Texas is not the South but the South wants it to be (Houston: buying, legal)

[Pincho-toot]

Originally Posted by CCrest182

The "Coke" and "Y'all" thing is true, but there's little in common between the colonial south and Texas. Texas is more western influenced there. Especially the plains and deserty part of Texas, that can only be considered western. Plains are not a trait of the south.

I would say Houston is southern, but Dallas, San Antonio, and especially El Paso are southwestern, with some southern influence.

There's good reason why Texas is one of the hardest states to classify by which region it's in.

Mississippi isn't in the "colonial south" and yet it's the most iconic southern state. You do realise the Colonial South is a strip that includes VA, the Carolinas and GA and that's about it. KY, TN, AL, FL, MS, AR, LA are not colonial. Neither are TX and OK.



For the record I see Texas as Southern but also Southwestern. In the sense that it's not Southeastern. Southern like Illinois is Northern, but not Northeastern. Likewise I see Arizona and New Mexico as ALSO Southwestern BUT not Southern.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by BadgerFilms

You can get sweet tea in Seattle because of culinary diversity, as a result of it being a major city. I'm sure you can get pretty good Japanese food but that doesn't mean anything. If you go to a small town in Washington state, I'm sure sweet tea will be hard to find.



Was in Wichita a few years ago and even as far south as Wichita, only a short drive from Oklahoma, sweet tea just isn't a "thing" there.

You can get sweet tea must about everywhere now - because sweet tea is awesome. Glad to see that this southern staple is finally available in most other places in most other regions.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by BadgerFilms

There's Somalis in Minneapolis, Hmong in Saint Paul, Mexicans in West Saint Paul. You can find all kinds of nationalities in the Twin Cities and although not as many transplants as there are in Texas, still a good amount too. This diversity does not take away from our "Midwesterness" so why would diversity/migration take away from Dallas', Houston's or Austin's Southerneress? (Also virtually every immigrant and transplant in Texas that I met, has adapted parts of the local culture. I worked with a Chilean woman with a strong Chilean accent, who says "fixin' to" and I had a Chinese professor with the thickest Chinese accent, who said "y'all". It's not like these migrants are changing Texas. Texas is changing them) Why is the South so fragile? Hundreds of thousands of southerners moved to St. Louis, Chicago and Detroit and they haven't changed their northern/Midwestern identity. Tons of immigrants live in Chicago... Still the Midwest. Why is it the North has a more flexible identity than the South to some people? Is it some subliminal connotation of southern xenophobia? Because that ain't right.

Nor is it the norm. Seven southern states are ranked in the top half of the states in total when it comes to diversity - and they are also doing very well economically, though of course some more than others (I'm looking at you, Louisiana). They are - in order - Texas (ranked #2 by the way, only surpassed by California), Florida, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, Louisiana, and South Carolina.

The bottom ten states (ranked from least diverse up but all are in the top bottom ten) are: West Virginia (my husband calls WV "the land time forgot), Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Montana, Kentucky, Iowa, Utah, Ohio, Wyoming, and Indiana.
https://ceoworld.biz/2018/09/19/repo...-u-s-for-2018/

[Pincho-toot]

Originally Posted by soletaire

I tend to agree with this...as diverse as Houston is, its really still overwhelmingly southern. DFW on the other hand feels about as southern as St. Louis or Kansas City.

No... no it doesn't. Kansas City is more similar to Minneapolis-Saint Paul than Dallas. I haven't been to St. Louis but that city has been described as being a cultural cousin to Chicago. I can see some connections with KC and DFW but overall KC is very Midwestern. DFW is NOT.

[Pincho-toot]

Originally Posted by Treasurevalley92

I like Kansas as well, but I don't think Dallas is really like that. Honestly, I don't think Dallas is really much like the great plains at all....too many trees, too much southern architecture, too much preppy southern culture, too diverse.

I think Dallas is solidly southern in the big city sort of way. I have family all over the great plains and midwest and they consider Dallas "Southern" when they visit.

I think you could make the argument Fort Worth is more like the great plains...It reminds me of OKC.

To be fair, Kansas has plenty of trees too. It's western Kansas where trees get sparse. Over by Overland Park it seems even woodier than Dallas does. I see a geographic connection with North Texas and much of Kansas, they can grow some of the same plants and see similar weather patterns and have similar topography. But Texas has a southern element that Kansas does not have.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by BadgerFilms

No... no it doesn't. Kansas City is more similar to Minneapolis-Saint Paul than Dallas. I haven't been to St. Louis but that city has been described as being a cultural cousin to Chicago. I can see some connections with KC and DFW but overall KC is very Midwestern. DFW is NOT.

I totally agree with this. Goodness.

Dallas is it's own entity. It's TEXAN. It's that mix of southern and southwestern, with a huge dollop of "a little bit of everything" due to it's diverse population. It does not feel at all Midwestern to me.

I have been to St. Louis several times and it's definitely got a midwestern flavor to it. Minneapolis is actually one of my favorite cities and it's another city that has sort of it's own vibe going on. Haven't been to KC.

[Trainwreck20]

You know, almost every city is going to have some 'connection' to multiple other cities. It is pretty futile to put a city into a box that is squarely occupied by another city/area.

[walker1962]

Originally Posted by BadgerFilms

There's Somalis in Minneapolis, Hmong in Saint Paul, Mexicans in West Saint Paul. You can find all kinds of nationalities in the Twin Cities and although not as many transplants as there are in Texas, still a good amount too. This diversity does not take away from our "Midwesterness" so why would diversity/migration take away from Dallas', Houston's or Austin's Southerneress? (Also virtually every immigrant and transplant in Texas that I met, has adapted parts of the local culture. I worked with a Chilean woman with a strong Chilean accent, who says "fixin' to" and I had a Chinese professor with the thickest Chinese accent, who said "y'all". It's not like these migrants are changing Texas. Texas is changing them) Why is the South so fragile? Hundreds of thousands of southerners moved to St. Louis, Chicago and Detroit and they haven't changed their northern/Midwestern identity. Tons of immigrants live in Chicago... Still the Midwest. Why is it the North has a more flexible identity than the South to some people? Is it some subliminal connotation of southern xenophobia? Because that ain't right.

Don't see the "flexibility" of which you speak regarding the "North". The eastern sea-board, especially, from Baltimore to Boston are very "Yankee-ish".

[soletaire]

Originally Posted by BadgerFilms

No... no it doesn't. Kansas City is more similar to Minneapolis-Saint Paul than Dallas. I haven't been to St. Louis but that city has been described as being a cultural cousin to Chicago. I can see some connections with KC and DFW but overall KC is very Midwestern. DFW is NOT.

Yes..yes it does. YMMV but Ive been to both also, and DFW definitely reminds me of KC in landscape and somewhat of St Louis in culture & dialect.

[soletaire]

Originally Posted by Redlionjr

Didn’t pay attention nor care. It’s a message board relax.

Relax for what? I thought it was obvious I was just joking with u...might wanna take your own advice and relax yourself, the next time you get trolled like that lol..