Honest cultural question re: Colorado and her neighbors (NM and TX)

[AspenRose]

My history is checkered: I was born overseas to a military dad and raised in Texas (San Antonio). I now live in New Mexico.

When we first moved to NM we were yelled at by locals in Santa Fe to 'go back to Texas' (they saw our license plates and rolled down their windows to yell that 'pleasantry' to us. We went to DMV promptly the following week and got NM plates.). I was warned by other transplanted Texans in northern NM to keep our Texas connections on the Down Low.

After a few years here I've noticed some hostility towards Texans here in NM. Rio Rancho (outside Albuquerque) has quite a few Texas transplants. Most of the folks I know who lived in TX but now live in Santa Fe are liberal.

One of my former coworkers was a Colorado native. She ended up in New Mexico because of her husband's work. She basically lamented how much Colorado has changed and showed me an article about the 'tensions' between Coloradans and Texans who have moved to Colorado in recent years. She said there was a California exodus to CO years back but it wasn't as bad as the Texans who are 'invading' Colorado (her words, not mine). When my husband and I went to Ouray for vacation we were STUNNED to see how many Texans were there....not just vacationing, but running businesses, etc. We were also stunned to see a home between Ouray and Telluride flying a Confederate Flag :wow: BUT I don't see that or get that 'vibe' around, say, Crested Butte. As New Mexicans we have always been welcomed warmly but also noticed :eyes: from Colorado locals who were around Texans.

I also recall during my college years in Texas, I had an apartment-mate who graduated from Colorado College and moved to take a teaching job in Texas to be closer to her boyfriend. She constantly complained about how much she hated Texas, how everyone was fat and ignorant, how she wished her boyfriend would relocate, etc. etc.

So, now that I've shared where I'm coming from, here's my question (and I honestly want to understand this as a good neighbor and recovering Texan):

Could Texans who have relocated to Colorado be one of MANY factors why CO is purple? I understand about Dobson and his influence; I am just wondering if conservative Texans moving to CO have had an influence as well.

Discuss!

[DavidDvorkin]

1. Yes.

The whole Colorado Spring/fundie thing changed Colorado in awful ways.

We moved here in 1971, before all of that happened. In those days, the CoSpgs area was conservative but not generally in a crazy way. The state was generally centrist, moderate, and sane. Except for the KKK period in the 20s, it's been that way throughout its history.

Fortunately, it seems to be returning to its basic nature lately.

[hasbro]

2. The disdain for Texas isn't anything new

I remember it being around even stronger in the 70's. It's not exclusive though Nebraska, Mighigan California all get disdain here.

[leftofthedial]

3. yes. many came here during the energy boom

and/or to feed on the real estate boom

both groups are infested with repuke vermin


it's not the only factor, but it's part of the dynamic.

they didn't *turn* Colorado purple though. Colorado has historically been slightly repuke. It also has long been freeperish--Native American massacres, anti-labor massacres, Ku Klux Klan, Identity Movement, neocons, etc.

[CrispyQ]

4. I don't know if anyone else remembers,

but sometime in the mid-seventies Texas wanted to buy a significant parcel of land in Colorado as a state park for Texas. No kidding. Coloradoans were outraged about it. I was a kid. I thought it was kind of funny but my grandparents were pissed.

[randr]

5. People from Texas

populate many ski areas and also show up for hunting season in large numbers. Especially along the Rio Grande drainage and nearby valleys. Most of these people whom I have met are of the conservative nature.
I have found the best way to piss a Texan off is to tell them that if Colorado were ironed out flat it would dwarf Texas.

[politicat]

6. Texans are seen as carpetbaggers.

They come here to hunt, ski and drain the oil, don't pay taxes, and are generally ill-behaved about their texanness. Colorado is far more Midwest than West in culture, and in general, native and long-term transplanted Coloradans tend to be very nice, polite, and have a hands-off morality that generally runs along the lines of leave me be and I'll leave you alone. It's a culture that does not really go in for being excessively proud of being Coloradan.

Texans however, have a cultural investment in being Texan, and they like to brag about that; it's annoying.

[hasbro]

7. If you are the sort that gives a shit about sports

which I am. you will see the regionalism pronounced there. Particularly involving California, Nebraska or Michigan. the lament is if they are going to move here because their state is so shitty they should treat their hosts with respect.

It's a simmering issue here at CU. The complaint is that the school underserves the state population by giving prefernce to out of state students because they can get more tuition off of them. Again the sports side issues are that it leads to luke warm support for the school teams, the school recuits horribly in state and the school has always been more geared towards it's California links in sports, in particular the years long flirtation with joining the Pac-10.

Now that I outed myself out as a boob.

I was talking about Tancredo's anti-illegal stance as a vote getter and I posited that keeping the Nebraskan's out would get more votes.

[politicat]

9. Being a Boulder resident, I can definitely sympathize....

With the out-of-state argument. We definitely see the number of expensive SUVs go up come late August when the students come back, and of course, traffic accidents soar because those kids can't drive the vehicles, and act like any drop of rain or flake of snow is an excuse to drive like a maniac.

Not being a sports fan (except for some really obscure ones) that doesn't even ping my radar most years. But the fact that CU doesn't automatically reserve at least 60% of seats for in-state students, (as does ASU, UofA and Northern Arizona, where I went to school because it was cheaper than CU, or just about anywhere else) is utterly obnoxious. We spend our tax dollars to educate our own students, not to hand out to other states. Other states have their own schools; if they're not as good, then they need to work on that for themselves, not make us deal with it. And the fact that the school ends up having so many students that are abused by the out of staters doesn't help matters much at all.

