Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post launched a whole edition for California this year; its more staid rival, the Times is going halfway, with a bureau in Texas.

The project – “in the works since last year” – is led by the colourfully-named Fernando Alfonso III, who says the “big red state” is a cultural force, “from Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ fuelling a Western-fashion revival, to shows like ‘Landman,’ to the endless fascination with Texas cuisine”.

The Times’ Sarah Bahr says the new hub of journalists aims to capture “all of that and more”, the team of five having already covered the aftermath of the deadly flooding at Camp Mystic last summer, explored why so many people in San Antonio are still living in poverty despite the city’s booming economy, and followed a family of children who had to raise one another after their parents were taken by ICE.

Alfonso, a Bellaire local, has been recruited from Hearst’s Houston Chronicle, the state’s biggest newspaper by circulation and audience reach. Ask Google about the others and it will mention Spanish-language dailies La Prensa de Houston and Al Día Dallas, as well as Dallas Morning News, some measure of the reporting challenges Alfonso faces. A list should probably also include Austin American-Statesman in the capital city, and perhaps the San Antonio Express-News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Alfonso calls the state “an economic powerhouse, a cultural force” and says the stories out of Texas have been of great interest to the national New York Times audience.

“So the idea of creating a Texas hub is to use the state as a way to explain the phenomena to come or that are already happening across the country through different societal lenses, whether that’s business, culture, religion or, of course, politics.”

He says approaching the distinct communities “starts with just being there – a lot of these communities don’t fit the boxes people outside the state like to reach for”.

It’s an old-fashioned but trusted formula for journalism: “I try to spend less time trying to persuade people that The Times isn’t what they think it is and far more trying to demonstrate how we work: the questions we ask, how we listen, how we verify information, why we call people back. We try to get it right.”

And there’s the inevitable question about where the best barbecue is: Fusing traditional with some Korean, nearby Blood Bros (pictured) is phenomenal, he says.