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Some of you really have a chip on your shoulder.
It seems you certainly have every right to be boastful and proud of your state, from its strong independent spirit and history to an economy that is holding up better than many, dynamic cities and beautiful natural resources from the hill country to the plains, but its not perfect. I mean, I love many aspects of my home and chosen state (lone star eyes roll here) but there are slices of it that are just as bad as many of you would ascribe to the whole state- just as there are areas and aspects of your state that are just as bad as many of us outsiders perhaps unfairly ascribe to the whole of it as well.
Some of those statistics of the OP, outdated and perhaps questionable as they may be, would certainly seem to warrant an examination to how the state got to where its at and how one might improve upon it. There are some things not to be too proud of there, "Don't mess with Texas!" and all. I keep reading it is all the fault of the outsiders, immigrants and those who don't immediately praise "the glory that is Texas". If anyone dares to points out any faults in your state they need to immediately move on. Is it part of the school curriculum down there or just indoctrinated by passed down generation by generation? Yeah, I'm exaggerating a bit but come on, lighten up.
Well, I'll tell you, I think it's kinda of this...Texans tend to stick together, kinda like a big family. Now, I don't know how it is where you're from, but around here you can talk all you want about your family, your brother, sister, their kids, etc. Heck even have a big ole knock down drag out with them, but let an outsider come in and said the same thing about them that you might have just got through saying...well, boy, the fight is on!
We know the good and we also know the bad about Texas. Doesn't mean we have to tolerate some uppity outsider coming in running us down and telling how they did things back wherever it is the heck they're from. Shoot boy, we don't give a rat's a** how you did it back there and we already know if something ain't just perfect, we sure don't need your smart a** to tell us.
Furthermore, we got Whataburger and Dairy Queen, so why do we need In and Out Burgers and White Castle for? There's a simple solution here and it doesn't involve whining and moaning over the fact that you don't have your favorite fast food joint around the corner. Just stay in Cali and have your In and Out Burger and the yankees can stay up north and have their White Castle and Hardee's.Then we can just continue on wallowing in our ignorance and bliss and you can go on delighting in your superiorty and we'll all be happy!
I don't know how one can judge the largest state (area) in the continental US as the worst or best place to live. Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, the RGV, El Paso, West Texas, Panhandle, South Texas, Hill Country, etc. are very different from one another. If you can't figure out that much...
I mean... please. There are nice places and a ton of beauty in the state. Conversely, there are places I wish I never set foot in. This holds true for everywhere I been in the US and the rest of the world.
It's very simple. Draw a line from 10 miles north of Laredo across to ten miles north of Corpus. Now take that part out of the statistics and we are top ten in everything. Areas such as the Valley and Laredo are a whole different world. These areas skew the numbers. Contributing to the poverty of these areas is Austin's policy of ignoring issues south of I-10. Politicians from the border region are very corrupt and living off of handouts is almost encouraged. There is no state in America that is in this situation.
I agree. Most of the stats on that link is sadly because of the area around the border. The rest of the state is relatively doing pretty well. I however do disagree with many on here that they want to stop people from coming to Texas. I welcome them with open arms. I will not even start to generalize transplants based on the people of that link on their dislike or likes about Texas. Many transplants have nothing but GREAT things to say about the state and I know many of them. More people that like the state are still going to come compared to more people that dislike it. They will be easily outnumbered.
As far as the people that dislike it because they wish it was like their home. It's human nature. Texans do it as well. I do it up here in DC to an extent. I really wish there was an HEB up here considering every major grocery store is expensive. I miss DQ's steak and chicken finger basket. It's human nature. You are either going to be homesick and live with it, move out, or start to conform with your area and get use to it (and this is most common).
I agree with Spade... I don't have a problem with "outsiders" moving here. The ones I've met, moved here because they fell in love with TX when they came for a visit and decided to move here. And... not because they wanted to change it, but to just enjoy it. Now, as far as what people (who have never lived in Texas) think about us.... I could care less. Let them think what they want... I have no need to defend Texas, it can speak for itself.
Looks liike a repreentative with an agenda.He needs to look at some of the other states realistically. Like the debt per person on the deficit spending of many states.Unemployment in many states that has been growing for decades. What people really think about all the advances that are driving them out of those debt ridden states that are now making even middle class income live at poverty levels.
Speaking as another "outsider" , I just wanted to chime in and say that I love Texas. I have lived in east Tennessee my whole life, but I have family in Texas who I visit every year, and I always look forward to coming back down.
My relatives live in central TX (Belton), but I've explored pretty much all of Texas (except the far western area near El Paso), and I think the whole state is beautiful. My personal favorite areas are Corpus Christi, and Amarillo. Both are very different, but wonderful areas. I visit Corpus every year for a few days and would love to live there someday if I get the opportunity. It's really a hidden gem, and the bayfront with the T Heads and marina are gorgeous. Also, it's large enough to have amenities, but small enough that traffic never seems to be a problem. Also, I like the fact that it is a bit off the beaten path and has remained kind of unknown to many.
As far as Amarillo goes; I have visited there several times as well, and the rough beauty of the panhandle and the breathtaking Palo Duro Canyon are amazing. (In fact, I'd highly recommend the Palo Duro over the Grand Canyon for beauty any day). The Texas outdoor drama and the Cowboy Breakfast in the Canyon are both a lot of fun as well.
