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We all know both cities are nearly identical in almost any category/department we could think of. There have been tons of discussions on this matter, but there's one difference that I notice about Houston that is relatively less pronounced in Dallas, and that's "energy." It's actually kind of hard for me to come up with the exact word to describe it. We all also probably agree that the amount of pedestrian traffic in both cities are about the same.
I want to know what exactly makes Houston to have more of that energetic vibe compared to Dallas when neither of the two is particularly more dense or has visibly more foot traffic than the other? I'd love to hear your opinions!
Jokes aside, I’d imagine that Dallas/FW having pull from 3 smaller focal points vs Houston having one solidified nucleus that the entire region revolves around has something to do with it
I also suppose that Dallas markers business, Houston markers culture. Both are great for both. DFW also puts particularly extra focus on their suburbs; probably more than any other major metro area (proportionally speaking).
We all know both cities are nearly identical in almost any category/department we could think of. There have been tons of discussions on this matter, but there's one difference that I notice about Houston that is relatively less pronounced in Dallas, and that's "energy." It's actually kind of hard for me to come up with the exact word to describe it. We all also probably agree that the amount of pedestrian traffic in both cities are about the same.
I want to know what exactly makes Houston to have more of that energetic vibe compared to Dallas when neither of the two is particularly more dense or has visibly more foot traffic than the other? I'd love to hear your opinions!
This point has come up here before. Whatever causes the fun/energy vibe advantage for Houston it is real.
Another Houston vs. Dallas thread…. I’ll always bite tho lol
So here’s my take on it especially having just spent 4 days in Dallas.
Imo, if Houston feels more energetic it’s largely due to how both cities were developed in comparison to one another. Like Swag stated, Houston is the main focus in the metropolitan area while Dallas is the principal city but has to share the spotlight with other cities in the metroplex.
I also think it has to do with Houston’s haphazard development and no zoning laws. Yes Houston has a form of zoning but it’s more laxed than other cities so you’ll see more lounges, clubs, food trucks, bars spread all throughout the city which promotes an energetic vibe.
But( Houstonians on C-D hate to hear my buts) I also think that works against Houston. Because outside of Main st. in downtown and the adjacent areas in downtown there’s no real pedestrian friendly neighborhoods/ districts like in Dallas.
Houston does have pockets of walkable spaces with entertainment but they haven’t fully committed to a walkable neighborhood that puts the pedestrian first.
Deep Ellum, Bishop Arts District, Oaklawn and Lower Greenville are more energetic than any neighborhood in Houston. Why? Because they seem to be more dedicated to pedestrian friendly development than Houston.
I mean everytime I go to Deep Ellum it’s improving and more vibrant than before. They have lots dedicated for parking but no businesses with a parking lot attached. That’s what kills vibrancy so even areas like Eado/ Midtown/Washington ave lack cohesion because of the retail stores and their suburban layout. Don’t get me wrong Uptown Dallas and Oaklawn has some of those same things but they’re also more pedestrian friendly than Houston.
So while Houston has more, what Dallas does have packs more of a punch than Houston from my observation.
I'm not sure, but I think Redlion is more or less on the right track here. I think the biggest difference is that so much of the Dallas area feels really, really suburban so it gives this more subdued feel to the area. Houston, for better or worse, has a much more urban feel and it just feels livelier. This is true of Austin as well.
I'm not sure, but I think Redlion is more or less on the right track here. I think the biggest difference is that so much of the Dallas area feels really, really suburban so it gives this more subdued feel to the area. Houston, for better or worse, has a much more urban feel and it just feels livelier. This is true of Austin as well.
This seems ironic, but true. So much of Houston's liveliness is focused in linked, contiguous parts of the city that represent large-scale middle to upper class residential areas, which cover a greater part of the urban core than in Dallas; in the latter, it's just this kind of narrow wedge extending from Bishop Arts north through Downtown up to the suburbs (I guess add Deep Ellum on the fringe). In Houston, you have the "arrow" (demographic geeks know what I'm talking about), plus emerging areas like Almeda and EaDo, and the international districts on the southwest side; on the whole, it just covers a pretty large contiguous geographic area.
On the flip side, you don't have in Houston the legacy urban walkable areas (or as well done new ones like Dallas Uptown) that Dallas has, which I envy, despite having more of the core with revitalized activity in Houston. If Houston hadn't torn down as much of its legacy urban walkable districts in the 1960s and 1970s, it would be far ahead of where it is today.
It does? Houston has a pulse as in the traffic flowing on the freeways, but when it comes to actually having neighborhoods with entertainment and shopping, I’d give that to Dallas. Houston lacks a cohesiveness.
This seems ironic, but true. So much of Houston's liveliness is focused in linked, contiguous parts of the city that represent large-scale middle to upper class residential areas, which cover a greater part of the urban core than in Dallas; in the latter, it's just this kind of narrow wedge extending from Bishop Arts north through Downtown up to the suburbs (I guess add Deep Ellum on the fringe). In Houston, you have the "arrow" (demographic geeks know what I'm talking about), plus emerging areas like Almeda and EaDo, and the international districts on the southwest side; on the whole, it just covers a pretty large contiguous geographic area.
