One of the many reasons I love living in Texas

I guess I'm in the minority about TX. I guess we lived in the wrong place. Was very glad to leave for several reasons.

At the time, I was still working and I got a job at a medical billing company. I was the oldest and the only non-Hispanic women that worked there. The girls never talked to me and treated me like I didn't belong. I probably didn't. They shunned me and I went home crying more than once. I worked there for 2 years and some life changes came about and we decided to move back to our home state of PA. I gave 5 weeks notice, but it didn't take long for the "bosses" to take away my desk, chair, all my accounts, and my telephone. I had no place to work. I stood around for the first week and left early most days. One day, a girl there came up to me and said, "It's a good thing you're going back where you belong." I went home crying and never went back.

Another example....my husband is/was a competition trapshooter and the area we lived in had a club for him to shoot at. He was the new guy on the block and no one would talk to him. He was shunned when they found out he was not a Republican so they wouldn't associate with him. He could out shoot all of them and that was another reason they didn't like him.

Needless to say...we were glad to "go back to where we belong".
Glad you found your happy place.
 
People are so incredibly nice to me in bad old NYC. It's because wherever I go, most people are really good at heart and want to engage.
Same for me in NYC, Los Angeles, Boston, Las Vegas, and whatever states or countries I've been in. My experience shows most people crave connection even if its just idle chatter to pass the time.
 

I love it in Texas...you have all these perks. :)

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My funny Texas story. I worked in retail most of my life. When I moved to Texas a true Texas woman was in the shop I first stated working for and she asked for help so I started to explain and she looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. When I took a breath she put her hand on my arm and said “darlin, you are talking too fast”. Loved that woman.

My neighbor ladies were true Texas women, they called me “shug” and want me to come sit a spell. Served sweet tea, which I did not drink, so I got water. Special place in my heart for Texas.
 
I know they didn’t do this in the big cities but along the smaller road ways, if someone in front of you was driving at speed or slower they would take it upon themselves to pull over to the berm and wave you past, that way everybody was out of each other’s way. Loved that in Texas.
That was/is the custom in Alberta, Canada too. Similar topography to Texas.
 
Texas gets a bad rap, primarily because of our ruling idiots, but it truly is a great place to live. My hubby and I were at a Home Depot today, looking at exterior lighting. There was a woman who had been there forever examining lighting. She eventually asked us what we thought of lighting choices for her Mid-Century Modern home. (I guess she figured gay guys are always the best for decorating :ROFLMAO: ). We gave her some opinions, although I told her we would have to see her house to make a decision.

The point is, I love the way people will just engage in a conversation with you in Texas. I had a 10 minute conversation with a woman driving a Miata at the grocery store recently because I complimented her car. We moved here from South Florida, where no one would dare speak to you. I honestly had to adjust to people wanting to converse with me, but it is especially appreciated now that I am retired and want social interaction. Dallas is a big city, but is has a small town feel.
Not to start an argument, but South Florida is a more transient area because a lot of folks, mostly older, continue to move in and out of Florida. They move to Florida shortly after retiring and then go back home when they believe their time is beginning to run out here on earth and need to be closer to their family.

People are people mostly the same all over. I have traveled extensively and really can't say one area of the country has nicer people than other areas. I think people living in the larger cities aren't as cohesive as the people living in the rural areas. Rural area people are much more neighborly and friendly and willing to help you if asked or if they see that you could use a hand. City people tend to mind their own business, so they don't get caught up in that "I did you a favor and now you owe me a favor" trap. The exception to that would be is if people were neighbors for a long period of time.

I have heard how friendly people in the south are and I agree, but that doesn't mean that people in the north aren't as friendly. I also believe in the adage that "You only get one chance to make a good first impression is true." I live in South Florida and not too long ago a young couple moved in up the street using a U-Haul truck, which in this area is an oddity. These homes cost over 7 figures, so people that move in and out have movers doing all the work, but in this case, it was a very hot, humid day in early June and I saw this young man doing a all the work himself while his young wife stayed in the house probably arranging everything. They had two young boys maybe 5 & 7 trying to help daddy, but not getting much done, so I thought I would be a good neighbor and walk up and ask if I could be of some assistance.

This guy flew all over me like I was trying to make him look like a deadbeat, so I walked away. The next morning at about 7, my side doorbell rang and here was this young man standing at the door. He wanted to apologize for his treatment towards me yesterday and said that they had driven some 45 hours from Boise, Idaho to Naples. He had just graduated from college and had to be at his new job in Naples in 2 days. He said his nerves were really shot and he thought he was going to have a nervous breakdown. I invited him in and told him I understood and now he just needed to take it easy and not try to get everything done in one day. I asked him how about if my wife and I took the boys for a day out to the beach and him and his wife could just worry about getting things in order. He grabbed that offer in a heartbeat. I also asked my neighbor if he would give the young man a hand unloading the truck and just put the boxes into the garage because they need to return the truck by 6 pm today. Next thing that happened was there were 3 guys working on unloading the truck. The next weekend they had a backyard party for all of us that helped and now we have been friends ever since which has now been 4 years.
 
