re: Are people from Texas "Southerners"?

I'd say the western line where the "The South" ends is somewhere from Texarkana, southwest to wrap around College Station, then back southeast towards the coast just outside of Houston's far western suburbs. DFW, Austin, and San Antonio are definitely not included within said line. A very small percentage of the Texas acreage. So if you are going off of how much of the Texas landmass is Southern, then no Texas is not The South as a whole. You have to specify east Texas.

DFW is not east Texas, especially since they self proclaim north Texas. Austin and San Antonio are central Texas hill country.

If you go off of the history books though, all of Texas is southern. One of the original 7 to sign the Confederate Constitution, is one of the original 7 stars on the Confederate flag, and shed blood for The South during the Civil War.

But these days, I just say you don't get into the real south until you get into east Texas. Coming from the west of course.