Native Texans' Perception of Yankees

Texas now ranks as the third most populous state in the United States. Over the past 40 years, much of the population growth can be attributed to migration from outside the state's boundaries. Not all native Texans look favorably on the new growth patterns. "Yankee" is a term which some native Texans tend to label any new resident who does not enter from Mexico. The purpose of this paper is to delineate those states which are perceived by native Texans to produce Yankees. A second goal is to provide insight into the perception that native Texans have regarding the word Yankee. The data for the study were acquired by administering a questionnaire to 787 native Texans. The study group represented five different age categories, a wide range of occupations, both male and female respondents, and every major region in Texas. A cartographic representation of "Yankee states" produces some interesting patterns regarding hardcore Yankee states, non-Yankee states, and states of transition. The perception of Yankees by native Texans is described by more than 300 different vocabulary words and produces an image that is fascinating but not especially complimentary.