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I am one of the 20% who does not think Austin, or ANY city over 50,000 is a good place to be. I have to go to DFW and Houston too much on business, and always dread it. Filthy, crime ridden, inflated real estate, terrible traffic, noisy, smoggy--what is good about all that??!!
You're right about one thing. You're one of the FEW who has the Hank Hill mentality, thinking that cities aren't good to be in. But Texas does have good cities.
What's wrong with Austin? What about San Antonio? And Ft. Worth?
Speaking of Ft. Worth, you don't actually think the WHOLE DFW area is bad. Dallas, I'd agree, maybe. But Ft. Worth and Arlington are good cities.
Sorry to get of topic, but I just find it wrong to steriotype every city. Just because over 50,000 people live there doesn't make it another L.A. or Miami.
Anyway, both cities (Dallas and Houston) have good and bad qualities. And because of there sizes, the bad is pointed out more often. So you can't really compare the two.
Oh, and sorry deeptrance, but I have to disagree with you on something. Austin is a great city, but I believe Ft. Worth is THE best city in this state. Sorry.
Oh, and I don't want to sound like a crybaby, but in this forum, when you're talking about Dallas, would it kill ya to just say DALLAS insted of DFW.
This is Houston vs. Dallas, not Houston vs. Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Garland, Irving, Grand Prarrie, H-E-B, Ceder Hill, DeSoto, Burleson, Lake Worth, Forest Hill, Mesquite, Grapevine, Adison, Mansfield........
Oh, and sorry deeptrance, but I have to disagree with you on something. Austin is a great city, but I believe Ft. Worth is THE best city in this state. Sorry.
Heck, no need for apologies. Opinions are always correct, that's why they're so enjoyable to express!
My comment about 80% of Texans agreeing that Austin is the best place in Texas is based on a survey conducted about 3 years ago in which people from throughout Texas were asked "If you could live anywhere in Texas, where would you want to live?" Austin totally obliterated all the other locations. But the majority is often wrong. After all, a majority of people watch too much TV and eat too much junk food. So maybe Austin is just a bunch of TV and junk food!
To those who were debating hurricanes and Houston, I've got two responses:
1. Tropical Storm Allison --- dumped up to 37 inches of rain in a few days on parts of Houston and did severe damage
2. Luck --- you'll get your hurricane one of these years, you can count on it. Don't forget that the deadliest hurricane in US history was NOT Katrina, it was the Galveston hurricane almost 100 years ago. The only reason Houston hasn't had hurricanes of that magnitude is sheer luck and nothing more.
That's the worst thing about Houston, it's unsustainable because it's very flat and close to sea level, and it's subject to extreme rain events. Add to that the rising seal level, rising ocean temperatures, and increasing intensity of storms, and you're just a sitting duck to be the next New Orleans. But I still think Houston is a WAY hipper, more cosmopolitan, more attractive and more interesting city than Dallas. To me, Dallas leads the world in having the highest population of any city that lacks a soul or purpose.
SMACK!
Go ahead, DFW fans, hit me with your best shot. That's what this thread is for. Besides, "some of my best friends are from DFW."
One thing I need about momof2dfw's comment about I-20 being close to the freight traffic, I-10 in Houston carries the most 18-wheeler traffic in all of Texas. The reason is the Port of Houston. It carries the U.S.'s most foreign traffic and one of the largest ports in the world. Dallas' train yard is being made by the Port of Houston. There is so much cargo there now, so they are going to ship it up to Dallas and unload it onto trucks and the trucks will take them to its destination.
Even me being in the DFW area now, I am thinking "why does this place exist." It is a city made of nothing. It is somewhat important now because of I-20 and I-35, but it has no major river (Trinity is a dump and too small to even be a port).
Even me being in the DFW area now, I am thinking "why does this place exist." It is a city made of nothing.
That's funny but also true. DFW is unprecedented in the history of major cities. It has no natural reason for being where it is. And that's actually attractive to me. Anything I can't figure out is more fun. I like women who are mysterious and deep. Maybe there's something to DFW that I need to explore more thoroughly. Nobody forced it to become what it is, it happened naturally yet it defies all the classical rules of economic and urban development.
