Texas is very different from anyplace I have ever lived. There is pride in being a Texan. I wasn't born there, but I got here as fast as I could. Texans have a very interesting relationship with Oklahoma as well. We talk bad about Okies all the time, especially during football season, but it seems that is a right reserved to Texans because if anyone else tries it they get jumped on. Austin is a beautiful city. Unfortunately it has the highest cost of living and the worst traffic in the state, including Houston. In Austin it rarely snows, maybe once every 5 or 6 years we might get an inch on the south side of town where I live. It has rained since Thankgiving, that is unusual, but at least the lakes are full. We may not see rain between May and Sept, so makes for great motorcycle weather though it can get a little warm in the summer. I grocery shop at night when it cools down, but last summer it could be 90 at midnight. Austin is the most 'liberal' city in Texas and is said to have the second highest per capita gay population of any major in the country, behind only San Francisco. Unfortunately the 'liberal' attitude has caused the growth of Austin to outpace its' infrastructure, hence the traffic problems. Look at a map sometime and you will only see one major highway (I-35) in Austin, that must serve a population of 1 million people in the greater Austin area. Now look at Houston, DFW, or San Antonio and look that the major highways there. Sure there are more people, but they may have 10 times the highway miles with only 2 or 3 times the population. Most people are friendly, be friendly back. I was in Reston, Va. (near D.C.) last year. I pulled up to a stop light and there was a cute blond in a convertible next to me. She looked over and I smiled and nodded. She gave me the snottiest go to hell look as though I had said something mean. That attitude will NOT fly in Texas. I have seen people from the northeast kicked out of a restautant in Austin for being rude to the waitress. Bad manners and bad disposition are frowned upon in Texas.
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