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Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,503
Registered: ‎03-15-2021

Being a native Texan and having grown up in the Southwest, I have a difficult time grasping various state's sizes and dynamics. For example, the majority of the population of Texas lives along or east of Interstate 35, but the majority of the land mass is west of Interstate 35. East Texas has much more humidity than west Texas. It takes 13+ hours to drive from Dalhart to Brownsville which is the length of Texas and a little less than 12 hrs to drive from El Paso to Texarkana which is the width. Saying you are from Texas is just not specific enough.

 

Does your state have any dynamics that you would like to share?

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,881
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Since moving to Arizona fourteen years ago it drives me nuts that everyone I meet assumes that all of AZ is hot as Hades.  Its not.  Flagstaff and Show Low are at 6500-8500 ft, have four seasons, no cactii, lots of Pine trees and each has a nice ski resort.

Btw, there are other places in USA that are as hot or hotter than AZ's southern cities ( I lived on Mojave Desert for 25 years ( includes Death Valley) and I worked at a Naval base in the Desert ( China Lake).  Yes, Texas is very big with varying climates but so are other states; especially CA ( within five hours I could be in Mammoth, San Diego and Mojave.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,574
Registered: ‎06-19-2010

@patbz wrote:

Since moving to Arizona fourteen years ago it drives me nuts that everyone I meet assumes that all of AZ is hot as Hades.  Its not.  Flagstaff and Show Low are at 6500-8500 ft, have four seasons, no cactii, lots of Pine trees and each has a nice ski resort.

Btw, there are other places in USA that are as hot or hotter than AZ's southern cities ( I lived on Mojave Desert for 25 years ( includes Death Valley) and I worked at a Naval base in the Desert ( China Lake).  Yes, Texas is very big with varying climates but so are other states; especially CA ( within five hours I could be in Mammoth, San Diego and Mojave.


I'm from Arizona too and people think it's nothing but dirt and cowboys out here.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,968
Registered: ‎05-23-2015

When you say NY many just think of the city. I love NYC. and though a large part of the population resides in the metro area, NY is much more.  There are beautiful mountains and lakes, and the countryside is gorgeous. I live in the southern part, and we do't get the hard winters of the north. I'm close to the finger lakes which is a popular tourist area, and has many wineries. Our weather is a mixed bag , we really get all 4 seasons. What can I say, I ❤️ NY. 🥰

" You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts."
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Honored Contributor
Posts: 69,391
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

I also always found a different mindset between East and West Texans.  The Easterners were more attuned to their Southern heritage and visiting relatives in Louisiana and Arkansas.  Those in the Western part of the state were more attuned to the cowboy mindset; Western dancing, C&W music, horses, etc.  Totally different climates, manner of speech, like two totally different states.  I've lived in both areas and vastly prefer the West. 

 

I find New Mexico to be similar but different.  The South closely relates to Mexico;Mexican food, dances, festivals, traditions.  In the North, there are many descendants of early Spanish explorers.  Families living now go back 13 or 14 generations.  They are clannish and don't welcome outsiders.  They are in no way "Mexican".  They even have their own version of Catholicism.

 

Interspersed between these groups, mostly in the North, are the American Indian Pueblos and reservations with their own religions, customs, and traditions.  There is much intermarriage between the Indians, Hispanics and Angelos. The majority of Indians have Hispanic surnames or surnames given to them by early Spanish missionaries. 

 

All this makes for a very rich and interesting. culture. 

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,598
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

I'm a native of New Orleans, which just happens to be in Louisiana.  Louisiana is a rural state and NOLA has always been a melting pot, cosmopolitan city.  Politically, we are a blue city in a red state.  We're the wild child reprobate relatives of our more sedate country cousins in the rest of the state.  Heck, we don't even talk with a Southern drawl - when our family traveled we were often mistaken for Noo Yawkers, both in Europe and in the US.  So there is Louisiana, very rural and more typically Southern, and then there's New Orleans.

"Breathe in, breathe out, move on." Jimmy Buffett
Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,305
Registered: ‎06-08-2016

New Orleans has a very rich history.

Being a port city it has always been diverse & thriving

It's one of my most favorite cities.

Katrina was brutal & cruel but NO came back.

 


@shoesnbags wrote:

I'm a native of New Orleans, which just happens to be in Louisiana.  Louisiana is a rural state and NOLA has always been a melting pot, cosmopolitan city.  Politically, we are a blue city in a red state.  We're the wild child reprobate relatives of our more sedate country cousins in the rest of the state.  Heck, we don't even talk with a Southern drawl - when our family traveled we were often mistaken for Noo Yawkers, both in Europe and in the US.  So there is Louisiana, very rural and more typically Southern, and then there's New Orleans.


 

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,258
Registered: ‎06-08-2011

I live on Long Island and we're not NYC and we're certainly not upstate NY.  We have the ocean and the bay, while upstate has rivers, lakes and mountains.  I have cousins who live in the Finger Lakes region and when I visit them, I feel like I'm in a completely different state.  I do like that our state has a variety of foods, accents, habits, customs, etc.  

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 43,246
Registered: ‎01-08-2011

I am a NC girl.

We go from mountains to the ocean, with a lot of farmland and commerce in the middle.

 

I live in a well known vacation destination but go to the shore.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,921
Registered: ‎05-01-2010

I once visited El Paso. There was very little grass just dirt and rocks in yards. I'm sure there may have been grass in the richer areas but I didn't go there. I will say I had the best chili relleno I have ever had, I live in California and have had it often because it is a favorite of mine. We went to the restaurant twice.