My first visit to Texas was to change planes at the old Houston International Airport (later renamed for George Bush). My first thought when I saw all the men in expensive business suits, beautifully tooled cowboy boots and deluxe ten gallon hat was "It must be Let's Play Dress Up Tuesday. Surely they don't go to work like that."

Later was told that they were making a statement - I'm a big shot in oil and I'm RICH.
 
Texas gets a bad rap, primarily because of our ruling idiots, but it truly is a great place to live. My hubby and I were at a Home Depot today, looking at exterior lighting. There was a woman who had been there forever examining lighting. She eventually asked us what we thought of lighting choices for her Mid-Century Modern home. (I guess she figured gay guys are always the best for decorating :ROFLMAO: ). We gave her some opinions, although I told her we would have to see her house to make a decision.

The point is, I love the way people will just engage in a conversation with you in Texas. I had a 10 minute conversation with a woman driving a Miata at the grocery store recently because I complimented her car. We moved here from South Florida, where no one would dare speak to you. I honestly had to adjust to people wanting to converse with me, but it is especially appreciated now that I am retired and want social interaction. Dallas is a big city, but is has a small town feel.
That's wonderful that your city has friendly people and you can chat, @dseag2! The small town feel is important.
 
Not to start an argument, but South Florida is a more transient area because a lot of folks, mostly older, continue to move in and out of Florida. They move to Florida shortly after retiring and then go back home when they believe their time is beginning to run out here on earth and need to be closer to their family.

People are people mostly the same all over. I have traveled extensively and really can't say one area of the country has nicer people than other areas. I think people living in the larger cities aren't as cohesive as the people living in the rural areas. Rural area people are much more neighborly and friendly and willing to help you if asked or if they see that you could use a hand. City people tend to mind their own business, so they don't get caught up in that "I did you a favor and now you owe me a favor" trap. The exception to that would be is if people were neighbors for a long period of time.

I have heard how friendly people in the south are and I agree, but that doesn't mean that people in the north aren't as friendly. I also believe in the adage that "You only get one chance to make a good first impression is true." I live in South Florida and not too long ago a young couple moved in up the street using a U-Haul truck, which in this area is an oddity. These homes cost over 7 figures, so people that move in and out have movers doing all the work, but in this case, it was a very hot, humid day in early June and I saw this young man doing a all the work himself while his young wife stayed in the house probably arranging everything. They had two young boys maybe 5 & 7 trying to help daddy, but not getting much done, so I thought I would be a good neighbor and walk up and ask if I could be of some assistance.

This guy flew all over me like I was trying to make him look like a deadbeat, so I walked away. The next morning at about 7, my side doorbell rang and here was this young man standing at the door. He wanted to apologize for his treatment towards me yesterday and said that they had driven some 45 hours from Boise, Idaho to Naples. He had just graduated from college and had to be at his new job in Naples in 2 days. He said his nerves were really shot and he thought he was going to have a nervous breakdown. I invited him in and told him I understood and now he just needed to take it easy and not try to get everything done in one day. I asked him how about if my wife and I took the boys for a day out to the beach and him and his wife could just worry about getting things in order. He grabbed that offer in a heartbeat. I also asked my neighbor if he would give the young man a hand unloading the truck and just put the boxes into the garage because they need to return the truck by 6 pm today. Next thing that happened was there were 3 guys working on unloading the truck. The next weekend they had a backyard party for all of us that helped and now we have been friends ever since which has now been 4 years.
He's lucky to have you as a neighbor, @Moon Rat ! :)
 
He's lucky to have you as a neighbor, @Moon Rat ! :)
Little did I know his father is ----------------Oh, never mind. I better not say, but I should have known that a 24 year old boy couldn't possibly live in one of these homes and drive a new 2022 Maserati Levante. I asked him why did he rent a U-Haul truck and not have the movers just take care of everything, including packing and unpacking. He told me that his dad and him got into a big argument about the fact that he has never done a lick of hard work in his life. He said he told his dad, ok then, I will move my family myself by renting a truck and moving everything by hand. He said his dad laughed at him which made him even more determined to do it. He told me that sometimes he opens his mouth before he speaks. I told him that's ok, we all do. He said he never knew a man could drive for 45 hours and still be alive.

I asked him how his wife feels about this. He said she complained about the ride the whole way there and now all the unpacking that needs done and everything that will need washed before it's put away. I told him you know you can call a temp agency and they will send you some people that will unpack it all for you and wash everything before putting it away where your wife wants it to go. He said he didn't know who to call so I told him to call Manpower or U-Haul. I am sure they have people ready to go. He called U-Haul and they sent a team out right away the next morning. The other guys had it all in the garage, so they just had to unpack the boxes and wash the dishes and glassware. It still took them all day to get it all unpacked, washed and put away. I'll bet he had 40 or more cardboard boxes.
 

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