I grew up in Harlingen. I’m a law student at Texas Tech University, and I’m about to get married and move to Portland, Oregon. I’ve been very lucky to have been brought up in such a nice sunny climate, with OK weather, but having lived in New York City, the humidity and heat are about the same. The weather is wonderful in the winter. And the beach was always close (thought I never went there much).
What people who’ve never lived in Texas, don’t particularly realize is the reason why that part of Texas is so shitty is mainly because of the gross ignorance, bible-thumping and racism that still persists there. The Valley has that, too (everywhere in America is racist). I can concede, however, that I never have had a difficult time fitting in with whites or Hispanics in the area. It is not a lucrative area because the Valley lacks a lot of resources that the bigger cities in Texas have (such as Houston, San Antonio, Austin, etc), and the general antagonism legislators in Austin have had toward the Democratic leanings of the area for years.
My composer friend, Peter Garland, said to me that the Valley is timeless because it exists in a place free from cultural stagnation. Where there are borders, there is movement. Cultural movement, linguistic movement, moral movement.The Valley is what America used to be. And for that reason in particular, I still hold a special place for it. .
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
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