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View Poll Results: Which major MSA?
Austin 51 62.96%
San Antonio 10 12.35%
Houston 18 22.22%
DFW 2 2.47%
Voters: 81. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 07-07-2018, 12:06 AM
 
Location: "The Dirty Irv" Irving, TX
4,001 posts, read 3,263,711 times
Reputation: 4832

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Quote:
Originally Posted by edwinpa7 View Post
Houston has tall trees. And skyscrapers almost everywhere.

When you're down there, can't even tell.
I mean you can still tell it is the flatest of the major metros.

My opinion won't satisfy anyone, but I think Houston is prettier than the detractors give it credit for but less so than the boosters want to pump it up to be.

I think that is a a microcosm for Texas natural beauty as a whole.
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Old 07-10-2018, 02:14 PM
 
257 posts, read 177,619 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Treasurevalley92 View Post
My opinion won't satisfy anyone, but I think Houston is prettier than the detractors give it credit for but less so than the boosters want to pump it up to be.

I think that is a a microcosm for Texas natural beauty as a whole.

As a native Houstonian who still lives here, I think that's a pretty fair assessment of Houston, and of Texas natural beauty as a whole. Even the Big Bend area, I love it, it's certainly beautiful, but compared to other parts of the American Southwest with similar topography/ecosystem, it's not a standout.
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Old 07-10-2018, 02:28 PM
 
257 posts, read 177,619 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Treasurevalley92 View Post
I meant to write "Before I moved to Texas"

I've lived here 8 years, I heard about the hill country fairly quickly from a friend I met in college who was from there.

Outside of Texas it isn't well known.

It gets more national coverage among travel writers than you're giving it credit for.


https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/t...l-country.html


https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/02/t...es/02hill.html


https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/u...r=2&ref=texas&


Texas Hill Country blooms in the spring


https://www.travelandleisure.com/art...-for-the-hills


https://www.travelandleisure.com/art...er-august-2005


The real Texas is in the hills - tribunedigital-chicagotribune
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Old 07-10-2018, 04:17 PM
 
Location: "The Dirty Irv" Irving, TX
4,001 posts, read 3,263,711 times
Reputation: 4832
Again, in the same way the Ozarks are featured. Also, alot of the hill country being "Discovered" outside the state has to do with Austin being a media darling.

Even with the hype the hill country isn't as well known as Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, the Great Smokys, Grand Canyon, the Badlands, Adirondacks, Olympic National Park, Rockey Mountain National park, Arches Np etc. I'm sure part of that has to do with there not being much public land
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Old 07-11-2018, 04:46 PM
 
Location: Middle America
11,090 posts, read 7,149,943 times
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I don't care for DFW, but equally value the other three (appreciate the differences; no need to have a winner).
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Old 07-12-2018, 09:43 AM
 
12 posts, read 11,444 times
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Houston for me...
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Old 07-12-2018, 06:34 PM
 
8,275 posts, read 7,944,929 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Treasurevalley92 View Post

Even with the hype the hill country isn't as well known as Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, the Great Smokys, Grand Canyon, the Badlands, Adirondacks, Olympic National Park, Rockey Mountain National park, Arches Np etc. I'm sure part of that has to do with there not being much public land
The Hill Country doesn't remotely compare with any of the places you mentioned. It's grossly overrated because it is moderately attractive and close to major metro areas.

The Hill Country is a poor man's cross between the Smokies and southern California.
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Old 07-13-2018, 06:18 AM
 
Location: "The Dirty Irv" Irving, TX
4,001 posts, read 3,263,711 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by War Beagle View Post
The Hill Country doesn't remotely compare with any of the places you mentioned. It's grossly overrated because it is moderately attractive and close to major metro areas.

The Hill Country is a poor man's cross between the Smokies and southern California.
I wouldn't say moderately attractive, think it is a pretty area.

I also don't think it comes anywhere close to the above listed national treasures.

I think nationally it has about the profile of the Ozarks: known, but not a premier destination My family and extended family in the upper Midwest and Mountain West are all pretty into camping and national parks and it's pretty far down the list of must see locations.

As far as "Must See" lists I would place them with the Wisconsin Dells, the Indiana Sand Dunes, or the Iowa "Hill Country" Either in the North East along the river bluffs or the southern part of the state.

These are all genuinely beautiful places and anyone who lives in or around them should feel proud to live by such nice places, but they aren't national "Destinations"

They are more the type of places you drive though or stop at while taking the "scenic" route, where locals go to get a way for a little bit, or where you might go to visit friends or family who live in the general area, not the sort of places most people plan a family road trip and drive 1000 miles to see.

The hill country gets alot of hype within Texas because it is in the middle of Texas, the 2nd most populous state. It is the "Local" (within 3-4 hours) pretty spot for Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, thats alot of people.

When you have some 28 odd million people in the State of Texas who know about (and most love) the hill country, it's easy to get the idea that it's better known, regarded, and loved nationally than it actually truly is.
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Old 07-13-2018, 03:44 PM
 
8,275 posts, read 7,944,929 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Treasurevalley92 View Post

The hill country gets alot of hype within Texas because it is in the middle of Texas, the 2nd most populous state. It is the "Local" (within 3-4 hours) pretty spot for Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, thats alot of people.

When you have some 28 odd million people in the State of Texas who know about (and most love) the hill country, it's easy to get the idea that it's better known, regarded, and loved nationally than it actually truly is.
It's also gets a lot of hype because, let's face it, the more populated parts of Texas aren't exactly known for having as pretty of a landscape as many others parts of the country. There are definitely some neat places to explore and enjoy nature in the Hill Country, but I think it's in-state hype is largely due to the bar being so low.
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Old 07-13-2018, 05:52 PM
 
Location: "The Dirty Irv" Irving, TX
4,001 posts, read 3,263,711 times
Reputation: 4832
Quote:
Originally Posted by War Beagle View Post
It's also gets a lot of hype because, let's face it, the more populated parts of Texas aren't exactly known for having as pretty of a landscape as many others parts of the country. There are definitely some neat places to explore and enjoy nature in the Hill Country, but I think it's in-state hype is largely due to the bar being so low.
I agree 100%. I also agree with you that there are some pretty cool places in the hill country.

If someone from outside the area was trying to claim that Texas didn't have any scenic areas, I would be the first to point out the spots I like in the hill country.

But let's not pretend it's something it's not.
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