This was a idea that came to mind after going through the Florida thread.
To state my case, is it possible that everyone here and even outside this discussion can fully agree that Texas is “Southwestern” in the purest sense, without argument?
Texas seems to embody both Southern and Western influences.
It was a part of the Confederacy, was the last state to give up slavery, and has very strong historical ties to the rest of the South via the Gulf. Houston’s culture seems to be greatly influenced by New Orleans and there is a very strong Southern presence in Eastern Texas. Even that area geographically is filled with swamps and wetlands, no different from the Louisiana bayous.
However, Texas was once a part of Spain/Mexico. It was the frontier for American settlers headed westward in search for a new start of life. El Paso is pretty much in an arid climate and it’s in Western Texas that one is reminded of the cowboy culture.
Texas seems to be a transitional place, a place that invokes both characteristics of the South and the West in equal proportions.
Am I wrong or right in this assumption? Texan forumers are strongly encouraged to share their views.