13 Ways Growing Up in Texas in the ’70s and ’80s Was a Truly Unique Experience
Texas kids in the ’70s and ’80s lived in a world that felt like its own universe. From unique traditions to state pride that bordered on religious devotion, growing up in the Lone Star State created memories that stand apart from any other American childhood.
Here’s how being a young Texan during this era shaped an experience that was bigger, bolder, and undeniably different.
1. Dairy Queen Was Our Social Hub
The local DQ wasn’t just for Blizzards and dipped cones. It served as the unofficial town meeting spot where ranchers gathered for morning coffee, teens hung out after school, and families celebrated Little League victories.
Those red-topped tables witnessed first dates, breakups, and business deals. The Texas Dairy Queen menu even featured exclusive items like the Hunger-Buster that outsiders never experienced.
2. Friday Night Lights Were Sacred
High school football wasn’t just a game. It was practically a religion. Towns would completely shut down when the local team played, with businesses closing early and hand-painted signs appearing in storefront windows.
Families planned entire fall schedules around home games. Even kindergartners knew the quarterback’s name and the fight song by heart.
3. Whataburger Loyalty Ran Deep
Long before it became trendy, Whataburger was our fast-food sanctuary. That orange-and-white striped A-frame building beckoned like a lighthouse after football games and midnight drives.
We’d customize burgers with jalapeños and proudly wear paper table tents as hats. The 24-hour drive-thru window witnessed many 2 AM teenage philosophical discussions and became the unofficial afterparty spot for every high school dance.
4. Blue Bell Ice Cream Was Worth Fighting For
Blue Bell wasn’t just ice cream—it was a point of fierce state pride. Kids would argue passionately that this Brenham-made treat was superior to anything available elsewhere in America.
Family freezers always stocked at least one half-gallon carton. Summer memories inevitably include racing to finish a melting Homemade Vanilla cone before the Texas heat claimed victory, with that creamy goodness dripping down sticky fingers.
5. Summer Meant Schlitterbahn Adventures
Before water parks dotted every state, we had the original Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels. It was a sprawling wonderland built along the Comal River. Sunburned kids would spend entire days racing down the original tube chutes.
Parents actually relaxed while watching their children navigate the German-themed water paradise, creating memories that lasted decades longer than those painful sunburns.
6. Homecoming Mums Were Competitive Art Forms
While other states had simple corsages for homecoming, Texas girls sported enormous floral creations that could barely fit through doorways. These chrysanthemum masterpieces featured ribbons cascading to the floor, stuffed animals, bells, and sometimes even battery-powered lights.
Creating increasingly elaborate mums became an arms race between families. Senior girls practically needed neck braces to support these glorious monstrosities that now serve as hilarious photographic evidence of our unique upbringing.
7. Dr Pepper Was Our Official State Drink
Forget Coke versus Pepsi—Dr Pepper reigned supreme in Texas. Created in Waco in 1885, we claimed this 23-flavor concoction as our birthright and consumed it with religious devotion.
Dublin Dr Pepper, made with real cane sugar, was the holy grail. Kids would beg parents to drive hours just to get bottles from the original plant.
The drink showed up at every birthday party, church picnic, and family reunion across the state.
8. Pickups Were Teenage Status Symbols
While teens elsewhere coveted sports cars, Texas kids dreamed of owning a pickup truck. These weren’t just vehicles—they were mobile social venues where friends piled into the bed (perfectly legal back then) for cruising down country roads.
A well-maintained Ford or Chevy with mud flaps and a gun rack signaled you’d arrived. Truck talk dominated lunch tables as boys compared engine sizes and girls judged potential dates by their vehicle’s lift kit height.
9. Tex-Mex Was Our Childhood Cuisine
Before the rest of America discovered queso, we were already connoisseurs of proper Tex-Mex. Family celebrations inevitably happened at the local Mexican restaurant where servers knew your usual order.
Kids learned to handle jalapeños before mastering multiplication tables. Birthday dinners meant wearing a sombrero while embarrassed friends sang along with mariachis.
Our palates developed around cheese enchiladas, crispy tacos, and that magical yellow queso that flowed like liquid gold.
10. We Pledged Allegiance to Texas
Every morning in school, we pledged allegiance to TWO flags: the American flag followed immediately by the Texas flag. This wasn’t considered unusual or optional.
Texas history was practically a spiritual journey through our sacred past. Kids could recite details about the Alamo and San Jacinto before learning about Valley Forge.
Our state-shaped waffle makers and Texas-themed bedroom decor reinforced this patriotism from birth.
11. Weather Was Apocalyptic Entertainment
Tornado warnings weren’t scary—they were thrilling spectator events. Families would gather on porches to watch the sky turn that eerie green color before reluctantly heading to safety.
Summer brought biblical-level heat that melted crayons left in the car and made playground equipment too hot to touch. We measured storms not by rainfall but by how many ditches flooded and whether school would be canceled.
Weather extremes became badges of honor in childhood storytelling.
12. Big Bend Road Trips Were Rites of Passage
While other American families visited Disney World, Texas families embarked on epic journeys to Big Bend National Park. These road trips meant hours of backseat boredom before reaching the majestic Chisos Mountains.
Kids learned to spot javelinas and roadrunners in their natural habitat. Hiking down to the Rio Grande meant standing with one foot symbolically in Mexico.
These adventures taught us that Texas contained entire worlds within its borders: mountains, deserts, canyons, and rivers.
13. Swimming Holes Beat Any Pool
Texas kids most often cooled off in natural swimming holes. Places like Barton Springs, Hamilton Pool, and the Blue Hole offered crystal-clear waters fed by underground springs. Parents would pack picnic lunches while kids swung from rope swings into cold, refreshing waters.
These weren’t just swimming spots but community gathering places where generations of families returned summer after summer, creating an unbroken chain of shared memories across decades.