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deeptrance
Heck, no need for apologies. Opinions are always correct, that's why they're so enjoyable to express!
My comment about 80% of Texans agreeing that Austin is the best place in Texas is based on a survey conducted about 3 years ago in which people from throughout Texas were asked "If you could live anywhere in Texas, where would you want to live?" Austin totally obliterated all the other locations. But the majority is often wrong. After all, a majority of people watch too much TV and eat too much junk food. So maybe Austin is just a bunch of TV and junk food!
To those who were debating hurricanes and Houston, I've got two responses:
1. Tropical Storm Allison --- dumped up to 37 inches of rain in a few days on parts of Houston and did severe damage
2. Luck --- you'll get your hurricane one of these years, you can count on it. Don't forget that the deadliest hurricane in US history was NOT Katrina, it was the Galveston hurricane almost 100 years ago. The only reason Houston hasn't had hurricanes of that magnitude is sheer luck and nothing more.
That's the worst thing about Houston, it's unsustainable because it's very flat and close to sea level, and it's subject to extreme rain events. Add to that the rising seal level, rising ocean temperatures, and increasing intensity of storms, and you're just a sitting duck to be the next New Orleans. But I still think Houston is a WAY hipper, more cosmopolitan, more attractive and more interesting city than Dallas. To me, Dallas leads the world in having the highest population of any city that lacks a soul or purpose.
SMACK!
Go ahead, DFW fans, hit me with your best shot. That's what this thread is for. Besides, "some of my best friends are from DFW."
Hmm, I really think that extent of a threat of a hurricane is exaggerated. TS Allison was said to be a 500-year rain event that just so happened to be over Houston. Any city that has that sort of freakish event of 30 inches of rainfall in 24-48 hours is going to have severe flooding issues.
The Galveston storm was so tragic because it happened on an island, where it is hard to leave quickly even if forecasting had been available back then. Storm surge is what killed people, not wind or rain. Houston is 50 miles inland and only small parts of it are subject to storm surge.
Houston would never be another New Orleans. Many parts of New Orleans are below sea level and protected by the levees (which failed). Most of Houston is above sea level. New Orleans also had major issues before the hurricane that just made the aftermath much worse -- lots of poverty, political corruption, many poor and crime-ridden neighborhoods, a mayor who was totally unprepared, and lots of other issues. Houston is not the same kind of city... I speak from real experience!
Hmm, I really think that extent of a threat of a hurricane is exaggerated. TS Allison was said to be a 500-year rain event that just so happened to be over Houston. Any city that has that sort of freakish event of 30 inches of rainfall in 24-48 hours is going to have severe flooding issues.
The Galveston storm was so tragic because it happened on an island, where it is hard to leave quickly even if forecasting had been available back then. Storm surge is what killed people, not wind or rain. Houston is 50 miles inland and only small parts of it are subject to storm surge.
Houston would never be another New Orleans. Many parts of New Orleans are below sea level and protected by the levees (which failed). Most of Houston is above sea level. New Orleans also had major issues before the hurricane that just made the aftermath much worse -- lots of poverty, political corruption, many poor and crime-ridden neighborhoods, a mayor who was totally unprepared, and lots of other issues. Houston is not the same kind of city... I speak from real experience!
One thing I need about momof2dfw's comment about I-20 being close to the freight traffic, I-10 in Houston carries the most 18-wheeler traffic in all of Texas. The reason is the Port of Houston. It carries the U.S.'s most foreign traffic and one of the largest ports in the world. Dallas' train yard is being made by the Port of Houston. There is so much cargo there now, so they are going to ship it up to Dallas and unload it onto trucks and the trucks will take them to its destination.
Even me being in the DFW area now, I am thinking "why does this place exist." It is a city made of nothing. It is somewhat important now because of I-20 and I-35, but it has no major river (Trinity is a dump and too small to even be a port).
