[pjhyett]

The first time I flew into Austin, I hopped into a cab at the airport. On the way to the hotel, the cabbie asked if I had ever been to Austin before, to which I responded that I had never been to Texas.

He turned around, looked directly at me, and said "Austin ain't Texas son."

[procrastitron]

I've lived in Texas for most of my life, imoving between Dallas and Austin, and I can attest to the spirit of what the cab driver told you; Austin is radically different from the rest of the state. Austin is a staunchly liberal college town while the rest of the state is extremely right-wing.