Lance Avery Morgan
Welcome To The Déjà Vu In The Lone Star State, Baby, One More Time
By Lance Avery Morgan
It’s 2025 in Texas, and if something feels quite familiar, you’re not imagining it. There’s a hum in the air, a mix of youthful optimism, economic bravado, political drama, and cultural vibrancy that seems plucked straight out of the 1990s. But how could a state as fast-growing, future-leaning, and wildly unpredictable as Texas seem to have circled back to a time before smartphones, social media, and AI? From bustling cityscapes to expansive ranchlands that go on as far as the eye can see (and many that have been in the same families for centuries), the essence of Texas endures, bridging decades with an undeniable spirit of resilience and innovation, according to our Lance Avery Morgan, who has made these observations about his home state of more than six generations.
There’s been a lot of talk about Generation X’s role in the past and the future. It turns out that Texas in 2025 and Texas in the 1990s share more than a few similarities, including boots, barbecue joints, and signature hairdos. They share a vibe, one of reinvention, swagger, and the restless ambition of a state always on the edge of something big. Again.
As Texas navigates the complexities of 2025, its journey echoes the spirit of its 90s heyday, a journey marked by innovation, diversity, and the relentless pursuit of prosperity. From the plains of West Texas to the skyscrapers of downtown Houston, the Lone Star State remains a beacon of opportunity and resilience, embodying a timeless Texan spirit that defies the passage of time.
Let’s dive deep into the decades and see why, as the world changes, the fabric of Texas remains woven within it …
Culture On The Cusp: The Alt-Country Renaissance 2.0
In the 1990s, Texas music was experiencing a moment. Austin, still an indie darling, had seen the rise of alt-country stars like Stevie Ray Jones, Robert Earl Keen, Lyle Lovett, Ray Benson, and the Dixie Chicks. Willie Nelson was in his second wind, and the South by Southwest festival was beginning to attract significant buzz beyond the state line. Now, it annually forms and informs what may be ahead for pop culture.
Now, in 2025? Texas music is once again redefining what’s cool. Artists from across genres, country, Tejano, hip-hop, and indie rock, are collaborating in what critics are calling a “New Texas Sound.” Marfa-lovin’ Gen Z country crooners rub shoulders with Dallas-based hip-hop poets. Beyoncé, still reigning, has recently collaborated with Texas Latino artists in a project that’s being hailed as “Tex-Mex Future Soul.” And yes, SXSW is still standing, but it’s been revived with a fresh influx of experimental performance, vintage analog aesthetics, and an anti-AI ethos reminiscent of the unplugged 90s spirit. And Willie Nelson and Ray Benson are still playing away.
It’s like the alternative movement of 1994 was pulled forward 30 years and handed a Telecaster and a TikTok handle.
The Economy: Booms, Busts, And Bubbles (Again)
Remember the 90s tech boom? Texas sure does. In that decade, the “Silicon Prairie” rose fast, especially in Dallas thanks to Texas Instruments, in Austin thanks to Dell Technologies, and in Houston, there was Compaq. Dell became the gold standard of homegrown innovation, and every other neighbor in Austin seemed to be building software in their garage.
Today, the garages might be virtual, but the hustle is familiar. Austin is once again the sweetheart of the startup scene. Tesla may have arrived in the state in the 2020s, but now hundreds of next-generation climate-tech, med-tech, and AI-powered startups call Texas home. Venture capital is still flowing like Dr Pepper at a Friday night football game.
And just like in the late 90s, there are murmurs of a bubble, whispers of overvaluation, of “innovation theater,” of too many ideas and not enough traction. Still, for many, the energy is electric. It’s the feeling of anything’s possible, and Texas, once again, is the dream frontier.
Is oil still king in the Permian Basin? Yep, but it’s sharing the throne with wind turbines and solar farms. Texas is one of the largest producers of renewable energy in the country, leading the way in a hybrid model that even old-school oil barons are starting to embrace. The economy’s gone green… well, Texas green, meaning it’s still got a little oil on its boots, but it’s learning how to tread lighter. Plus, Taylor Sheridan’s many Texas-themed TV series have added more luster to the oil industry and all things Western. His hit, Landman, features bigger-than-life characters that are eerily close to the ones we came to love in the Boomtown days, when Dallas was still on the air in 1991.
In the 90s, Texas was in the midst of a political transition. The Democratic stronghold of earlier decades was flipping red, hard and fast. George W. Bush, then governor, was seen as a charismatic new leader with cowboy charm and connections to the establishment.