I did not say that I20 in the Dallas area has the most freight traffic over any other highway. I'm just explaining to you WHY it has so much traffic for THIS area (the D/FW area). You will find the vast majority of truck stops in the Dallas area along this stretch. Many of the major freight carriers have terminals close by, etc. The Dallas area already has one yard for storing the freight containers that come off of the ships to be hauled to other points across the country, it is to the east of Dallas.
Why does this place exist? For many reasons. At one time MANY, MANY years ago the Trinity was used. If you travel to east Texas just east of Dallas you can still see the bridges built to accomodate such commerce. Dallas is also a pretty good stopping point for freight to be dispersed across the nation. It may come in thru the Port of Houston but it usually comes on up to Dallas before it heads anywhere else. Ft Worth existed as a cattle drive stop. Dallas saw more freight commerce and still does even before our highway system was put in it existed. Dallas and the surrounding area was settled because it was a good place to farm and had the means to get the by products out of and off to other parts of the nation. You could almost say the same about most "inland" cities that because they are not located right on a major river or coast but there are usually other variables that took place to make it attractive. In our more modern world it there are other reasons. Why do you think that D/FW Intl Airport is one of the busiest in the country? Because of our weather the airport hardly gets shut down and it is midway to either coast. When flying cross country would you rather your connecting flight be at an airport that does not see bad weather or one that routinely gets closed or heavy delays due to weather?
Hmm, I really think that extent of a threat of a hurricane is exaggerated. TS Allison was said to be a 500-year rain event that just so happened to be over Houston.
OK, so you're not below sea level, and that rules out the comparison to New Orleans. Good point.
But imagine a Cat 5 hurricane at landfall, it could easily still be at Cat 3 status when it reached Houston, especially if it came straight up the port and was over water for a long time. The damage would be spectacular.
What about Rita? It was far from Houston and was much weaker than Katrina, yet the mere evacuation process was a disaster in itself! People sitting in ther cars roasting for 12 hours, hardly moving... Houston will see many more floods, they will get worse for reasons I've mentioned already, and if it gets a direct hit from a slow-moving hurricane it will be horrific.
But of course you can make the argument that every location is a sitting duck for SOME type of disaster. I just think Houston's elevation, population, tendency to get heavy rain events and poor drainage all spell one thing: frequent widespread flooding that will increase as the years go by.
I did not say that I20 in the Dallas area has the most freight traffic over any other highway. I'm just explaining to you WHY it has so much traffic for THIS area (the D/FW area). You will find the vast majority of truck stops in the Dallas area along this stretch. Many of the major freight carriers have terminals close by, etc. The Dallas area already has one yard for storing the freight containers that come off of the ships to be hauled to other points across the country, it is to the east of Dallas.
Why does this place exist? For many reasons. At one time MANY, MANY years ago the Trinity was used. If you travel to east Texas just east of Dallas you can still see the bridges built to accomodate such commerce. Dallas is also a pretty good stopping point for freight to be dispersed across the nation. It may come in thru the Port of Houston but it usually comes on up to Dallas before it heads anywhere else. Ft Worth existed as a cattle drive stop. Dallas saw more freight commerce and still does even before our highway system was put in it existed. Dallas and the surrounding area was settled because it was a good place to farm and had the means to get the by products out of and off to other parts of the nation. You could almost say the same about most "inland" cities that because they are not located right on a major river or coast but there are usually other variables that took place to make it attractive. In our more modern world it there are other reasons. Why do you think that D/FW Intl Airport is one of the busiest in the country? Because of our weather the airport hardly gets shut down and it is midway to either coast. When flying cross country would you rather your connecting flight be at an airport that does not see bad weather or one that routinely gets closed or heavy delays due to weather?
A lot of other inland major cities were built on a major river or coast. I can only think of Denver and Kansas City that were not. That also may be why DFW is losing traffic while Continental Airlines and IAH are setting records in growth. JetBlue is helping out Hobby in Houston a lot, too. Houston's airports rarely get shutdown. That truck stop in the sky called American sure is helping the decline of DFW Airport (Wright Amendment, etc.)
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