Why do Texans dislike Houston? (Dallas, Austin: how much, neighborhoods, school)

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by johnrex62

Seriously, most Texans are not enamored with the idea of urban life. They tend to be more surburban or even rural in perspective so Houston and to a lesser degree Dallas represent the evil of the urban lifestyle.

Plus everyone needs a scapegoat!

9 out of 10 times when I hear people complain about Houston it has to do with the humidity. The other time, its about the zoning. Its never anything major.

Conversely, when I am in Houston and I hear people complain about Dallas, its about the people.

[johnrex62]

This is true, humidity and mosquitoes are a common complaint, but those are really just gripes brought on by the dissatisfaction of city size.

[Brewzerr68]

Though Houston does get bashed a lot in these forums, I wouldn't say that it necessarily takes any more of a beating than Dallas does. Both cities get their fair share of stereotyping and negative attention, and I think the reason for this is that they are both roughly the same size and follow similar growth patterns. A lot of Texans aren't too keen on the idea of having 2 giant metropolises sharing their state with them, with all their urban problems.

I have never understood the thing between Houston and Dallas. I have lived in both cities and love them both for somewhat different reasons. They are too similar to be talking down on each other, and in fact in real life it is nowhere NEAR as bad as it is in the limited reality of C-D. Most people in Houston either don't have an opinion of Dallas, or they like/love it. Same goes for Dallas' general opinions of Houston. There are always going to be those few people making a lot of bad noise, and it usually has something to do with either sports or business.

I actually see more Houston-bashing coming from Atlantans than Dallasites, which REALLY confuses me.

[PanTerra]

Originally Posted by Sunderpig

Why is there so much poor grammar on this site? ...

Here's a thread for you.

//www.city-data.com/forum/writi...e-anymore.html

[High_Plains_Retired]

Most Texans simply don't care enough about Houston to bash it.

[Trae713]

Originally Posted by ducketts

The reason that most people dislike Houston is because not only that it is unlike any city in Texas , but it is too much like the rest of the south. Houston is only 100 plus miles from the Louisiana border and it also sits too close to the gulf . It is not an an inland empire like Austin , San Antonio , or DFW. It has a relationship with most other southern seaport cities like Beaumont, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Mobile, or even Jacksonville, Florida. Jacksonville also reminds me a bit like Houston itself because of its subtropical climate , pine trees, flat topography, and layout. The real reason why most migrants also choose other Texas cities over Houston is because alot of southerners know that Houston reminds them of where they come from. Houston is a very nice city with a unique mixture of diverse cultures that make it unsurpassed to most sunbelt cities, but nine out of ten African Americans choose Dallas over Houston for various reasons. They feel that Houston is just like where they left. Most African Africans also love the region of the other Texas cities by the lack of southern aspects like rainy humid weather and pine trees. The I 35 corridor cities are not only Texan , but they also have a midwest feel . Say for instance, Dallas , the gateway to the midwest or Oklahoma. Fort Worth , the gateway the old west. Austin , the center of Texas and San Antonio , the gateway to the Spanish Texas , they differ from eachother. Texas cities should dominate Texas other than dominating division amongst themselves

blkgiraffe already got you on most points, but the bolded is also wrong. Houston was the fastest growing metro area in Texas (and the nation) last decade.

I don't know if Houston gets the most hate, but it is the city in Texas that is ****ted on the most, IMO. It is different than all of the other Texas cities in look and feel (faster-paced, more open diversity, topography is different, etc.). Houston kind of does its own thing. It's not connected to the other major Texas cities that string along the I-35 corridor. There are really no major population centers between Houston-DFW and Houston-San Antonio.

[Chalie Brown]

I think some Texans don't feel all that connected to Houston. It's so very different from the rest of the state, scenery and culture wise. Its like a different world to some.

[The Gribbler]

Originally Posted by llmrkc07

Yea. He got me with that "dallas is the gateway to the Midwest", lol.

As far as layout, Dallas is actually more like Kansas City than Houston.

[JJG]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

Most Texans simply don't care enough about Houston to bash it.

Yeah, that's definately NOT true....

As for that soccer fan comment.... it's soccer. Ya can't base the entire city off fans of a sport that's really not that big, even for Houston where there are tons more soccer fans than other Texas cities.

Just like every other place, there's good and there's bad.

[Newbe10]

Originally Posted by ducketts

The reason that most people dislike Houston is because not only that it is unlike any city in Texas , but it is too much like the rest of the south. Houston is only 100 plus miles from the Louisiana border and it also sits too close to the gulf . It is not an an inland empire like Austin , San Antonio , or DFW. It has a relationship with most other southern seaport cities like Beaumont, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Mobile, or even Jacksonville, Florida. Jacksonville also reminds me a bit like Houston itself because of its subtropical climate , pine trees, flat topography, and layout. The real reason why most migrants also choose other Texas cities over Houston is because alot of southerners know that Houston reminds them of where they come from. Houston is a very nice city with a unique mixture of diverse cultures that make it unsurpassed to most sunbelt cities, but nine out of ten African Americans choose Dallas over Houston for various reasons. They feel that Houston is just like where they left. Most African Africans also love the region of the other Texas cities by the lack of southern aspects like rainy humid weather and pine trees. The I 35 corridor cities are not only Texan , but they also have a midwest feel . Say for instance, Dallas , the gateway to the midwest or Oklahoma. Fort Worth , the gateway the old west. Austin , the center of Texas and San Antonio , the gateway to the Spanish Texas , they differ from eachother. Texas cities should dominate Texas other than dominating division amongst themselves

Those things are actually a part of what makes Houston a great place. Scenery wise, yes it does feel like the deep south but the entire Eastern section of Texas does because it is apart of the Piney Woods that cover most of the deep south. Also plentiful rivers, bayous (hence the nickname the "Bayou City,"), and the close proximity to the coast at to the character of the city. So although it is similar in many ways to other southern cities, it is also very unique in its own way, and I think that for some reason, many of the H-town haters in the state just can't accept that the city is just Unique.

The woods along with the coastal prarie areas are actually a very nice compliment to the city itself. Plus there is so much to see and do in Houston because of its size and international influences, which again, like the other stuff, is not a bad thing.

Truth be told, even though Houston is very unique, it still feels more like an vintage Texas city than say Austin or El Paso. I think that the Houston area is actually home to the majority of the oil industry (part of the image of Texas) in the state. I don't think that I have ever seen so many derricks and refineries in a single metro area anywhere in the world outside of some of the areas that I went through while serving in the persian gulf a few years back.