Can you feel success in the air in Houston ????

[geopainter]

I live and work near the Energy Corridor, so I can only speak to this western part of town, but it's a mixed bag...

On one hand, construction and growth in the Energy Corridor is up 40%, as per the management district spokesperson at a recent council meeting. Anyone can see the plethora of new buildings going up. So, currently the oil and gas inustry is building up.... hope it lasts! What follows a big boom? Sometimes, a bust.

At the same time, there is a lot of retail vacancy in the area. I think this is a fact of semi-suburban life: today's new plaza is tomorrow's vacant storefront, as the next new thing gets built across the street or further out.

So, while there are lots of new, glossy buildings and shops, showing that the workplace is vibrant (and housing prices reflect this as workers move in), there are a lot of older properties with vacancy, and that doesn't present an image of success. Maybe some get torn down and replaced by smething more "upscale"..but in large parts of this town, the old, abandoned properties remain and paint a bleak picture.

I'm reminded of the phrase: "Everything's fine up here, never mind the screaming from the basement". There was an article a few months back about economic segregation in Houston. I think these maps tell the story of where success is/isn't. Depending on where you are and what you work on, you'll have a very different feel for the vitality of Houston.

Shifting fortunes across Houston - Houston Chronicle

[mingna]

Originally Posted by geopainter

I live and work near the Energy Corridor, so I can only speak to this western part of town, but it's a mixed bag...

On one hand, construction and growth in the Energy Corridor is up 40%, as per the management district spokesperson at a recent council meeting. Anyone can see the plethora of new buildings going up. So, currently the oil and gas inustry is building up.... hope it lasts! What follows a big boom? Sometimes, a bust.

At the same time, there is a lot of retail vacancy in the area. I think this is a fact of semi-suburban life: today's new plaza is tomorrow's vacant storefront, as the next new thing gets built across the street or further out.

So, while there are lots of new, glossy buildings and shops, showing that the workplace is vibrant (and housing prices reflect this as workers move in), there are a lot of older properties with vacancy, and that doesn't present an image of success. Maybe some get torn down and replaced by smething more "upscale"..but in large parts of this town, the old, abandoned properties remain and paint a bleak picture.

I'm reminded of the phrase: "Everything's fine up here, never mind the screaming from the basement". There was an article a few months back about economic segregation in Houston. I think these maps tell the story of where success is/isn't. Depending on where you are and what you work on, you'll have a very different feel for the vitality of Houston.

Shifting fortunes across Houston - Houston Chronicle

Interesting article. Based upon it's findings, I must be living in an anomolous socio-economic bubble out here in my part of Sugar Land. Because within a 2-5 mile radius of my neighborhood you will find solidly middle class blue-collar workers living next to the lower class apartment dwellers, living next to upper-middle class white-collar professionals, living next to wealthy McMansionites -- their kids all attending the same elementary school. One neighbor moved a couple of blocks over to the higher-priced homes as their finances improved, as did one who moved from the apartments to the lower-middle class housing area.

Seems you can find similarly represented neighborhoods in parts of Spring Valley and the Heights, too. But certainly the current housing trends and concomitant socio-economic stratification is troubling...

[txdemo]

Originally Posted by mingna

Seems you can find similarly represented neighborhoods in parts of Spring Valley and the Heights, too. But certainly the current housing trends and concomitant socio-economic stratification is troubling...

I gotta go get my dictionary.

[crank_it_up]

moved here in 79, have seen several economic cycles, from the lows to the highs. Always the same scenario, with the construction industry taking the first hit, especially residential. Conversely, residential construction is the first to make a comeback. In case you haven't noticed, Houston's construction industry is booming, so good times are back.

Houston was ranked Number 2 on Forbes list of Fastest Growing American Cities. Texas was named 2012's top state by Business Facilities magazine for having "the most dynamic economy of any state in the nation."

Houston was also ranked Number 6 for the second consecutive year on the Penske Truck Rental list of Top Moving Destinations based on one-way rentals within the U.S. Houston was also listed Number 6 on the United Van Lines most popular city for U.S. families to move to between May 1 and August 31.

Now all we need is a trip to the Superbowl

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by thatboybigbFL

I was just wondering, being that Houston has the top economic climate in the nation, can you feel it in the air there???

I only feel success when I finally pass the sob driving the speed limit on the left lane of the highway with 200 cars behind him/her