Houston isn’t like your town. It’s bigger than you think (~7 million). It’s more diverse than you think (officially most diverse city in the USA). It elected an openly lesbian mayor, who term-limited out. Pretty soon it’ll be bigger than Chicago. The city has grown roughly eight-fold in 50 years.
It is also on a coast. Yes, really. It’s hot, humid and full of freeways. Yet it has a vastly varied culture, some of the best cuisine in the nation, arising regionally and brought by those moving in. If you can’t get a good meal, anytime, day or night, in Houston, you’re not trying.