Houston, a middle class manufacturing city and the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S., home of oil refineries and 27.4 minute commutes, continues to build more highway lanes to accommodate growth. This month I counted 18 lanes for West 1-10 (Katy Freeway), just nearing expansion completion. I've never driven on 9 lanes heading anywhere. Houston is about 20% larger by population, with around million more people, since I left in 2000 and in that time, NYC grew less than 3%.
The big new transportation construction here in Santa Fe is the rail line from Albuquerque. But having lived since Houston in Atlanta and then NYC before plopping in Santa Fe, I thought I'd share this info from the NYSun this month comparing Houston to NYC:
Houston is an idea-centric city with movers in fields of finance, insurance and professional services...when it comes to growth, Gotham pales beside Houston...Employees earn almost double in Manhatttan what they earn in Houston. Houston has more days with temperatures over 90 degrees than any other large American city. Median home price in Houston: $126,000 (compared to $787,900 in Manhattan). Texans have no state income tax... another big difference.'
Getting around in NYC was easy with subways, taxis, grid system layout and buses but the lower cost of living in Houston makes cars - and the highways -- the way to live. Continuing high gas prices might change all that.
Houston is over 600 square miles. You can walk across Manhattan in 35 minutes, river to river. I know there was also BBQ (Brooklyn, Bronx, and Queens)but you had to cross water to get there. Two very different places, both have their pluses. Except, fewer know about Houston. Pro sports, world class Museums, Opera, Symphony, Ballet, Theater district, and you said it, NO STATE TAXES. Friendly people and Forbes just named it the #1 place to buy a home in U.S. (just out- I paid $1700 a square foot in NYC) ! RIce Univ. ranks in the top Universities in America and there are several more very good Colleges. If you can handle the heat, it's a great place. BTW, if you look up the weather, NYC and Houston have both had the same Hi temps all summer.
Posted by: anthony | July 30, 2008 at 07:13 AM
Houston is getting rave reviews all around. I like to visit but am glad I don't live in that much humidity year round. We spent a week there one afternoon-stuck on the freeway. I like a little bit more breathing room. However, if my daughter moves back to Texas, even Houston, I will give it a big yee-haw!
Posted by: allison | July 30, 2008 at 07:33 AM
speaking of Houston, did you read this?: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/us/29recycle.html
Posted by: magpie | July 31, 2008 at 01:21 PM
Wow, magpie. Just from living in Houston and New York, I'm not surprised w/ the facts in your link: Houston recycles just 2.6 percent of its total waste...and New York recycle 69 percent.
Posted by: MotherPie | August 01, 2008 at 08:04 AM
The article actually says NYC is 34%, San Francisco is 69%. There is another article that takes several factors into ranking green cities: http://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2008-02/americas-50-greenest-cities?page=1
Posted by: anthony | August 01, 2008 at 12:25 PM