As for Tancredo... well... our best hope is that he gets a bee up his butt and goes and puts his money where his mouth is, departs for the border and defends it, and gets a .22 shell full of pellets in the butt for his pains. Barring that, his re-election bid isn't looking so good. He's been more than a bit of a bastard for the past few years and people remember.

[hasbro]

10. And it's not all because CU is a good school

It's largely rich kids who are here to ski.

I don't know if this is something that carried over, but in the Civil War Colorado's soldiers fought with Texan units in the western campaigns. I believe there was fighting in Trinadad.

[hasbro]

11. Adding on

about the SUV/think it's godd's wrath when there's a drizzle or a flurry that hasn't stuck to the road. There was a Texan student in my department and she was convinced she needed an SUV to get around here and all the locals and people from snowy climbs were able to convince her that she would be paying twice as much for a car, twice as much for gas for one big storm a year and ten that melt off in a day. And I'm convinced that SUVs aren't any safer, all that extra weight makes them even more prone to skidding and the higher center of gravity makes them flip easier.

Besides Boulder's roads are so small it's a shitty place for a big vehicle. Now if someone could convince the asshole in my condo complex whose fucking Husker adorned truck sticks 5 feet out of his parking spot and insists on leaves his trailer hitch on when he's never hauled anything heavier than groceries.

Couple other things that come to mind: Governor Douchbag is a Texan and went to Texas. The Dem party should have used that against him in the elections.

The lobbying group fighting Light Rail was HQed in Texas.

[politicat]

12. Which governor Douchebag? The current one?

I do not understand the wrath of god feeling when it comes to SUVs and the weather here. Sure, I try to tell my out of state compatriots that this area is freezing year round, that we have no growing season to speak of, and that only the Inuit would find colorado hospitable, but that's because I'm trying to keep them from coming here... we can't afford much more growth. Surely the Uni sends out a packet that instructs students on the appropriate weather and conditions? (Never mind. I'm sure they don't.)

And as for skiing... if I remember being a student properly, taking a weekend off to go play in the snow (or just not work) was not an option. But maybe college has gotten easier. If so, that's too bad.

[leftofthedial]

8. don't tell anyone, but I actually like one or two Texans

as long as they stay in Texas

[politicat]

13. Hee-Hee!! Yep! n/t

[bobbolink]

14. I grew up in New Mexico, with family in Colorado. The distaste

for Texans goes back as far as I remember, and I'm 60.

As with most stereotypes, some of it is quite justified. Colorado, in particular, isn't naturally given to being harsh with others just for the heck of it. There was an arrogance from Texans that turned people off all those years ago.

One example... Many many years ago, I was very fortunate to be able to go Shalako, at Zuni Pueblo. There is only one night that outsiders were allowed in, and the dances are held in people's homes. In other words, you are a guest in a family home.

There were chairs along the wall, which we could see were for the family of that home, and the rest of the people were sitting on the floor, including Indians. A group of whites came in, dressed in fancy western clothes, and looked around, and sat down in the only empty chairs.. the drummers circle. There was an audible gasp in the room, and then deadly silence, which should have clued them in, but they were oblivious.

Finally, someone from the family politely explained to them that they were in the drummers circle and that the dances could start until they moved. They *refused*! We were aghast. Finally, the Zuni police had to come in and escort them from the Pueblo.

We were all just grateful that the Zuni didn't kick out the rest of us! And, yes, my ex saw their car--you guessed the plates.

It's year after year of that kind of behavior that has turned people off so badly. Obviously, that's unfair to those of you who have common courtesy. But, it's the experience we've gone through over and over.

The Californians, on the other hand, brought road rage to Colorado. For which we are extremely grateful. :sarcasm:

[ForeverWinter]

15. It's about entitlement

Like everyone else here, I've known a few cool Texans. Really, really cool people. But for the most part, they get reckless and pathetically unskilled on our ski hills, all the while wearing starter jackets and cowboy hats and screaming like maroons (you're going to make the effort to come up here and ski; respect the mountains and your fellow skiers). When they complete their three whole groomed runs of the day, they see fit to come to a restaurant and abuse our servers if their steak isn't done quite right. They clog up our highways with their big SUVS and Dodges (love the vomitously sexist commercials), driving either way too slow or way too fast in the left lane (but it's okay cause their spendin' money!, apparently). :sarcasm: And especially, they MOVE up here with their "conform or die" version of politics, supporting the most untenable "causes" that we real Westerners were NEVER for, like raping the environment and ruling people's personal and spiritual lives. Of course they also live in environmentally and economically (not to mention aesthetically) destructive Highlands Ranch cookie-cutters.
And yes, I've seen them in Crested Butte. Even in that sacred sanctuary of ripping telemarkers and Tibetan prayer flags, they're there...
As I mentioned first thing in this post, I know some good kids who came here from Texas. So it's all a bit of generalization and humor. On the other hand, last season at Vail, I was behind a particularly rude and raucous group of young guys on generic rental skis in the lift line. "God bless Texas," I said. "How did you know?" One asked in complete sincerity. I had a generally nice conversation with him on the lift. But, he told me, I'm getting old (27 at the time). I should really follow god's plan for me by becoming an obedient wife and mother, and soon.

[some guy]

16. as a native Coloradoan

I grew up with a sense of aren't we fortunate to live in such a beautiful state. The mountains were gorgeous, quiet, amazing.

Most of the Texans I've known come to Colorado, buy up the land and want to pave it over, or put oil wells on it, or whatever rape-and-pillage-for-profit idea they have in their head. All the while talking about how fucking great Texas is.

I think someone should put a fence around Texas. Let in anyone who wants to go there, and never let anyone out.

:)