Politics: A Tale Of Two States
Now, in 2025, the pendulum may be swinging again. The state is a battleground, purple on some maps, fiery red or blue on others, depending on the zip code. The urban vs. rural divide has never been starker, but the debates feel strangely familiar, since they were topics in the 1990s as well: border security, education reform, states’ rights, and healthcare access.
Socially conscious Gen Z voters are turning out in record numbers in cities like Houston and San Antonio, while smaller towns across West and East Texas remain rooted in tradition. It feels like the 90s again, when people gathered around the TV to watch Meet the Press and talk politics at the dinner table, not because they had to, but because it felt like history was happening in real time. And in many ways, it still is.
Style & Attitude: Bold Hair, Tall Boots, And Bathing In Nostalgia
In the 90s, Texas style was all about over-the-top expressions: cowboy boots with couture, turquoise jewelry with attitude, big belt buckles, big hair, and even bigger personalities. In 2025, that same aesthetic is back, with a twist.
Gen Z is raiding their mom’s 1993 closet and mixing it with modern tweaks. Young Texans are wearing Wranglers with vintage George Strait concert tees, carrying Coach bags from the 1990s, and sipping Topo Chico while quoting Friday Night Lights as if it were holy scripture.
Many women are returning to the little black dress aesthetic, and to many, it never went away. With the reboot of 90s supehit Sex & The City, in the incarnation of And Just Like That, the fashionable perspective on dressing remains alive and abundant. In Dallas and Houston, Austin, Fort Worth, and San Antonio, as well as the smaller markets, you’ll still find plenty of women who wear heels to lunch, men who still shine their boots with pride, and country clubs that haven’t changed their menus since Ross Perot ran for president. Chicken fingers and fries, anyone?
The difference? This time, there’s a level of self-awareness, like everyone’s in on the joke, but still proud of the punchline.
Technology & Tension: A New Kind Of Connectivity
In the 90s, Texas families got their first AOL discs and dialed up after dinner. Now, we’re all connected all the time, except in 2025, Texans are actively trying to disconnect again. Ranches in Hill Country now double as “digital detox retreats.” Families in suburbs and cities are advocating for “No Screen Sundays.” Even tech workers in Austin are openly nostalgic for the age before smartphones. I even have a collection of all my old cell phones, dating back to the 90s, and I may create an art installation with them someday.
Meanwhile, the space race is heating up again, just like it did in the 90s when NASA commanded national pride from its lofty perch in Houston. Now, space tech startups, private missions, and even asteroid-mining ventures are launching from Texas soil. Somewhere, in a cosmic wink to the past, the dreamers and engineers of today are standing on the shoulders of the 90s NASA giants. And, AI? Who knows where that will end up, yet it feels eerily similar to the advent of the internet when no one even remotely guessed how deeply it would become a part of our daily lives.
Lifestyle: Texas Forever, From Friday Night Lights To Farmers Markets
Texans in the 90s bonded over football, fajitas, family road trips, and small-town parades. Sound familiar? Despite all the changes, those core rhythms are still intact. In 2025, Texas is still Texas.
The Alamo will always be the Alamo in San Antonio, a city that is steeped in tradition. Luckly, the Alamo Foundation is making great preservation strides, and with the multi-million dollar-valued donation of Alamo artifacts by 90s musical mainstay Phil Collins, is a part of that tradition.
High school football on Fridays still draws a crowd. What’s different? The halftime show might include drones, and someone’s probably live-streaming it on a VR headset.
Neighborhoods are once again centered around community, and farmers’ markets have replaced malls as gathering hubs. Urbanites in Houston and Dallas are trading in fast fashion for locally made, slow-stitched denim. The spirit of “buy local, live large” feels like a continuation of the bootstrap pride of the 90s.
It’s Not Just Nostalgia. It’s Texas Being Texas.
There’s a saying that history doesn’t repeat itself; it simply rhymes. In Texas, it tends to sing.
The 1990s were a bold, brash, transformative time for the state. And so is 2025. Both eras are defined by growth, cultural richness, and a unique fusion of pride and possibility. In both times, Texas doesn’t just reflect the American mood; it defines it.
So, if 2025 feels like a rerun with better lighting, lean into it. Pull on your boots, turn up some Shania or Kacey or Beyoncé, and toast to the decade that never really left us.
Because in Texas, the future will always have a little past in it… and you can count on that.