Also, I've spent time in all of the other main cities (Dallas, Ft. Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio) and I've enjoyed them all. Texas is wonderful because it is so huge and so different, while at the same time, it is bound by a spirit and pride that I've never seen or felt in any other state. When they say "Texas is like a whole other country", they literelly mean it (and I kind of think that is cool).
Anyway, just wanted to put my two cents in and let you know what a wonderful state you have. The only downside that I've found when looking at Texas as far as living, is the very high property tax rate. Wow. I know there is no income tax, but they are still really high. We don't have an income tax here in Tennessee either, but our property taxes are maybe 1/3 of what they seem to be in Texas. (But then again, we have the highest sales tax in the country in Tennessee at nearly 10 percent on normal items and about 9 percent on food, so I guess that's where the difference comes in). Anyway, the property tax rate is the only negative I've ever found about Texas, and I would love to live there someday. And don't worry, I would never want to change a thing. It's perfect as it is.
The only downside that I've found when looking at Texas as far as living, is the very high property tax rate. Wow. I know there is no income tax, but they are still really high. We don't have an income tax here in Tennessee either, but our property taxes are maybe 1/3 of what they seem to be in Texas. (But then again, we have the highest sales tax in the country in Tennessee at nearly 10 percent on normal items and about 9 percent on food, so I guess that's where the difference comes in). Anyway, the property tax rate is the only negative I've ever found about Texas, and I would love to live there someday. And don't worry, I would never want to change a thing. It's perfect as it is.
I've wondered if it has had an effect on moderating the impact of the housing bust, though. People here might've been less likely to buy a house they could barely afford if higher annual property taxes were involved. Of course, a house being taxed at 3% that is worth $300K here is the same as one taxed at 1% in California that is worth $900K, and they could be the exact same house but in different locations. But the perception is that you're paying more in Texas because of the higher percentage.
I agree with ladihawkae... from where I am at, Texas is pretty good! Although I am originally from Montana (and yes, I do miss the mountains), I do not miss the biting, cold winters, nor do I miss the economic depravitity that existed there.
I think you make where you live a good place or a bad place, depending on how you think of it. It also depends on how you want to approach things, and how open you are to whats around you.
Ian
I think that a solid sentiment. You can make anything a hell or heaven....
and worst thing is to blame external circumstances, when we had control all along. I suppose its just easier to blame, rather than take responsibility for ones own social success and "fitting in".
One thing I don't think I emphasized enough was that I think top ten lists and stats are somewhat misleading, and sometimes total PR, positive or negative......I think we make a fetish of stats and top 10 lists. They are all inherently meaningless, in that someone somewhere made a decision as to where to place the items, and how to weigh the data...
Texas is a state of haves and have-nots. For the haves, it's a great place to be. For the have-nots or those on the edge, it can be a terrible place. If the state were its own country, it would be a mix of 1st world and 3rd world. I'm afraid if things keep going on track, this state is going to turn into a warzone. Give it 8-12 years and the demographic shift will turn Texas into a swing voting state, correcting some problems but opening up a wide range of new problems that may just be worse. That's just my take on it, anyway.
Otherwise, I would take what this blogger clown John Cobarruvias has to say with a grain of salt. Typical whines from the left. He has almost nothing but complaints on his blog about what is wrong, but never any intelligent suggestions for a solution. Usually his responses to questions are childish/vulgar slanders, and his comments sections are highly censored. More embarassing, he blogs out of my little corner of Houston and has been known to cold-call homes around here with political messages using an auto-dialer.
I think the 3rd world feeling some get from the income disparity in Texas is actually a sunbelt thing. You see it all over the sunbelt, from Florida west.
Employers know they can hire cheap, and there is also a large contingent of homeless because of the nice weather.
With the national economy imploding as a whole now, I think we are starting to see a US 3rd world phenom.......hard to say where the country itself will be in 10-20 years, let alone if the younger, unskilled create a "Dummy County", much like the movie "Idiocracy".......all the educational
problems will def come to a head once the country cannot compete one-on-one with the rest of the world.
Much easier to "change" someone elses state than to stay put and "fix" one's own state. That's just my humble opinion but seems to be the way of it these days.
Great point.......so true......where were those people when things needed changing in the states they came from? of course, they just ran away/out of their former state. I would imagine 98% of the californians who complain about Texas on here were not major players out there. They didn't fit in, couldn't hack it, were of no importance back there, but they come here and decide to run things. This in a state(Texas) that was running itself just fine for 160 years before they got here....
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, I just wanted to chime in and say that I love Texas. I have lived in east Tennessee my whole life, but I have family in Texas who I visit every year, and I always look forward to coming back down. 
. I know there is no income tax, but they are still really high. We don't have an income tax here in Tennessee either, but our property taxes are maybe 1/3 of what they seem to be in Texas. (But then again, we have the highest sales tax in the country in Tennessee at nearly 10 percent on normal items and about 9 percent on food, so I guess that's where the difference comes in). Anyway, the property tax rate is the only negative I've ever found about Texas, and I would love to live there someday. And don't worry, I would never want to change a thing. It's perfect as it is. 
