Texas Culture and way of living

Texans are extremely proud of the history of their state and of being Texans in general. Most people think of themselves as being Texans first and Americans second. That being said they do tend to be very patriotic citizens of the US. The state has a rather unique history which you will hear about frequently while you are there. You will often hear about the six flags that have flown over Texas and the fact that it was once an independent country. This does tend to gloss over some of the negative parts of the history however, The brief period when Texas was an independent country were amongst the worst in its history for example.

If Texans are proud and boastful they are also a very friendly people. They are well known for their hospitality and they will have no trouble starting a conversation with a stranger. Some visitors may find this to be a little bit worrying as Texans will often talk to you like you're an old friend even if they have just met you. This is just the way that things are done in Texas and you will get used to it pretty quickly.

Over the years the culture of Texas has gone through a bit of a change mainly due to the massive numbers of Mexicans who have moved into the state. As a result a great deal of Mexican culture is now present. This is obviously most true amongst the immigrant community but even the people who have lived in Texas for generations are starting to pick up on some of this as well.

One thing to keep in mind is that the way that people in Texas live will be affected by where they live. For example the people in Houston or Dallas live a lifestyle that is similar to the way that anybody else who lives in a large city would live. However there are also still people who live and work on ranches or out in oilfields who live a very different lifestyle. Therefore you really can't make any generalizations about the way that people in Texas live.

One other thing to keep in mind is that Texas also has one of the most uneven distributions of income in the US. There are many people in the state who are very wealthy but also a lot of people who are very poor. Most of the people in the lower income bracket tend to be immigrants, often illegal ones. Unfortunately in Texas there is little government assistance for people who are poor which makes the problem worse. Obviously the people with low incomes live a very different life from those who are very wealthy which again makes it hard to make any generalizations about the way that Texans live.