I would assume he meant the legal boundaries of the City of Houston, which is what the term "proper" usually means in that case.

Actually, most people in Houston tend to refer to the area inside the 610 loop in a way like the oc did. People outside 610 do not vote to the left.

I disagree with your hyperbole. I live in Montrose (very 'in the loop') and generally vote Republican. Much of my family lives in Spring (a suburb outside the loop) and vote Democrat/Green.

Houston is generally a more conservative city than SF. Overall, I feel that Houston is generally well run.

I also live in Montrose. A lot of Houston is well run. Public Transportation is a laggard, however. I spend half of my time in Minneapolis, and despite their using the same physical equipment, their public transit system is 5X better than Houston's.

I think the reason, is that in Minneapolis, it's considered a vital part of the city infrastructure. In Houston, it's a concession to the poor people.

Here in San Francisco, "Proper" means "I'm from the suburbs and I'm gearing up to bitch about San Francisco's parking and one-way streets"