much experience in a big city - just take it slow. I remember the first time my folks came down (they are in their 70s) and was so afraid to get on I-10. Now they are experts around Houston. It is just a big big town.

[Shipresa]

Originally Posted by chris_ut

People are beating around the bush but Palestine is a backwaters full of barely educated people and you couldn't pay me enough to live there. Houston has nothing at all in common with Palestine the same way NYC has nothing in common with the part of NY you are from. If your husband wants to relocate to Texas insist to live in Houston or Dallas or you will probably be unhappy. They will always see you as an outsider there although maybe your grandkids or great grand kids would be accepted as locals.

****This.*****

Thanks for being direct. You said this well.

[HTownNearNative]

No way I would ever recommend anyone who is not a native Texan to move to Palestine, TX because of the backwards mentality and below average schools. Tyler might be a little bit better than Palestine when it comes to education, but it may have the insular attitude as well. Tyler is the “big city” for the folks from Palestine. Like the other poster said, you will ALWAYS be an outsider. You don’t want your kids “educated”’in such an environment. Houston, including the suburbs are much more diverse (international), yet with plenty of conservative Christian churches all around! Jobs here overall pay better than any job in a Small’s-to-midsize Texas city. Depending on your budget you might have a longer commute than in a small town. But you should never have to worry about being judged as a “Yankee” here.