Houston AND Dallas: important similarities and differences

[totheskies]

THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE A "VS" THREAD. Just an intelligent discussion about two of the US' most important cities.

Both cities are quite similar-
-In Texas, and comprise the two largest metropolitan areas
-They are similar in size, and to some extent in layout.
-similar in suburb development (The Colony, The Woodlands come to mind)

Important distinctions-
-Dallas has distinguished itself as more of the financial center for Texas, while Houston is the energy industry's home.
-The metro area of Dallas is larger b/c of the "Super Burbs" and its proximity to Fort Worth.
-Dallas is bit more advanced with the rail transportation.
-Houston's position as a port and coastal city lends itself to a sea hub of transportation, while Dallas is the larger air hub.

Any other important similarities/ distinctions you can think of?

[Shasta]

Actually, if we are just talking Dallas vs. Houston, then the suburban growth patterns are a little bit different.

The Northern burbs in Dallas are booming and the migration just keeps spreading towards Oklahoma! First it was Plano. Then came McKinney. Now it's Allen and points beyond.

Suburban growth the South and East is much slower. Even suburban growth to the West towards Fort Worth is slower (Grand Prairie).

In Houston, the suburban growth is much more spread out. You have booming areas like The Woodlands (North), Cypress (Northwest), Katy (West), SugarLand (Southwest), Pearland (South), League City (Southeast), and Kingwood (Northeast). The only area that is slow to grow is the Eastside and that's because it is largely not capable to hold sprawl with the Port, Upper Galveston Bay, Trinity River basin, and refinieries limiting land options.

[totheskies]

Yeah, but I was talking about the "style" of the suburbs, whether they be MPCs, or just miles and mile of house areas. All of the richer ones look very similar. Looking at pictures, it would take me several hours to distinguish Katy from Mansfield. But the largest suburb in the Houston area is technically Pasadena, which is atypical with the factory sectors and lower to middle income housing throughout. Does Dallas have anything like that?

[Great_Hizzy]

Mesquite?

[Superstar]

*Houston has a flagship university. Conversely they both have an academic powerhouse (Rice, SMU)

*Dallas has more "visibility," like the TV show and the Cowboys. Houston's industries are more vital to the US' well being.

*They both have two major cities that would exist reagardless of any major growth in each respective area (Houston-Galveston, Dallas-Fort Worth).

*The landscape and urban growth is EXTREMLY similar in both areas (leaving me, a native Californian always wondering why there is SO much debate about which is better when they seem so similar).


The fact is both cities are basically equal, with only minoir differences to pick apart from each other.

[JAM]

- Dallas has cold winters, often gets snow once a year. Houston winters are mild and sometimes non-existent.

- Houston has a bigger international presence about it, including people from countries of the world. Dallas seems to have more people from the Midwest moving in for jobs - less of them make it all the way to Houston. I've lived in Dallas over the years in several year stints. Coming from Houston, I was always amazed at how many more blonde's were in Dallas compared to Houston.

- I can't decide who has more pickup trucks on the freeways

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by totheskies

THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE A "VS" THREAD. Just an intelligent discussion about two of the US' most important cities.

Yes, and let's keep it that way.

Otherwise...

[Great_Hizzy]

Galveston isn't a major city at all.

[totheskies]

Originally Posted by JAM

- Dallas has cold winters, often gets snow once a year. Houston winters are mild and sometimes non-existent.

- Houston has a bigger international presence about it, including people from countries of the world. Dallas seems to have more people from the Midwest moving in for jobs - less of them make it all the way to Houston. I've lived in Dallas over the years in several year stints. Coming from Houston, I was always amazed at how many more blonde's were in Dallas compared to Houston.

- I can't decide who has more pickup trucks on the freeways

I would definitely agree with that one. I've been in Houston for two years now, but before moving here from Arkansas, I had barely even heard of the city. When someone mentioned Texas, four places came to mind: Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Fort Worth (in that order). Houston publicity is not as geared towards domestic travel and promotion, but is much more prominent with international countries, especially Central and South America. And yeah, I would bet money that there's fewer blondes, which is an awesome thing!


And yeah Kevin.... power corrupts....

[JAM]

Originally Posted by totheskies

And yeah, I would bet money that there's fewer blondes, which is an awesome thing!

HEY! I'm a blonde.

[ATXboom]

Before moving to Texas and Dallas in the mid 90's my impression as a midwesterner:

Dallas - Ritzy, white collar city, Girls with big hair looking for guys with BMWs. Tumble weeds and 10 gallon hats thanks to the TV show.

Houston - industrial oil city. My impression was Detroit of the south. Urban Cowboy stereotypes


After living in Dallas and spending more than the last decade all over the state my impressions:

Dallas is more regional with hundreds of suburbs creating a conglomerate. Lots of nice looking concrete freeways. Lots of wealth. Telecom jobs. Nice neighborhoods right in the city... more than Houston. It snows!

