Sounds like Texas to me:
Would you consider Texas to be a hospitable or inhospitable state and why or why not?
Tim Plunkett, Outside Sales Representative
Updated Apr 13 · Upvoted by Bill Blasdell, lives in Houston, TX (1940-present)
I can only speak for my experience: first as a tourist when I was looking for a place to move to from Connecticut and then as a transplant.
On one of my trips through Texas I stopped at a locally owned gas station/convenience store. I went to buy some bacon jerky that was on sale, but still expensive as far as jerky goes.
I brought my two bags of bacon jerky to the counter along with a bottle of pop. The gentleman behind the counter, who was likely in his early 70s, and I had a short conversation about the cost of the jerky and my visiting from the Northeast trying to find a place to move to.
With a beaming smile on his face, he stuck out his hand to shake mine and he said “welcome to God’s country”!!
Fast forward 4 months later and I have made my move to Texas, dragging a trailer behind my truck with my motorcycle and some of my possessions in it so I could move into a cottage I rented for two months while I find a more permanent place to rent.
I went to a local store called central market to go shopping for some food. Their prices are the cheapest but they have really good products and great service. There was a young man at the register ringing up my purchase and he told me about how he had just celebrated his 16th birthday and they had an overnight party at an indoor soccer facility. It was just a nice, genuine moment of sharing.
The young man who bagged my purchase walked out to my truck with me. I asked if they did that with every customer and he said “unless they tell us not to.” He was about 17 years old and African-American. I told him I just moved to Texas. I’m very open and often ask questions about people’s experiences.
I always start with “feel free not to answer this if you’re not comfortable….” And I asked him if he had experienced racism living in Texas. I explained I just moved here from the Northeast and that the South had a certain reputation among some people.
He told me he had never experienced any racism whatsoever. He mentioned that his dad had told him that he might encounter it but to just deal with it as best he could.
I’ve lived here nearly 4 years now. Most of my customers know that I have moved here from the Northeast. I have what many would call Texas values. I’m politically conservative, I’m a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, I wear jeans, boots and a Western hat.
A lot of my customers are immigrants, most of them from Mexico. They are building houses that they sell. Most of their employees and subcontractors are immigrants as well, again, most from Mexico. Because of who I am and how I approach things, I’ve had conversations about explosive subjects like illegal immigration and the border wall.
Every question I ever ask is done respectfully and with honesty so I get respectful and honest answers. I’ve asked these gentlemen and ladies if they feel that Texas has been welcoming to them as immigrants. They look at me and laugh! “Who do you think we’re selling houses to?” |
