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#1 Willy1

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Posted 08 March 2005 - 12:17 PM

Okay, so I decided to check out the Dallas and Houston forums just to see what was going on in those cities architectually. Well, to my surprise the Houston forum is full of hatred for anything Dallas or Metroplex... They have a "Dallas Fort Worth" section in their forum under "outside of Houston". In that forum they attempt to discuss different goings-on around DFW. However every single thread (or so it seems) has turned into one big Dallas-bashing session. The moderators in their forum have even resorted to closing threads to combate the negative Dallas bashing going on down there. They are stuck on the notion that Houston is "bigger and better" than Dallas and or DFW in any and everyway. It was shocking to read the level of hostility. After reading the posts I realzied that the Dallas vs FW thing is really a friendly rivalry steeped in tradition and good-spirited competition. However, I am completely unaware of any foundation for such hatred coming from Houston toward Dallas. Is there something historical (ie a comment from the Dallas mayor about Houston being so dead that panthers sleep in their downtown streets) that may have fueled this rivalry? Or, is it all just a "mine is bigger" thing between Dallas and Houston? There seemed to be a lot of attention and, from what I read, resentment toward the fact that DFW has surpassed the 6 million population mark making us the largest metro area in Texas. They rebut that by simply point to Dallas being surpassed by San Antonio and that the concept of "DFW Metroplex" is some sort of polictical coup to overthrow Houston as the premier city in Texas.

So, what gives here? You hardly ever hear Dallasites dwelling on how much better they are than Houston... In fact, you never hear Houston even mentioned in Dallas.

It seems very one-sided. Am I wrong about that?

Also, it should be said that I'm in no way trying to stir up any trouble with this topic. I'm just sincerely curious as to what foundation the Houston/Dallas rivalry has other than personal feelings. I personally don't think you can compare the two cities since they're so different from one another...

#2 cjyoung

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Posted 08 March 2005 - 02:38 PM

Okay, so I decided to check out the Dallas and Houston forums just to see what was going on in those cities architectually. Well, to my surprise the Houston forum is full of hatred for anything Dallas or Metroplex... They have a "Dallas Fort Worth" section in their forum under "outside of Houston". In that forum they attempt to discuss different goings-on around DFW. However every single thread (or so it seems) has turned into one big Dallas-bashing session. The moderators in their forum have even resorted to closing threads to combate the negative Dallas bashing going on down there. They are stuck on the notion that Houston is "bigger and better" than Dallas and or DFW in any and everyway. It was shocking to read the level of hostility. After reading the posts I realzied that the Dallas vs FW thing is really a friendly rivalry steeped in tradition and good-spirited competition. However, I am completely unaware of any foundation for such hatred coming from Houston toward Dallas. Is there something historical (ie a comment from the Dallas mayor about Houston being so dead that panthers sleep in their downtown streets) that may have fueled this rivalry? Or, is it all just a "mine is bigger" thing between Dallas and Houston? There seemed to be a lot of attention and, from what I read, resentment toward the fact that DFW has surpassed the 6 million population mark making us the largest metro area in Texas. They rebut that by simply point to Dallas being surpassed by San Antonio and that the concept of "DFW Metroplex" is some sort of polictical coup to overthrow Houston as the premier city in Texas.

So, what gives here? You hardly ever hear Dallasites dwelling on how much better they are than Houston... In fact, you never hear Houston even mentioned in Dallas.

It seems very one-sided. Am I wrong about that?

Also, it should be said that I'm in no way trying to stir up any trouble with this topic. I'm just sincerely curious as to what foundation the Houston/Dallas rivalry has other than personal feelings. I personally don't think you can compare the two cities since they're so different from one another...

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Houston vs. Dallas is about being THE city in Texas/Southwest.

The reason why people hate Dallas so much is that they always assume that everything is best in Dallas.

No one likes an arrogant jackass, especially when they're not necessarily the best.

#3 Willy1

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Posted 08 March 2005 - 03:08 PM

So, the rivalry between Dallas and Houston is nothing more than a battle of egos? That is just ignorant if you ask me. I realize that Dallas exudes an "attitude" and I'm not sure where that comes from either. However, from what I saw on the Houston site - the attitude they site as their reason for hating Dallas so much is very much alive and kicking in Houston too. In fact, I kept thinking how hypocritical it was of them to present themselves with such adamant hatred for "Dallatude" while spouting off so much about how much better Houston is than DFW... I for one, was really turned off by their whole lack of respect for Dallas/Dallasites, even though they seemed to praise FW... It seemed very one sided since I rarely hear any negative being said about Houston by Dallasites. Anytime I hear someone being that disrespectful of someone else (or another city, etc) it automatically triggers a red flag to me that maybe the issue is more with the critic.