Houston - much nicer than I expected with Highrises anywhere and everywhere... didn't seem to have any zoning. Lots of wealth in town but not as much as Dallas. Lack of entertainment districts compared to Dallas [greenville, McKinney, Deep Ellum, etc]. Massive museum district compared to anything in Dallas. One big city... much less suburban districts. Seems a little "rougher" than Dallas. More humid and warmer in the winter for sure. Oil jobs. I think the women in Houston are a little more relaxed and capable of having fun in more situations

[JAM]

Originally Posted by ATXboom

Lots of wealth in town but not as much as Dallas.

I think you forgot the words "on display" in between "as Dallas". The wealth between both cities is probably comparable.

[Superstar]

Originally Posted by Great_Hizzy

Galveston isn't a major city at all.

My point was that if the area wasn't as big as it was and Houston had minimal influence in the area, Galveston would still exist pretty much (though not exactly) as it is today. Meanwhile, the largest city in Galveston County, League City, would exist but wouldn't be nearly as big as it is today because of the influence of Houston.

[Texas Tuff]

I think one very important similarity between Dallas and Houston is how much both metro areas have grown in the last 10 years or so (both MSA's gained about a million or so in the last decade). As a result, Dallas AND Houston must be doing something right!!!!

[totheskies]

Galveston isn't a big city, but its past was crucial to the development of Houston. At the end of the nineteenth century, it was on par with New York in terms of development, population and business. Today, we recognize Galvestion as a significant part of the metro, especially for its position on the coast, but it does not hold near the amount of economic or developmental prominence as Houston.

Dallas and Fort Worth on the other hand both developed and grew closer together, but retained their separate identities. Both are large cities with their own satellite communities (Arlington is generally considered a suburb of Fort Worth for those of you who didn't know), services, and individual economic contributions.

[travelinmiles]

Originally Posted by totheskies

Galveston isn't a big city, but its past was crucial to the development of Houston. At the end of the nineteenth century, it was on par with New York in terms of development, population and business. Today, we recognize Galvestion as a significant part of the metro, especially for its position on the coast, but it does not hold near the amount of economic or developmental prominence as Houston.

Dallas and Fort Worth on the other hand both developed and grew closer together, but retained their separate identities. Both are large cities with their own satellite communities (Arlington is generally considered a suburb of Fort Worth for those of you who didn't know), services, and individual economic contributions.

This is true, Dallas and Fort Worth do anchor the east and west side of the metroplex. In fact, there are plans to start express bus service into Downtown Fort Worth from Arlington. Growing up out there, I can attest that it is needed. But Houston does have a more international flair than Dallas but Big D seems to have a bit more attitude and is more of a regional draw (Oklahoma, Arkansas, and parts of Louisiana). Fort Worth serves as a hub for much of west Texas and parts of Oklahoma. There isn't much west of Fort Worth once you leave Weatherford heading west on 20. Nothing really big meaning over 1 million until you hit Denver or Phoniex which are well over 12-16 hours away. ABQ, El Paso, and Tuscon are almost at 1 million and are the first two are about 8-10 hours away. Houston gets a lot of people from Latin America, and all along the Gulf Coast.

[Superstar]

Originally Posted by totheskies

Galveston isn't a big city, but its past was crucial to the development of Houston. At the end of the nineteenth century, it was on par with New York in terms of development, population and business. Today, we recognize Galvestion as a significant part of the metro, especially for its position on the coast, but it does not hold near the amount of economic or developmental prominence as Houston.

Dallas and Fort Worth on the other hand both developed and grew closer together, but retained their separate identities. Both are large cities with their own satellite communities (Arlington is generally considered a suburb of Fort Worth for those of you who didn't know), services, and individual economic contributions.

The paragraph about Dallas and Fort Worth mirrors my point about Houston and Galveston, granted on a much, much smaller scale. The fact is Galveston still does have an identity all it's own while some may say it's now a suburb
of Houston, well give me a huge distinction between Houston and Sugar Land or Houston and Cypress.

Once you leave the mainland you do get that sense of being somewhere different while you are crossing the Causeway. The arcitecture, beaches (including the seawall), and the isolation all play a role in this. The culture there is different from even the nearby communities toi the north. Galveston has it's own satelite communities too, granted on a much smaller scale. Everywhere south of League City in Galveston County gravitates more toward the Island than it does to Houston and it has been that way historically.

I'm not saying it's anywhere close to being on par with Fort Worth, but it' still unique.

[KevinFromTexas]

I would never consider Galveston to be a suburb of Houston, or a suburb at all. It's strange to think that Galveston might actually have been the bigger city, (or at least much bigger than it is now), had things happened differently. Kind of sad. Although Galveston has still really kept its charm and mystique.

The similarities and differences of all of Texas' cities was something that I was always interested in when I was growing up. It's one of the things that got me interested in cities at all, the fact that we have so many different places all in a relative location.

[tennreb]

Which city has the better nightlife?

[Shasta]

Originally Posted by tennreb

Which city has the better nightlife?

Nacogdoches.