You Never Leave Houston

[aquablue]

Houston's a great place to do work. Do business. It is surely the future.

[edluva]

Originally Posted by aquablue

Houston's a great place to do work. Do business. It is surely the future.

attractively sounding statement.

now for some substance...

future of what?

[Perklol]

delete

[rellott]

I'm a born and raised Houstonian and this article is the best I've seen in terms of catching the admiration Houstonians have towards their city. I've passed this along to many friends and coworkers, some of whom aren't from here. They have a better understanding of this city after they read it. The author did a fine job, and Houston, well, it ain't doin bad either.

[Centropolis]

everyone has these swan-song articles these days about where they live. the midwest is chock full of them, too. personally i love where i live because of XYZ.

it really speaks less of the actual places (although that matters), and more of the reality of having a comfortable middle class life, with a little money and time to enjoy things that are enjoyable. with enough money in america most people can be very, very comfortable in pine bluff arkansas, or whatever. having actual urbanity is sort of a bonus, then. houston has the sort of economic engine that can elevate lifestyles into that realm of being able to overlook the aesthetics of a town built on extreme logistics.

perhaps we need to revist (or create a new) thread about the american middle class.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by rellott

They have a better understanding of this city after they read it. The author did a fine job, and Houston, well, it ain't doin bad either.

what really matters is what happens when your town ain't doin so good...will people still fight for it?

[atlantaguy]

Originally Posted by edluva

attractively sounding statement.

now for some substance...

future of what?

Uh perhaps jobs, prosperity & affordability? Coupled with a major, diverse and internationally connected metro that is obviously improving itself in many tangible ways.

Granted, it's not for everyone - but several million have voted with their feet.

[Centropolis]

america.

[llamaorama]

with enough money in america most people can be very, very comfortable in pine bluff arkansas, or whatever

I agreed with your point until this line. I know that's just a random example but that is literally the last place on earth I would live. I mean, even Somalia might not be that bad, arggg matey.

So maybe with that absurd example, I now can't say absolutely that you'd be happy anywhere with enough money. People DO choose to move based on lifestyle. Houston just flies under the radar as a good place to live. Truth is Houston is very liveable. It has a lot of things to do, a lot of green spaces and parks, etc. It doesn't have pretty scenery but it does have beaches on the fringe of the metro. Also it's becoming more urban at a healthy rate.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by llamaorama

I agreed with your point until this line. I know that's just a random example but that is literally the last place on earth I would live. I mean, even Somalia might not be that bad, arggg matey.

So maybe with that absurd example, I now can't say absolutely that you'd be happy anywhere with enough money. People DO choose to move based on lifestyle. Houston just flies under the radar as a good place to live. Truth is Houston is very liveable. It has a lot of things to do, a lot of green spaces and parks, etc. It doesn't have pretty scenery but it does have beaches on the fringe of the metro. Also it's becoming more urban at a healthy rate.

haha! fair enough. i'm going down there for a week next week for work, actually. there are nice ranches on impoundments or whatever down there. in the upper echelon, cast in the most perfect light on the edge of an in-the-ground pool, it's half-livable. largely a turd, however.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

houston has the sort of economic engine that can elevate lifestyles into that realm of being able to overlook the aesthetics of a town built on extreme logistics.

Isn't this the case for all American boomtowns, though?

Chicago was largely built around the bones of the railroad/factory system. New York was built around the bones of its once-massive Atlantic port. Houston was built around its freeways radiating out in all directions.

Aesthetics in American cities have always been a sort of skin placed over the skeleton demanded by capitalism. We didn't have kings building hunting lodges or popes building piazzas.

[TexasPlaya]

Originally Posted by edluva

attractively sounding statement.

now for some substance...

future of what?

Good question.....

With the right amount of luck and planning, Houston could become a top 5 Western global city in several decades (at the most optimistic level).