I do think that Dallas has a little problem admitting that there are other cities in the Metroplex, state, world that are as good if not better than Dallas. FW has suffered for years by living in the shadows of Dallas. But, I blame FW for that more than I do Dallas... FW - and the powers that be - have seemed happy living in the shadows of Dallas. Only now is FW starting to emerge as a power to be reconed with... And, I'm glad the time is finally here. I'm happy that FW is part of the larger DFW metro, but I'm also glad that the FW part of the metroplex is starting to gain as much attention as the D part... ;)

#4 hipolyte

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Posted 08 March 2005 - 03:48 PM

However every single thread (or so it seems) has turned into one big Dallas-bashing session.

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They simply discovered how easy and how much fun it is to bash Dallas.

#5 Buck

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Posted 08 March 2005 - 05:08 PM

Houston hates Dallas.

Dallas is unaware of the existence of Houston.

The rivalry has been compared to a 2-way mirror -- Houston sees Dallas, but Dallas can only see itself.

#6 JBB

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Posted 08 March 2005 - 10:15 PM

Does the city of Houston really hate Dallas or do the members of that forum engage in behavior that makes you think that they hate Dallas? I'm trying to figure out how we've made the leap from taking what you see on that forum and carry it over to the city as a whole. I would imagine that the average Houstonian gives very little thought as to whether they like or dislike Dallas.

#7 hooked

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Posted 09 March 2005 - 09:52 AM

Excellent point, JBB. When I lived in Houston, my thoughts of Dallas were virtually non-existent (mostly concerned with who shot J.R.)

#8 Willy1

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Posted 09 March 2005 - 10:36 AM

Very good point, and one I had thought about as well. I just wondered why there is such a universal hatred of Dallas in their forum. You certainly don't see that much Houston-bashing in the Dallas or FW forums.

#9 utmr

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Posted 10 March 2005 - 01:22 PM

Dallas has a reputation as being snobby and closed-off. Houston has a perverse amount of pride in that everyone here is from "somewhere else." Dallas is very segregated and old school (jmho) - Houston is a hugh melting pot. It seems like people who have lived in both places have strong feelings toward one or the other - love one, hate the other.

I grew up in FW, went to TCU, lived in Dallas, Arlington and FW before moving to Houston. Houston is very receptive to newcomers and has something for everyone. That said, no one retires here. They come here for work and leave when they can - to retire, be near family, go back where they came from, off to the next job, etc.

JMHO...

#10 2112

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Posted 03 May 2005 - 12:54 PM

Okay, so I decided to check out the Dallas and Houston forums just to see what was going on in those cities architectually. Well, to my surprise the Houston forum is full of hatred for anything Dallas or Metroplex... They have a "Dallas Fort Worth" section in their forum under "outside of Houston". In that forum they attempt to discuss different goings-on around DFW. However every single thread (or so it seems) has turned into one big Dallas-bashing session. The moderators in their forum have even resorted to closing threads to combate the negative Dallas bashing going on down there. They are stuck on the notion that Houston is "bigger and better" than Dallas and or DFW in any and everyway. It was shocking to read the level of hostility. After reading the posts I realzied that the Dallas vs FW thing is really a friendly rivalry steeped in tradition and good-spirited competition. However, I am completely unaware of any foundation for such hatred coming from Houston toward Dallas. Is there something historical (ie a comment from the Dallas mayor about Houston being so dead that panthers sleep in their downtown streets) that may have fueled this rivalry? Or, is it all just a "mine is bigger" thing between Dallas and Houston? There seemed to be a lot of attention and, from what I read, resentment toward the fact that DFW has surpassed the 6 million population mark making us the largest metro area in Texas. They rebut that by simply point to Dallas being surpassed by San Antonio and that the concept of "DFW Metroplex" is some sort of polictical coup to overthrow Houston as the premier city in Texas.

So, what gives here? You hardly ever hear Dallasites dwelling on how much better they are than Houston... In fact, you never hear Houston even mentioned in Dallas.

It seems very one-sided. Am I wrong about that?

Also, it should be said that I'm in no way trying to stir up any trouble with this topic. I'm just sincerely curious as to what foundation the Houston/Dallas rivalry has other than personal feelings. I personally don't think you can compare the two cities since they're so different from one another...

