I live in Texas, and have for over 12 years. But I grew up in California, with a lawyer father and a librarian mother--not to mention, an English nanny.
Wherever I go--the dentist, a department store, the car dealership--they ask, "Where are you from?"
"Um, I live 30 minutes down the road."
"NO---where are you FROM?"
Apparently, I'm too pale, too well-spoken, and/or too goofy looking to be a Texan. I try to take it as a compliment.
What kills me is that people from other states, when they find out I live outside of Houston, will ask the most ridiculously asinine things:
"Do you have a horse?" No, there's no room in my garage
"Do you own a cowboy hat?" Not even if you put a gun to my head.
"Are there oil-wells by your house?" I don't think the HOA would permit it.
"Are there a lot of cactus and tumble-weeds there?" Why, yes. The swamp is known for that sort of thing.
"Do the cattle still stop the traffic?" Um...not if they carpool.
It's the 4th largest city in the United States, not the back-lot set to "Gunsmoke." It's a big, ugly, smog-filled, concrete swamp, consisting of office buildings, strip malls and toll roads.
People really need to read the brochure before they get here, because they will be SEVERELY disappointed otherwise.