I think it might be more accurate to suggest this is how some Texans, not all Texans, view Texas, many of whom have never ventured outside of Texas to see the rest of America, and the world.
I assume it causes some level of culture shock when some Texans venture out of Texas for the first time. Such as if a Texan who had never been out of Texas ventured to another state, say, Arizona, and a town in Arizona, say, Chandler, or really any of the towns in the Phoenix metro area.
That Texan who had never been out of Texas, in Arizona would see broad streets, landscaped, with wide sidewalks on both sides of the street.
Sidewalks are a scarce commodity in most Texas towns I have visited. And the sidewalks which do exist are so narrow a couple plus-sized Texans could not pass each other without one having to make room by getting off the sidewalk.
A bustling downtown in other towns in America would likely surprise a lifelong Texan. For instance, if a native of Fort Worth, a town with one of the deadest downtowns I have ever seen, ventured to the Pacific Northwest for the first time.
In Tacoma the Texan would find a bustling waterfront, a downtown served by public transit light rail.
In Seattle the Texan would find a downtown lively with people, even more so when a cruise ship has docked. Unlike Fort Worth, downtown Seatle has multiple stores, vertical malls, grocery stores, two transit tunnels under downtown, one for vehicles, the other for light rail, a bustling waterfront with multiple attractions, none of which was the result of a ridiculous Water Vision such as that which has deluded Fort Worth most of this century.
I must go tend to my cooling needs now...