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I have to agree that there really is not a “hatred” towards Dallas, per-se, as it sometimes appears. However, there is a strong current of moderate animosity, and it is quite universal among Houstonians who have history there. It takes time to develop the attitude: it’s an acquired taste. True, it might very well be that many in Dallas do not really notice Houston at all, as has been pointed out. But that in itself is a small innuendo: it is the lack of regard, if you will. Further, the statement that people from Dallas do not even mention Houston is not true. Houstonians are told all the time how “ugly” their city is, how horrible its traffic and pollution is, and countless other insults, and sad to say, a whole bunch of it does indeed come from the Dallas area. I remember waiting at an airport for a flight to Houston, and being told from a complete stranger “How can you live there?” Actually, much abuse comes more from Austin these days, for reasons that I somewhat understand. Yet, while many of those brutally-honest observations are true to some extent, much of it is exaggerated. And I believe it hurts a little more when it comes from the brethren city and brethren Texans, on top of everyone else in the country who have nothing good to say. Everything that Houston has to offer seems to get lost in all the insults and the implications towards its people. That, combined with the regularity of it, and the indifference to the welcoming spirit Houston greets newcomers too, spells a recipe for defensiveness that unfortunately, eventually transforms into spite and even mild abomination. It’s too bad really. I even find myself doing it at times as a defensive reaction. But the truth is that the two cities are unique from each other, and it is a shame that individuality is not celebrated without it quickly turning into an opportunity to slight one city or the other.

#11 Willy1

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Posted 03 May 2005 - 09:32 PM

Okay, so I decided to check out the Dallas and Houston forums just to see what was going on in those cities architectually. Well, to my surprise the Houston forum is full of hatred for anything Dallas or Metroplex... They have a "Dallas Fort Worth" section in their forum under "outside of Houston". In that forum they attempt to discuss different goings-on around DFW. However every single thread (or so it seems) has turned into one big Dallas-bashing session. The moderators in their forum have even resorted to closing threads to combate the negative Dallas bashing going on down there. They are stuck on the notion that Houston is "bigger and better" than Dallas and or DFW in any and everyway. It was shocking to read the level of hostility. After reading the posts I realzied that the Dallas vs FW thing is really a friendly rivalry steeped in tradition and good-spirited competition. However, I am completely unaware of any foundation for such hatred coming from Houston toward Dallas. Is there something historical (ie a comment from the Dallas mayor about Houston being so dead that panthers sleep in their downtown streets) that may have fueled this rivalry? Or, is it all just a "mine is bigger" thing between Dallas and Houston? There seemed to be a lot of attention and, from what I read, resentment toward the fact that DFW has surpassed the 6 million population mark making us the largest metro area in Texas. They rebut that by simply point to Dallas being surpassed by San Antonio and that the concept of "DFW Metroplex" is some sort of polictical coup to overthrow Houston as the premier city in Texas.

So, what gives here? You hardly ever hear Dallasites dwelling on how much better they are than Houston... In fact, you never hear Houston even mentioned in Dallas.

It seems very one-sided. Am I wrong about that?

Also, it should be said that I'm in no way trying to stir up any trouble with this topic. I'm just sincerely curious as to what foundation the Houston/Dallas rivalry has other than personal feelings. I personally don't think you can compare the two cities since they're so different from one another...

View Post


I have to agree that there really is not a “hatred” towards Dallas, per-se, as it sometimes appears. However, there is a strong current of moderate animosity, and it is quite universal among Houstonians who have history there. It takes time to develop the attitude: it’s an acquired taste. True, it might very well be that many in Dallas do not really notice Houston at all, as has been pointed out. But that in itself is a small innuendo: it is the lack of regard, if you will. Further, the statement that people from Dallas do not even mention Houston is not true. Houstonians are told all the time how “ugly” their city is, how horrible its traffic and pollution is, and countless other insults, and sad to say, a whole bunch of it does indeed come from the Dallas area. I remember waiting at an airport for a flight to Houston, and being told from a complete stranger “How can you live there?” Actually, much abuse comes more from Austin these days, for reasons that I somewhat understand. Yet, while many of those brutally-honest observations are true to some extent, much of it is exaggerated. And I believe it hurts a little more when it comes from the brethren city and brethren Texans, on top of everyone else in the country who have nothing good to say. Everything that Houston has to offer seems to get lost in all the insults and the implications towards its people. That, combined with the regularity of it, and the indifference to the welcoming spirit Houston greets newcomers too, spells a recipe for defensiveness that unfortunately, eventually transforms into spite and even mild abomination. It’s too bad really. I even find myself doing it at times as a defensive reaction. But the truth is that the two cities are unique from each other, and it is a shame that individuality is not celebrated without it quickly turning into an opportunity to slight one city or the other.

