I live in northern Mexico, so my culture is heavily influenced by both American and Mexican culture of course!!! But if I ever visit the United States, specifically the southern states. Would I feel different in those states? Thank you.
You’d be fine. Keep in mind that within Texas and California there are pockets of very different cultures: Austin TX and Corpus Christi TX are not going to feel very similar despite both being “Texas”
Austin and Corpus Christi (and most cities of more than 200k people) are going to feel more similar to each other than small towns 30 miles away from any given city.
This is also true. More similar doesn’t mean very similar, though (saying this for op)
What makes them so different?
What doesn’t, everything is different. The people/culture, nature scenery, weather, things to do, typical architecture style, politics, et cetera.
Both California and Texas are massive - larger than many countries. There is no one culture for either. I don’t think we have enough information to give you an answer.
Visit California, skip Texas
Skip both, they both suck ass for polar opposite reasons.
So much for my hope of going one day without reading “BoTh SiDeS aRe BaD!” and it’s not even 7am yet.
Have you physically been to california?
The place is a goddamn shithole. Sheetmetal lining the sides of their freeways. Their beach outhouses are literally filled to the rim with diarrhea, toilet paper, and garbage (not an exaggeration, it had a convex miniscus). Their drivers are some of the most aggressive I’ve ever had the displeasure of being around. 90% of the people there I interacted with are fake as fuck, and the only ones that weren’t were people I knew who had moved there (who were also the only reason I went there to begin with).
I have driven the entire state. The only good part about California is the redwood forest, and i want to annex that into Oregon if it ever becomes an option.
I dont hate california for political reasons, everything else about it is what sucks.
It depends on where you go.
Lubbock is gonna be a lot different from the Rio Grande Valley. Sacramento is gonna be wildly different from San Diego.
I’d imagine prevailing sentiment on a whole host of issues would vary between, say, Reynosa and Tampico.
I visited both as a fellow from the north and there was 0 culture shock. Oh and knowing many Mexicans there’s really no culture shock involved. At least as far as they say
I replied to one of your comments, but I’ll give you more details
I live in Houston. It is the fourth largest, fourth most diverse city in the us. I find it to be very lgbtq friendly, and it has a large Mexican and Hispanic population. It is pretty good on affordability compared to the rest of the US, but expected income is lower than other parts of the US. As a trade off, no state income tax.
Houston is a very car-dependent city and is not easily walkable. The majority of parking is free, which is not a common luxury in other cities. There is lots of traffic every day. Green spaces are not overly common, but they are high quality.
Houston has a pride parade every year. The food is fantastic, and includes many cuisines from around the world. Lots and lots of Tex-Mex and Mexican food.
Houston is liberal-leaning (left-leaning). State politics as a whole are conservative (right-leaning). Gay rights have not come under fire here in Houston, but state officials are trying. Houston is happy to welcome immigrants, but there are many parts of Texas (mostly rural) that are unhappy with immigration policies, particularly from Mexico. State officials have recently tried to make it so they can override voting results from Houston on a number of key issues. Guns are a problem in the US, and that includes certain parts of Houston; there was recently state legislation that allowed anybody to concealed carry without a license.
Major industries are oil & gas, healthcare, biomedical, and aerospace. Law is also a great field to be in. If you plan on higher education, I recommend healthcare. There are lots of local things to do, but not a lot of tourism things to do. The weather is hot and residents spend the majority of their time indoors, unless they live near the bay or the gulf.
I think your biggest culture shock would be coming from a small town and living in a major city. It is a big adjustment. Don’t expect to own a house, expect to drive a lot, and even though there are a lot of job opportunities there is also a lot of competition and that can make it hard to get a job. Overall, Houston isn’t perfect but it’s pretty good.
California has liberal state politics, which leads to suburbs and rural towns that are lgbtq-friendly. But California also has one of the highest costs of living in the US, and has its own unique problems.
Here is the thing though: California and Texas are the two largest continental states in the US. They have different climates within their borders, and different ways of life depending on what part you are in. Texas is 800+ miles across. You have to narrow down your search. I also recommend looking at other states. You can find more acceptance and easier living. The Northeast, Northwest, and some Midwest states are liberal and some have a good and affordable quality of life, but it gets cold in the winter. And looking at a map of states’ political leanings will tell you who is lgbtq-friendly and who isn’t.
Where I grew up in California, I only knew maybe 3 white kids until I graduated until I moved out of state.
I speak Spanish at my local grocery store. I mainly speak Spanish at the hospital I work at. Almost any business will have a Spanish speaker that can help you.
Hell, my next door neighbor only speaks Miskito
And you posted in English, so you’re already ahead of the game.
If you want Spanish culture, stay in southern California. The more north you go the whiter people get. But don’t miss out on experiencing other cultures!
I just went to Guadalajara, and (while we stayed in the rich areas) it felt extremely similar to San Antonio, Texas.
ok thank you very much for that!! i love walmart, even here in mexico they have very low prices woa
Texas has lots of different regions, and it even varies from town to town, but pretty much anywhere south of a line from San Antonio to El Paso is majority people of Mexican descent and Spanish is very common. In all the big cities in Texas there’s a huge Hispanic population, mostly of Mexican descent but also a lot of Central Americans. Even Austin, which people seem to love to deride as a “white” city, is a third Hispanic, and the influence of Mexican culture is everywhere
do you think they would accept me?? I think I want to spend the rest of my life in Texas, they have nice nonbinary rights and are good people!!
nice nonbinary rights
…you are taking about the Texas north of Mexico right? Not some other Texas that isn’t openly hostile to anyone not cis heterosexual?
i mean texas texas, the lone star state. and by the way, my city coahuila, was part of texas, but sadly they broke up, that’s why coahuila is very american
If you’re in a city in Texas, you’ll easily find people to connect with and will have little/no issues. In rural areas, you’re likely to find people who are less accepting of different lifestyles.
there are also small towns here in mexico, and yes, they are accepting
Texas is politically and socially against LGBT rights. Maybe not as bad as Mexico, but you are likely to get hatecrimed in Texas if you are nonbinary.
not as bad as mexico?? here lgbt is accepted and all states are pro gay marriage, and also trans rights are nice and there are a lot of nonbinary people in government positions, and they are respected
I’d be a lot more concerned in north or east Texas than south, central, or west Texas, which are all the parts closest to Mexico. Despite what you hear on the news, there are a lot of gender diverse people here and plenty allies
As a Texan, I feel the divide is more rural vs urban north vs south.
Houston and Austin are the most LGBTQ-accepting in Texas. I live in Houston, it is pretty good on affordability and quality of life, and is a top-5 city in terms of size, and has a large Hispanic community (4th most diverse city in the US).
Certain (conservative / Republican) parts of Texas can be dangerous for trans, non-binary, and gender-non-conforming people.
Maybe a little. I’m from California and have been to Mexico (and not just around the border) and the most striking difference to me other than the language was the layout of streets. I don’t know if that’s because they’re not too different, or because the area in California I am from is already predominantly Mexican and Portuguese.
Ok I know I posted a ton already but one last thought. If you’re thinking of emigrating to another country anyway, also consider more distant destinations such as Spain, Belgium, or Portugal (look up Portugal’s tech visa).
Probably not in Texas or any southern state. California is it’s own thing and it’s different.
You do realize California shares a border with Mexico and has a ton of economic and cultural exchange with Mexico, right? Southern California is way closer to Mexican culture than anything you’ll find in the south, aka Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee
you’re right!! We also have Walmart in Mexico so I will feel fine.