The energy industry is one of the most technical, knowledge-based, well-paying industries to be in. Houston has one of the highest median incomes in the country. The global private energy industry has been consolidating in Houston along with some quasi- public/private companies. Also, the energy industry has an aging workforce due to the lack of hiring and retaining talent from 80's bust to the early 2000s so there will be quite a few workers retiring or have already retired. My dad is a holdover from the 80s bust as an electrical engineer (I don't think they call it that anymore) and can tell you about the talent shortage.

The energy industry has led Houston to punch weigh above it's weight in terms of manufacturing and exports. There's between $35-50 billion in expansions and upgrades for petrochemical plants in the Houston area that will only further increase it's manufacturing prowess.

Houston is diverse, international, affordable, and an economically mobile city. It's passed billions in bonds in 2012 to rebuild and/or upgrade inner city schools, add new parks, better roads/sidewalks, and drainage (it's a big deal in Houston).

Obviously, there's quite a few pitfalls and weaknesses that can derail Houston's rise to more prominence. Houston certainly can diversify it's economy more and invest more in higher education. Personally, I see investing in higher education as the ticket to being the next global city. University of Houston is still a ways off from becoming a flagship Texas university with the likes of UT and TAMU. Rice University is a top research university per capita, but it's a small and will hopefully keep expanding over time. Houston also needs to diversify it's transportation and continue to make gradual improvements in urbanity.

I realize this won't be a popular post on this forum as Houston can represent the things this forum dislikes, but there's no denying the economic might and mobility.

[TexasPlaya]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Isn't this the case for all American boomtowns, though?

Chicago was largely built around the bones of the railroad/factory system. New York was built around the bones of its once-massive Atlantic port. Houston was built around its freeways radiating out in all directions.

Aesthetics in American cities have always been a sort of skin placed over the skeleton demanded by capitalism. We didn't have kings building hunting lodges or popes building piazzas.

The globe is mostly fueling Houston's economic boom as the world is hungry for energy and that's what Houston specializes in. Of course it can all collapse due to technology or some unforeseen global event or local devastating hurricane. But yes, Houston isn't too pretty to look at compared to most cities and is lucky to attract people for economic reasons alone.

[ardecila]

Eventually people will romanticize the massive tilt-up and precast warehouses along Loop 8 just like we romanticize the brick warehouses of Brooklyn or the city walls of Jerusalem.

Why will they do this? I have no idea, but a c.1900 New York sweatshop owner probably couldn't contemplate a loft apartment either.

[urbanadvocate]

I really enjoyed reading the article but not 'cause it had anything to do with Houston but because it is some young guy dealing with growing up and nostalgically thinking about when he came of age--of course YOU NEVER LEAVE THE PLACE YOU CAME OF AGE.

Replace beer, hot and sweaty with local brew, coffee and rain and its the same article about random city in the northwest. Replace it with snow, fireplaces and lakes and you have the upper Midwest.

Nicely written article but does nothing to sell Houston.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by llamaorama

I agreed with your point until this line. I know that's just a random example but that is literally the last place on earth I would live. I mean, even Somalia might not be that bad, arggg matey.

i recant, pine bluff arkansas lies somewhere beyond the dark frontier of the civilized world, and the region is an outcast of the modern south.

after spending a week in a bayou, it's clearer to me than ever as to why the south didn't boom until air conditioning with the exception of a few very special cities.

Originally Posted by ardecila

Isn't this the case for all American boomtowns, though?

Chicago was largely built around the bones of the railroad/factory system. New York was built around the bones of its once-massive Atlantic port. Houston was built around its freeways radiating out in all directions.

Aesthetics in American cities have always been a sort of skin placed over the skeleton demanded by capitalism. We didn't have kings building hunting lodges or popes building piazzas.

sure, and excellent point. however, as you know that "skin" was not always demanded entirely by the free market, as the free market does not encapsulate and account for all wants, needs, desires, intangibles, and fashions. and of course fashions change, fashions fall out of favor, but some fashions are classic.