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Hey 2112, thanks for some Houston perspective on this subject. It's obvious where the Dallas vs. FW rivarly comes from - it's a good old fashion "Hatfield and McCoy's" situation where two neighbors simply has a history of bickering. It all started way back in the day, when someone in Dallas - maybe even the mayor - made a flippant comment about FW being so boring that a panther was seen sleeping on the steps of the Tarrant County Courthouse. More recently, just a few years ago, former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk, made a flippant remark about how Dallas was THE city in the Metroplex and how FW would have nothing if it weren't for it's proximity to Dallas.... FW mayor Ken Barr responded by extending an invitation to the Dallas Mayor to spend a night in FW... we rolled out the red carpet for Mayor Kirk and showed him what all FW has going on. Kirk was forced to admit he spoke too soon. The Dallas/FW rivalry is one akin to a sibling rivalry... It's competitive but nothing malicious or ill-willed about it.

I'm glad to hear that Houston's dislike for Dallas is substantiated - sort of - by the experiences of how they're treated by Dallasites. However, I think that it's sad that Houston suffers from such insecurity. I think Houston is a great city with it's own individuality... Unfortunately Houston seems to suffer from a lack of identity. I mean, San Antonio is "Alamo City", Dallas is "Dallas" or "Big D", Austin is the "live music capital" or "Seattle of the South", Fort Worth is "Cowtown" and celebrates it's "Cowboys and Culture". What is Houston's claim to fame? Is it "Space City"? I'm only asking because Houston seems to have been less successful at promoting its public image. I don't mean that as an insult. I just mean that it seems that when most people think of Houston, nothing specific comes to mind other than maybe Nasa and "Houston we have a problem", which is sort of a negative image to be branded with. Similarly, Dallas has had to work very hard to overcome the negative images surrounding the Kennedy Assasination... But somehow - despite all the political nightmares that Dallas is quickly becoming infamous for - the city has managed to thrive as a city known for big business and for becoming the states' most famous city thanks to JR Ewing and clan... Is Houston actively trying to solve what seems to be some sort of Public Image problem?

#12 gdvanc

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Posted 03 May 2005 - 10:33 PM

I mean, San Antonio is "Alamo City", Dallas is "Dallas" or "Big D", Austin is the "live music capital" or "Seattle of the South", Fort Worth is "Cowtown" and celebrates it's "Cowboys and Culture". What is Houston's claim to fame?

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i went to grad school with a cliffy who hailed from h-town. she proclaimed it "the capital of humidity and cockroaches". so that's something.

Is it "Space City"?

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yes.

I just mean that it seems that when most people think of Houston, nothing specific comes to mind other than maybe Nasa and "Houston we have a problem", which is sort of a negative image to be branded with.

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actually, that should be a good connotation: "houston, we have a problem... and you're the only ones in the whole wide world who can help us." and, of course, there's "Houston, the Eagle has landed."

#13 2112

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Posted 04 May 2005 - 12:53 PM

Cockroaches regularly request clearance from Intercontinental airport. I have seen it with my own eyes. Ok. Maybe I didnt see it.

#14 2112

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Posted 04 May 2005 - 01:11 PM

But seriously. The Houston-basing is just one more thing that creates character, in my opinion: Something to build ones resilience. This morning, while dropping my great aunt at a bus terminal downtown, and after having to crawl up the freeway at 5 miles and hour, I was flipped off by one person, cut off by a metro bus, and cut off by a car. I decided to kill some time and walk around downtown with my aunt to show her around. That’s when I was yelled at by a cab driver whom I couldn’t really understand, because I was busy gesticulating to my aunt towards the Chase Tower, where I was taking her up to show her the observation lobby. I think the cabbie said he wanted me to “watch where I was going”, or something like that. I was certain my aunt was already forming an unfavorable idea of what it’s like to live here, but then we got to the 60th floor of the tower and walked onto the observation lobby, and there we beheld what is in my opinion the most spectacular view of Houston anywhere: the mass of densely packed skyscrapers all around us, the view westwards towards Uptown and Houston’s other skyline. Towards the south you could see the complex of stadiums at Reliant Park, with both the Astrodome and Reliant Stadium looming like giant mother ships. And in between, one could see yet a third skyline of the Texas Medical Center - emerging from midtown and the museum district. In between all this was a large carpet of greenery that is Memorial Park between Downtown and Uptown, and Herman Park towards the south. Below, there was the mass of cars, trucks, and busses negotiating the downtown street grids and the elevated freeways surrounding us. It reeked of life and energy. For some reason, and even though the whole view was draped in a low-lying cloud of brownish pollution, I felt an excitement of living in this place. A hell-hole to some. But not to me.




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