How conservative/stereotypical is Texas? (Austin, Hart: gated, organic, tax)

[stanwood]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

My favorite strip mall in the world is in southwest Houston where there is a halal butchery next to a Mexican trannie bar next to a gun shop.

That's funny!

[stanwood]

Originally Posted by sinking

Having grown up in rural New England I can state that that part is entirely true, save for a few bumpkins.

I don't tend to spend much time in rural Texas but do find myself there from time to time when traveling for work. Even as a straight dude I feel a little uncomfortable there. It seems people can tell I am not from around there and will stare.

It could be because you consider the Texas small town folks as "bumpkins" too without getting to know them. I'm guessing that attitude oozes from you when you're in a small town. And you probably don't think they're smart enough to know how you think.

[nep321]

No, I'm seriously now leaning toward Austin. I think I'm going to forget about San Diego and Florida because the job market situation in those places is simply awful. Remember, I will be moving with no job. Just $25,000 of cash and myself. I do have a master's in accounting and a bachelor's in business admin though. The unemployment rate of just 5.3% in Austin metro is very promising for job creation. I also saw that the ratio of job openings to job seekers in Austin metro is 1:1, which is great news. I'm also very happy that it's a warmer climate, gay friendly, leans liberal, is not so pretentious and is affordable to live in. As for the cultural differences between Austin and Hartford, I'm sure it might be a bit of a culture shock at first, but I'm sure that over time, I could learn to like it, as long as I keep an open mind and positive attitude.

[die Eichkatze]

Surprise, city folk bashing areas they have never lived in and only passed through a time or two but yet are experts on rural areas. The other day I sauntered into downtown Austin to grab a bite to eat, and all the non-white people and gays were giving me looks cause you know, I'm straight, white, wearing a cowboy hat and dirty clothes....I hear they don't take too kindly to my kind.

To the OP: You can be whatever you want to be and not have a problem in any major city in Texas. Go and visit any small town or rural area in Texas and you'll be just fine. In fact, you will be missing out on a whole lot of fun with the many diverse geographic and cultural areas of Texas if you don't. Keep an open mind and focus on the positive aspects of wherever you choose. You are coming off as someone who likes to complain and dwell on the negative things in which case you will have a hard time being comfortable anywhere you decide to live. On the job front: Austin is home to a major university, and that university also has one of the top ranked accounting programs in the US. While job growth is better here, you will also be competing with a huge supply of grads and others relocating here as well. You might want to check out some jobs in the different Texas metros first before making a move.
Good luck.

[nep321]

To what degree is religion/Christianity visible out in public? Does Texas have those huge white crucifix towers that can be seen from a few miles away? I am an atheist and don't want to feel like I'm living in Jesus Land. Will I see things like the Ten Commandments in public buildings or restaurants? Will people bother and ask me about which church I am going to join? How intrusive is religion in Texas? No offense to religious people, but here in the Northeast, none of those things exist and I prefer it that way.

[LizzySWW]

Originally Posted by nep321

To what degree is religion/Christianity visible out in public? Does Texas have those huge white crucifix towers that can be seen from a few miles away? I am an atheist and don't want to feel like I'm living in Jesus Land. Will I see things like the Ten Commandments in public buildings or restaurants? Will people bother and ask me about which church I am going to join? How intrusive is religion in Texas? No offense to religious people, but here in the Northeast, none of those things exist and I prefer it that way.

Sagemont Church between Houston & Galveston.

[DanielWayne]

Originally Posted by nep321

To what degree is religion/Christianity visible out in public? Does Texas have those huge white crucifix towers that can be seen from a few miles away? I am an atheist and don't want to feel like I'm living in Jesus Land. Will I see things like the Ten Commandments in public buildings or restaurants? Will people bother and ask me about which church I am going to join? How intrusive is religion in Texas? No offense to religious people, but here in the Northeast, none of those things exist and I prefer it that way.

Geez man nobody cares if you are atheist. And nobody is going to drag you kicking and screaming to church. If you so want that stuff, sure its here but You have to go looking for it, it aint gonna come looking for you. You will find all kinds of religions in the metros and half of them have nothing to do with Jesus. Your stereotypes are beyond any Hollywood movie. Just pick a city and come check it out. Trust us you won't stand out. For the record i don't follow any organized religion either.

[dorpus]

Originally Posted by nep321

To what degree is religion/Christianity visible out in public? Does Texas have those huge white crucifix towers that can be seen from a few miles away? I am an atheist and don't want to feel like I'm living in Jesus Land. Will I see things like the Ten Commandments in public buildings or restaurants? Will people bother and ask me about which church I am going to join? How intrusive is religion in Texas? No offense to religious people, but here in the Northeast, none of those things exist and I prefer it that way.

When I moved to Austin last Spring, the first billboard I saw at the city limits was a black billboard with big white letters that said "THINK GOD."

The city's healthcare industry is dominated by Seton Healthcare, a Catholic network, followed by St. David's, an Episcopal network. So if you get into a traffic accident around here, you will probably wake up in a hospital room with a cross on the wall.

The local churches are all bursting at the seams, since the population is growing faster than the churches can keep up. There are traffic jams at churches, with police guiding cars around traffic cones. The Catholic diocese of Austin has ordered all churches to accept at least 2,000 families until more churches can be built.

Though, I've been told that churches in Dallas are even busier, with two side-by-side mega-churches holding 14 masses per day. So they built a 3rd megachurch, and now they only need to have 8 masses per day.

On the flip side, the churches are so vast and impersonal that nobody cares if you are there or not. The competition to get involved in church activities is extreme, requiring application forms, background checks, and letters of recommendation. They do everything possible to keep people away. I asked the assistant priest if I could just walk into a bible study group. He laughed and said that I will need to apply 3 months in advance of each semester.

[TexasHorseLady]

As it grows more and more obvious that the OP is just trying to get his jollies (which is sad, really), I have to say that I've been in St. David's as a patient and the spouse of a patient, and there were no crosses visible anywhere that I noticed, and definitely not in the rooms.

More stereotyping.

[CincyIowan]

Urban areas - yes, Rural - no