You'd actually LOVE Tejas, but you need to go there and spend some time getting to know the state. It is, as they say, like a "whole other country." Or, in Tejano, "A Whole 'Nuther Country."
Texas, by size, is actually a "region," with lots of different types of topography and a similarly-large gaggle of great, but each totally different, cities. Houston is totally unlike Dallas. Ft. Worth is worlds apart from both Dallas and Houston. Most of the state is VERY conservative, but Austin, the capital, is flaming liberal.
Most of the beaches are hot, brown sand, except South Padre way down south off the Rio Grande Valley.
No two places are the same - and the disparity is even greater in Texas. I think it's ALL great, but each place is different. I miss it.
Michael
What of the samller cities? Anything with a decent population but not as big as the D/FW and Houston areas?
Well if the man's willing to commute he might find something north of... I was down for a conference in, uh, whatsitcalled.. Huntsville. Where that big-a$$ penitentiary is and folks get needled. There seemed like alot of farmin' country back in there. Well OK so it took me two plus hours to get from GB airport to there, but anyway...