Posted by Matt Markins in 
1. Central-Texans must love Dairy Queen a lot. Even in the middle of nowhere, you can always find one.
2. It doesn’t matter how stinkin’ dirt poor the town is, it will have one kickin’ football stadium. I drove through a town today where each of the houses looked worse than my neighbors shed. Few business existed, and the ones that were still standing were falling apart and sold livestock feed. The local school was in bad shape. However, just at the edge of town was a brand new high school football stadium with plush, artificial turf. The turf alone values more than the entire fiscal county budget.
3. Every few miles there is a Ranch. “What’s that off in the distance? Is that the gate to a new subdivision? Nope, just another ranch.” In TX, a ranch is not the place where Michael W. Smith goes to spend the weekend to write music…it’s the real deal. A way of life. I’m talkin’ real, live animals!
4. Two lane state highways in TX are the equivalent to the German Autobahn. The posted speed limit is 70 mph. The average, actual driven speed (I kept a tally) was about 80 mph. Now this, I can get used to.
5. Storm clouds in TX really are larger, closer to the ground, dark black, and totally wicked (in the traditional sense). I saw a tornado firsthand (no joke). UPDATE: read in the news paper that what I saw was rotation but not a tornado. I stand corrected!
6. All TX men who live outside of the city limits of a major city such as Dallas, Austin, or San Antonio are required to where coyboy hats. I almost stopped to buy one our of pure peer pressure, but since I was driving 80 I felt as if no one should notice me.
7. Cars have recently been outlawed in TX rural counties, for I did not see a single car after I left the Austin city limits (which is on PBS on Saturday Nights at 10 PM Central, BTW). Good thing Hertz gave me an Explorer.
I look forward to learning even more on my drive from Abilene to Dallas on Friday.
You made some good observations about Texas.
1. Texas affectionately call DQ at TX stop sign. You don’t see many in the cities (the big ones), but they’re everywhere else.
2. Don’t you know, we’re serious about our football.
3. Every Texan really wants to have a ranch, even if it’s 1/4 acre plot. Unfortunately the HOA in most of our planned community specifically spell out, “No livestock. You’ll find that most ranches (big and small) have livestock. Property taxes are really high in Texas and you get significant discounts on your property taxes if you have cattle on your land. So if you have a lot of land, you’d be silly not to have some cows.
4. Yeah, but you’ve gotta watch the troopers. They’ll love their speed traps in the little towns.
5. Clouds in TX are the best. The best sunsets. We’ll OK has great sunsets too, but they’re pretty great here in TX. We’re big sky country too.
6. If you didn’t notice, they’re probably wearing the boots and giant buckle to go with those hats.
7. We like our gas guzzlers and pick-up trucks…
I write all this as if I’m really a Texan. I’m just a wannabe. We’ve lived here for almost 5 years and we just love the culture. Texas seems to be the best of the south and the best of the west all wrapped into one. Our son was born here, so we’re claiming to be Texans now.
Kenny, Good stuff! I have heard all of these stereotypes before about TX, but it was fun to see some of them first hand
You are right on the money with all of those observations. Very astute, Matt. I’m impressed. Because it is so flat, thunderstorms are really impressive here. I’m glad you got to witness that first-hand; it’s beautiful, freaking scary, and amazing all at the same time. Hope you didn’t drown in the rain. Good thing about cowboy hats–flip over and float.
My (least) favorite aspect of Texas driving culture on rural highlways is how slower traffic will just drift to the shoulder and allow/expect you to pass . . . regardless of double yellow lines, upcoming bridges, or blind corners.
It’s always an adventure when it simultaneously happens in each direction so that a two lane highway all of a sudden becomes a four lane highway.
Note to self: never bike across Texas.