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Top 10 Ways to Identify a Native Houstonian

Nothing quite encapsulates Houston like Z-Ro's Mo City Don freestyle.
Nothing quite encapsulates Houston like Z-Ro's Mo City Don freestyle.
Photo by Marco Torres

Houston is home to a booming economy. Houston is the fourth most populous city in the United States. Houston is cool.

Houston is a lot of things, home to a lot different people and cultures. And while no string of facts and qualities can quite stitch together a complete story of this city that we love, we gave it our best shot.

Here are ten signs that prove you're from Houston.

10. You spend a good portion of your day in traffic. According to navigation systems manufacturer Tomtom, Houston has the worst traffic in Texas, but we wouldn't live anywhere else.

9. You know Z-Ro's "Mo City Don (freestyle)" by heart. Our favorite lyrics are: "I'm H-Town to Cali, just like Robert Horry" and "Headed to Lake Charles, or headed to Lafayette/Maybe off in Alexandria, but I ain't finished yet/ I gotta make a whole I-10, By 10/Then I, do it again."

Rodeo season is the one time of year everyone loves watching people ride animals.
Rodeo season is the one time of year everyone loves watching people ride animals.
Photo by Larry Goodwin

8. You love rodeo season. There's nothing quite like seeing your favorite country artists live, eating loads of fried food and checking out cattle, all on the same lot.  

We'll never forget you, Yao.
We'll never forget you, Yao.
Photo by Keith Allison

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7. Hakeem Olajuwon, Craig Biggio, Earl Campbell and Yao Ming are some of your favorite athletes. Yao was an ambassador. Olajuwon brought Houston a championship. Campbell makes sausage he's passionate about.

6. If you live inside the loop, you never venture outside of it. There's no need to leave.

5. You know how to prepare for a hurricane. From Alicia to Ike, and everything between, Houstonians know how to tape their windows, and either hold tight or drive like hell out of town.

 

Top 10 Ways to Identify a Native Houstonian
Photo by Lisandro Sanchez

4. Your car has swangas on it. The rims that extend far to the sides of cars might be the best insurance policies on the market.

3. You're quick to correct people that suburbs like The Woodlands, Cypress and Katy "aren't actually Houston." They're just not.

2. You have a family member in the oil business. Black gold, man. The way that stuff spouts out of the ground in these parts, everyone is bound to know someone in the business.  

Even though this picture makes Dallas look pretty, Dallas still sucks.
Even though this picture makes Dallas look pretty, Dallas still sucks.
Photo by Raging Wire

1. You hate Dallas. Hate is a strong word, and you hate Dallas.


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