I thought I would clear up some misconceptions people may have about Texas, in light of a conversation I had with a first time visitor and what I see in the media. For our European guests, Texas is the biggest state in the US (Alaska doesn't count; it's mostly wilderness), the economy is usually not bad (compared to other states), and there are a good number of jobs in the urban areas.

What is usually the picture people paint of Texas? That we are a bunch of tobacco chewing, slow drawl talking, cowboys right? You see some of that in Texas, sure. Though most likely you will see that in the rural areas. There are still a lot of ranches and farms in Texas. But I'm here to educate you about what Texas is like today, not 50 years ago. More specifically, I will help you understand the major urban areas.

The major urban areas in Texas are Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and El Paso. Most of these areas, except El Paso, are in Central and Southeast Texas and are relatively close together. In Houston, you will find a large black and Hispanic population and quite a few places to work in the business sector. It's not very astheically pleasing, IMHO. I tell people it's very bland and grey looking.

Dallas/Ft. Worth is also home to a large black and Hispanic population. It, too, has a large business workforce. Dallas looks better that Houston, again IMHO, but I've experienced more instances of crime there than in Houston. I would say Dallas looks blue.

San Antonio is more like Little Mexico in appearance and demographics. Not a large black population there. You better understand some Spanish living there. I would say brown is the color of choice to describe SA. The old Mexican architecture can be sort of nice for some people.

El Paso is all the way out in West Texas by the Mexico border. You can imagine the demographics there. It's a very dry and hot desert and I wouldn't recommend visiting.

Austin is the state capital and is the oddball of the bunch. The motto in Austin is "Keep Austin weird." This city has more of a save the earth/hippie vibe to it. This may very well be the last sanctuary for the white race in Texas, as the type of "vibe" described usually draws white people. That, and Austin is home to the University of Texas, one of the largest universities in the country, and whites are usually well represented in universities. It's in hill country and is very scenic, with lots of green and lakes. It's my favorite city in Texas. And the restaurants there are fantastic.

That pretty much covers what I have to say about Texas. I see some cowboys from time to time, but mostly it's just regular folk. I live in Houston so I mostly see black and Hispanic people. Some gangsters and thugs, sure, but professional people as well. That being said, Texas still has a large rural population. So if you really want to see some real Texas cowboys, don't go looking in the urban areas. We're just regular folk here (and would appreciate it if the media would stop portraying us as dim-witted, backwards country folk.)

Oh, and there are only 2 seasons in Texas; hot and not-so-hot.