US equivalents of Calgary?

[KennyDubz]

Originally Posted by isaidso

There isn't a good US equivalent of Calgary. It only makes sense (somewhat) if you don't look at population and look at the role each plays in each country. In that respect, Calgary's equivalent in the US is Dallas. They're the #4 metro in each country, each represents a big western centre with a 'western' culture, and each has a large corporate sector. That's where the similarities end.

I get the #4 to #4 comparison of each country comparatively.

On the contrary, Dallas is not considered a "western center with western culture" here.
Dallas is green and humid. The American West is categorized as arid and dry.

[Sam Hill]

Originally Posted by KennyDubz

Dallas is not considered a "western center with western culture" here.

Yes it is. Cowboy hats and the whole nine. Houston too (e.g. Urban Cowboy, starring John Travolta). It seems they're considered quintessentially western - even though Texas might actually be as much southern as western, culturally, (which I doubt it is). There's a lot I don't know about Dallas, TX, but I do know how it's perceived nationwide - whether or not that perception is completely fair or not - and it's considered western. When America thinks of Dallas' history, it thinks of cattle and oil. Its NFL team is "the Cowboys" for chrissakes.

Am I wrong?

Anyone from Dallas here? Does Dallas consider itself western? In my mind it very much is and TBH I'm a bit surprised to see someone argue it's not.

[SIGSEGV]

It's literally the Dallas Cowboys.

[dc_denizen]

don't see many cowboys

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.7317...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.8932...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.9683...7i13312!8i6656

[KennyDubz]

Originally Posted by Sam Hill

Yes it is. Cowboy hats and the whole nine. Houston too (e.g. Urban Cowboy, starring John Travolta). It seems they're considered quintessentially western - even though Texas might actually be as much southern as western, culturally, (which I doubt it is). There's a lot I don't know about Dallas, TX, but I do know how it's perceived nationwide - whether or not that perception is completely fair or not - and it's considered western. When America thinks of Dallas' history, it thinks of cattle and oil. Its NFL team is "the Cowboys" for chrissakes.

Am I wrong?

Anyone from Dallas here? Does Dallas consider itself western? In my mind it very much is and TBH I'm a bit surprised to see someone argue it's not.

Dallas and Houston have a southern drawl accent.
Houston is along the Gulf Coast and is certainly not a western city. Houston is tropical. Dallas is in the plains.

Reno, Cheyenne, Denver, Albuquerque, Tucson, Phoenix, Boise, Billings, Salt Lake, Sacramento are western cities. Dallas and Houston are not.

The NFL team name has nothing to do with whether or not it's in the west. There are cowboys in Nebraska. Cowboy culture is not specific to the western cities. It is specific to open range lands, some in the west like California, some in the Great Plains.

[Crawford]

Yeah, Dallas and Houston aren't Western cities. And cowboy culture isn't Western culture, it's range culture.

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by KennyDubz

Dallas and Houston have a southern drawl accent.
Houston is along the Gulf Coast and is certainly not a western city. Houston is tropical. Dallas is in the plains.

Reno, Cheyenne, Denver, Albuquerque, Tucson, Phoenix, Boise, Billings, Salt Lake, Sacramento are western cities. Dallas and Houston are not.

The NFL team name has nothing to do with whether or not it's in the west. There are cowboys in Nebraska. Cowboy culture is not specific to the western cities. It is specific to open range lands, some in the west like California, some in the Great Plains.

Dallas and Houston consider themselves TEXAN. I'm not being a smart ass when I point that out. It's just a fact. Somehow Texas embraces a regional identity that is specific to the state itself. You can argue all day about whether it is Western, Southern, or something else. It is all of those things depending on where you are in the state, but there is an overarching Texas identity that really defines the place.