It’s funny how people look for the bad in places they visit and brag about the great things from where they are from. I went to Southern California and it looked dull to me, and I did not see anyone snow skiing, fishing for trout, or any of the things you described. I saw the same malls, movies, eating in the same type of places, etc. It gets very hot there too, with lots of smog and it is really just a desert. I am from the east (not Texas), so going from very green to LA looks bland to me. Anyway, I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
You can teach me lots of lessons
You can bring me lot of gold
But you just can’t live in Texas
If you don’t have lot of soul
from Crossroads..Doug Sahm
Texas is a thing that you either “get” or “don’t get”...it is an intangible thing.