If you're an older native Texan, you might remember the days when the majority of the residents were actually born in the state and also had parents born in the state. Fast forward a couple of score of years and if you're not a farmer and don't live in the sticks, odds are that you are surrounded by people from the surrounding states, from the coasts and around the world.

So culturally and demographically the state has changed tremendously over the last two censuses. The urban sprawl and traffic is starting to remind people of California. And the people from California remind people constantly they are from California. And the neighborhoods could be from California. (Sans the climate since we have earthquakes here now, too...)

Plus the growth is fueled by short-sighted policies of the modern slick version of the good-ole-boy, fake Christian, supposedly conservative state government. (Don't blame me, I didn't vote for them...) In the long run, lack of water resources, too many damn people and a stupid government will crash the state hard. The area around Austin is as flammable as SoCal, the traffic is DFW is becoming a monster and the social net is non-existent except for federal money.

But hey, my house would be worth 9 times as much if it were in San Francisco. :)