On the flip side, you don't have in Houston the legacy urban walkable areas (or as well done new ones like Dallas Uptown) that Dallas has, which I envy, despite having more of the core with revitalized activity in Houston. If Houston hadn't torn down as much of its legacy urban walkable districts in the 1960s and 1970s, it would be far ahead of where it is today.
Given that Dallas has no problem with demolishing what is old for the new, it is very surprising that those areas survived. Looking back it now, I am sure the city is glad that it didn't teardown or push to teardown those areas (urban renewal type of thing).
What I like about planning is that they're able to build entire urban walkable neighborhood off a single old streetcar node or old commercial district. The zoning, complete streets, and other infrastructure upgrades all help areas with urban bones enhance further. That's why I talk about it a lot.
This was Lower Greenville in 2006 before this recent wave of revitalization. The lot they're standing on is the site of the Arcadia Theater, which burned down around that time. It was in the process of being restored. Trader Joe's is there now. To me, Greenville use to be a lot more gritty (not in a bad way though). Now, they've completed the renovation/restoration of all the buildings.
Now - This is from Aug 2023. The heat may be putting a damper on activity but there are still a few people walking the streets or this could've been taken during non-peak hours. The trees planted during the complete streets redo really helps to shade the sidewalk. Trader Joe's (former Arcadia Theater site), to the left (at 1:00) at the intersection of Sears St and Greenville Ave.
I think it's also good to point out that these older urban neighborhoods are all in that 40 sq mi area of Dallas that was built before WW2. Jefferson Blvd, Bishop Arts, Knox St, Lower Greenville, etc are the original urban nodes or streetcar main streets for those neighborhoods. As of now, they are at least 100 years old. They were connected by streetcars to Downtown and were "mini-downtowns" for their area, with Downtown Dallas being the major CBD for the entire city. Dallas peaked at a population density of 7,375 per sq mi in 1940, after having expanded to 40 square miles and a population of 295,000. At the time, Fortune Magazine called Dallas “a mini-Manhattan”.
What a man said in the 1920s about Lower Greenville
Quote:
MOST WONDERFUL OF ALL
But I have witnessed nothing so marvelous as the growth of Dallas since I settled here, Dec. 5, 1921, and built a home at 5615 Sears street. People who stick close to business in the downtown district really do not know what is going on in this teeming city. Our suburban store district, just north of Ross and Greenville avenues, comprises three furniture stores, two hardware stores, four drug stores, six groceries, two dry goods stores, half a dozen filling stations, a Pig Stand or two, a plumbing shop, a fire station, an ice factory, a cleaning and pressing establishment, barber shops, shoemakers’ shops, two gents’ furnishing stores and a Masonic lodge. Practically all these and others, for I am sure I have overlooked some, have been established since I settled in the community four years ago. In fact, we have a small town of our own. But then the modern city of Dallas is made up of a number of such complete units, with one grand central business district, which is thought of and looked upon by outsiders as Dallas. (Dallas Morning News, March 15, 1925)
I feel like that's what the city is slowly reverting towards. Especially, areas that are within Loop 12. Slowly but surely....
They're talking about reuniting Lower Greenville back to Downtown by streetcar and extending the Dallas Streetcar at Bishop Arts onto Jefferson and Davis. Also, For years they've talked about extending the McKinney Ave Trolley in Uptown to Knox too. It makes sense since those are growing urban neighborhoods with existing density.
Jefferson Blvd and Bishop Ave in the 1940s. The taller building is the 1920s art deco-style Jefferson Tower - notice the streetcar tracks in the road and the streetcar itself further down the road
SOURCE: Flashback Dallas
Knox St in 1949 - streetcar tracks can be seen through the snow
SOURCE: Flashback Dallas
There have been tons of discussions on this matter, but there's one difference that I notice about Houston that is relatively less pronounced in Dallas, and that's "energy." It's actually kind of hard for me to come up with the exact word to describe it.
The exact word you are looking for is called “SOUL.” Houston is a port city. It’s been called blue-collar. It’s gritty and not so lovely in places. Yes, some of our neighborhoods have ditches! How BC! It’s been knocked down by hurricanes, 500-year floods, oil busts - yet it always comes back stronger, and the secret that escapes people who hate it is that those calamities draw its citizens closer together. In Houston you can come just as you are but you’d better be real. In fact, we don’t like fakes.
Dallas is an illusion of a city. It builds pretty bridges over waterways that don’t exist to create an illusion of a big important city. It likes shiny, name-brand buildings to try to get noticed. “What is the national reaction?” is always the number one question in Dallas because, well, image is everything. Even Dallas’ beautiful botanic garden is like it’s Northpark Mall. Nothing really grows there. They just switch out the displays with flowers brought in from somewhere else to keep things always looking pretty. Don’t believe me? Go there and you won’t find a single weed in any of the flower beds! Compare that to your own garden and you’ll see the difference between a real garden and an illusion of a garden. Don’t get me wrong. It’s beautiful! I’m a member! But I know it’s all fake.
In Dallas they say Houston is the armpit of Texas. Actually, Houston is the heart and soul of Texas.
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