I can confirm this. My wife and I moved from South Florida and the housing markets (just as the bubble was bursting) were amazingly different. We ended up with WAY more house than we ever thought possible. Also, much like the OP, I had pre-conceptions about the people in TX that I was pleasantly surprised (and a little ashamed) that I was wrong. The people who I've encountered in my time here are friendly, kind, open, and not the isolationist, prejudiced bigots that I had presumed they would be.