Why are Texans so hostile and judgmental towards transplants? (Dallas: live, moving)

[whippage]

Originally Posted by stephenm85

I'm a transplant to Arizona and originally from Texas. I know some people in Arizona don't like their state that much but will still stay. In Texas that I've seen more people with pride to be called a Texan. I have 3 sisters and a younger brother and other than my 2 older sisters that others have Texas pride still. I'm moving back to Texas for more job opportunities but that's not my only reason to moving back.

What do you call someone that moves out of their home state and struggles to move back because of their pride?

We call that a Texan. Welcome home.

[LoneStarJerry]

I can understand both sides of the coin. I think where the problem comes as with just about anything else is when people go to the extreme, and there are many Texans both native and transplants who like to quickly throw out their "don't let the door hit you on the way out" comments whenever someone has the slightest of complaints. I don't think someone needs to absolutely agree with, or love every single thing about the town, city, county, state, or even country they live in. Just because one has an issue or two with things doesn't mean they don't love Texas. I'm a transplant myself, I came here free-will and don't regret it one bit. It's a beautiful state, will it ever have all of what my home state had for me? Of course not, but my home state will never have what all of Texas offers me as well.


I have met far more friendly Texans since moving here than those who I speak of above, but there are definitely pockets of very defensive people who won't even dare put up with your suggestion of wishing the city you lived in had a better restaurant, or grocery store, or something along those lines without telling you to go back where you came from, and that they love their home as is.

[turf3]

Well, as we used to say during the great influx from Michigan and Ohio in the 80s:


"They never stop complaining, but they never leave, either."

[lonestar2007]

Originally Posted by turf3

Well, as we used to say during the great influx from Michigan and Ohio in the 80s:


"They never stop complaining, but they never leave, either."

lol I remember that time period all too well and you are so right, it was exactly what they did and exactly what we said about them. I laugh about it now, but it sure wasn't funny back then. I'd never heard anyone in my life complain like those people did. Complained about everything. My gawd.

[turf3]

Originally Posted by lonestar2007

lol I remember that time period all too well and you are so right, it was exactly what they did and exactly what we said about them. I laugh about it now, but it sure wasn't funny back then. I'd never heard anyone in my life complain like those people did. Complained about everything. My gawd.

Well, of all the areas of the US I've been to, the Upper Midwest seems to have the lowest standard for general good manners. Plus their utter contempt for everyone else gets a bit tiresome.

[RJ312]

I could imagine Texans in smaller Texas towns would be hostile towards transplants, but that is not the case in Metro Dallas. In Dallas (city), there are a lot of transplants coming in, often younger single people in their 20s/30s looking to date and advance their careers. In the Collin County suburbs of Dallas, there are a bunch of families moving to those locations. When a sizable portion of the population are transplants, there is no hostility towards transplants.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by RJ312

I could imagine Texans in smaller Texas towns would be hostile towards transplants, but that is not the case in Metro Dallas. In Dallas (city), there are a lot of transplants coming in, often younger single people in their 20s/30s looking to date and advance their careers. In the Collin County suburbs of Dallas, there are a bunch of families moving to those locations. When a sizable portion of the population are transplants, there is no hostility towards transplants.

I've only encountered any level of "hostility" toward non locals in small towns. And that's not just in Texas, that's anywhere.
https://youtu.be/gsC4kf6x_Q0

[As Above So Below...]

I’ve had one person say something hostile to my face about my home state in Texas. It was an enterprise rental car employee in Dallas. I lived in Dallas 7 years and now Houston for 4 and nothing else has been said.

Based on that I would conclude that at least Dallas and Houston are not hostile towards transplants.

[TexasRoadkill]

Originally Posted by nativetexasgal

I think some people don't want to see new people move to their state, period. Others welcome new people because it's the neighborly thing to do, and growth in a state can indicate the economy is doing well there also.

My personal experiences in living in other states--I had my best experiences when I moved to another state and did not expect it to be like "back home," which for me is Texas. When I moved to Virginia, I didn't go there with the idea that it would be like Texas. I also didn't complain and moan to natives or lifelong Virginians that "Virginia isn't like Texas." Comparisons such as those don't endear you to people in the new state you're moving to, and it also predisposes you not to enjoy the new surroundings you're in. Doesn't mean you'll never get homesick in a new location. Of course, you probably will. Leave the judgmental attitude about your new location back where you came from.

I think if people who are moving to a new state go there with an open and accepting mind, they'll likely be welcomed. They'll also probably learn a lot and have many new and wonderful experiences.

And, very important: if you don't like something about your new state that can be changed, step up to the plate with ideas about how to correct problems. Don't just gripe to people already there about the problems. Don't complain about the weather--in Texas, when newcomers (endlessly) complain about the heat, I ask them, "What did you expect?" They're in Texas, and it's hot here in the summer. This should be NO surprise as it's in the Southwestern U.S. Passing remarks about the heat are one thing. Continual griping is another. Another favorite is when new people arrive and complain that Texas is mostly flat, as if Texans could really do anything about it! Sheesh. At that point, I really am thinking, "Go home already!" It gets old quickly. People who come to Texas and embrace it for what's here usually have a good experience living here. And, many of them decide to make Texas their permanent home. They fit right in with people already here because they make the most of Texas as it is, not as they wish it was.

It's one thing to ask questions about the place you're moving because you simply don't know much about the state. It's quite another to ask questions with a snide tone and judgmental attitude about the state you're going to, especially when you're asking people, many of whom are natives or lifelong residents of a state--to help you.

When I visited Great Britain, I didn't gripe to British people about their food or anything else, and complain about how it "wasn't like American food." If I needed an American food fix while across the pond, I visited a McDonalds, a place I frequent very little in the U.S. I didn't ask them why they didn't sound like Americans. :-)

The USA is comprised of 50 very different states. They are not homogenous nor should anyone expect them to be. That's what makes the USA a unique and interesting country. Each state has its own unique "flavor," so if you move from your home state/state where you've lived a long time to a new state, leave your expectations that Florida should be like New Mexico or that New York should be like Texas. A'int gonna happen!

OMG - Great reply. That is 100% correct.
Native Texans do not need others to remind them how hot and humid the state can be or how big the state is and how long it takes to drive anywhere. AND the old jokes about cowboys and oil wells are just sad.

[destiknee]

A truly good city will defend itself because its beauty does that. But if a city or state is kind of blah then insecure individuals can't handle the truth about their boring ugly state. So what what others think, all that matters is that if u like it than just smile and allow others to say what they see in a place. Texas is ugly compared to California or Hawaii, that's just the way it is.