(Buffalo Bayou along Allen Parkway)

A friend recently asked me what does “native” in Htownnative.com mean?  To paraphrase Webster, native is “…belonging to a particular place by birth”.  So, the strict and literal definition would require birth in a city or location to be native to that place.

Let’s discuss the “town” part first.  A town typically refers to a smaller, more confined area, maybe more residential than a city.  A city is generally considered a large area, large population, a large economy and the presence of the arts.

Houston has all of these things, including multiple pro sports teams, so it looks more like a city that a town.

But living in downtown, regularly running into people I know, building friendships from seeing people around downtown on a regular basis, I can see the town in this big city.

To the native discussion. Are there any other attributes to consider other than where you are born?  Things like:

–              Taking ownership in, i.e, embracing, participating in the community,

–              Stewardship, giving back in some way, volunteering,

–              Engagement in the community,

–              A “state of mind”.

I hear the last one applied often to being a native Texan.   “I was born elsewhere, but I’ve lived in Texas X number of years, and yes, I’m a Texan at heart”.   I know a lot of “native” Texans not born here, but they own it and embrace it and they wear the hat and boots each year for the HLSR.

So, in my mind, the community I write about is more if a town, maybe the town square is Market Square Park. 

And this community includes Houston natives regardless of where they were born.