Houston isn’t really Cajun nor Deep South. It is Texas/Latino.

I hear a lot of Houston claim it as Cajun or the deep south. Having been born and lived for decades in both South Louisiana and Shreveport, which are Acadiana and the Deep South, Houston is neither. Being 40%+ Latino, Houston is Texas/Latino (or Mexican influence if you will). Reasons why it isn't (in a legitimate way from my life experience):

Why it isn't Acadiana: Look up french ethnicity by % of Lafayette, New Iberia, Morgan City, Houma, Cameron Parish, Vermillion Parish. They are all going to be around 30% or higher French. I've been in Houston for 5 years and have met thousands of people. I've only met 2 people in 5 years in all of Houston metro that had cajun last names. Likely to meet that many in Idaho. It doesn't have the same feel when you boil it down or same hobbies/culture as South LA. The Beaumont/Orange area has the same geographical look from the land/marsh, but even there doesn't have the same phonebook names as Lafayette. Lafayette is 1 in 2 last names are cajun french. Beaumont might be 1 in 40 from my experience of having been there. Imo, Acadiana ends at the LA TX border. This makes sense as Acadiana has the highest rate of any culture to return home at later ages (learned this in my LA Geography course at LSU).

Why it isn't the Deep South: cultural feel. Shreveport is so relaxed. I love going back because it is just so much slower. Compared to Houston where every 10 minute drive is intensively stressful. That doesn't exist there. That and demographics. Nearly every Deep South city will be 50% or higher African American and 50% or less white with not that many latinos. Houston is only 23% African American, prob 30% caucasian if I had to guess, and 45% Latino. That doesn't exist in the Deep South. In addition the culture is different there. Nearly every male likes to hunt, fish, college football, chewing tobacco. In my experience, that's not very common in Houston. Have met few in Houston who like fishing, hunting, chewing tobacco which is almost a given in the deep south (at least Shreveport). Maybe college football because of A&M, but not as prevelant as the Deep South where everyone spends every fall Saturday around college football. I mean Saturdays in the fall are LSU football no matter where you are in Louisiana. Where in Houston, you might have a few bars who are into A&M, but most people don't care or watch the Astros or Rockets or do something completely unrelated to sports. In Louisiana, it is only LSU football on Saturdays in the Fall. Having gone to high school in Shreveport, it has more cajun french last names even though NWLA. I'd say there were always 2 or so people in my 25 person classes that were a Melancon, Mernard, Landry, Guillot, Soilleau, or Boudreaux. Maybe 5-10% were in Shreveport. Less than 1% have those kind of names in Houston.

Now, to what Houston is. Houston is very Texas/Latino. Having lived here 5 years, the Latino/Mexican influence is massive on the city. Massive. Never experienced anything like it East of the Texas border. This is what it is. Food trucks are uncommon in Deep South, but there are a lot of Mexican food trucks here. Stuff like Fiesta grocery. The amount of good Tex-Mex restaurants. Houston also has a mix of a lot of different cultures (albeit most make up a very small percentage) but you don't get that in the Deep South and Acadiana. Deep South and Acadiana (for the most part) is either caucasian or african american.

As someone who was born and raised in every part of Louisiana and have now been in Houston for 5 years, I see a lot of people claiming these for Houston, when I have lived in those parts for decades. They just aren't the same as Houston. Very different. Houston definitely has a more Latino/Texas culture that is very apparent. I think it's something Houstonians should claim and celebrate as it is something East of TX does not have at all.