How conservative/stereotypical is Texas? (Houston, Dallas: home, job openings, living in)

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by justme02

Funny you mention that. My wife is Asian and Im Middle Eastern and we got a few stares when we were in Lubbock last week.

Then we went to Brownfield and I thought we might as well have been aliens.

But even then, weve never had issues in other mid-sized Texas cities. We spend a lot of time in Waco and the Tyler area and no problems whatsoever.

Sorry to hear that was your experience. I do find it surprising though because Lubbock actually has larger Middle Eastern and Asian populations than might be expected because of the large medical community and university. And my hijab-wearing Bangladeshi friend recently commented to me how she felt more accepted in Lubbock than anywhere else she had lived before (which included Boulder and Saudi Arabia).

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by Westerner92

Sorry to hear that was your experience. I do find it surprising though because Lubbock actually has larger Middle Eastern and Asian populations than might be expected because of the large medical community and university. And my hijab-wearing Bangladeshi friend recently commented to me how she felt more accepted in Lubbock than anywhere else she had lived before (which included Boulder and Saudi Arabia).

It wasnt overwhelming, I dont lose any sleep over it nor do I write off the entire population when stuff like that happens. I think the stares we got were more out of curiosity, certainly not hatred.

[nep321]

Oh geez...all these stories about being stared at by rural Texas people are starting to raise concern from me. Sometimes I love to take rural drives and go hiking and stuff. But I may not like it so much if I'm going to be judged and stared at by rural people.

[TrueDat]

You're going to let a couple of experiences that took place six hours from Dallas dissuade you from exploring Dallas, Austin, San Antonio or Houston?

[War Beagle]

Originally Posted by nep321

Oh geez...all these stories about being stared at by rural Texas people are starting to raise concern from me. Sometimes I love to take rural drives and go hiking and stuff. But I may not like it so much if I'm going to be judged and stared at by rural people.

They are going to stare at you while licking their tooth in a titillating way.

[dorpus]

You could arm your car with a train horn to scare rednecks.


Lol: The Best Of Train Horn Pranks! - YouTube

[nep321]

Moderator cut: orphaned These are legitimate concerns. I have to move out of Connecticut by December 8th and I want to make sure that I move to a place that would be a good fit for me. I was debating between San Diego, Austin, Orlando or Miami. And I thought Austin would be a good place to move to with no job, since the cost of living is low and the unemployment rate is low. And also because it's liberal and has a large gay population, weather good enough to be outside all year round, etc. I understand that it will be different than the Northeast, which is fine, because that's what I'm trying to get away from. I know it will have bad traffic, just like any other large metro. That's all I want in a place. Gays, affordability, good job market, warm climate and liberal leaning. Sorry that this thread may have gotten out of control.

[rynetwo]

Originally Posted by nep321

Oh geez...all these stories about being stared at by rural Texas people are starting to raise concern from me. Sometimes I love to take rural drives and go hiking and stuff. But I may not like it so much if I'm going to be judged and stared at by rural people.

Maybe they just like what they see?

[dorpus]

If you don't like sunscreen, are you prepared for the consequences of a warmer climate?

In the Northeast, you get whiteouts during winter blizzards. Whiteouts occur here in the summer too -- when the noonday sun is so bright that colors fade out. Cockroaches the size of birds that crawl out of your car vent, aggressive scorpions that crawl toward you, vultures that brush your head while hiking, cacti with invisible microscopic needles that pierce your skin, I've had all of those happen.

[TrueDat]

Originally Posted by dorpus

If you don't like sunscreen, are you prepared for the consequences of a warmer climate?

In the Northeast, you get whiteouts during winter blizzards. Whiteouts occur here in the summer too -- when the noonday sun is so bright that colors fade out. Cockroaches the size of birds that crawl out of your car vent, aggressive scorpions that crawl toward you, vultures that brush your head while hiking, cacti with invisible microscopic needles that pierce your skin, I've had all of those happen.

I don't think these are every day occurrences though. I've yet to see a scorpion in almost a decade of living here.

Of the places he mentioned for relocation, I think the Texas cities would work. San Diego? Too expensive. Orlando and Miami? Heat and killer humidity -- and a less upbeat employment climate, too. I would think he might be interested in Denver/Boulder too though unemployment is higher there than in Texas cities and you've got winter weather to deal with.