Why is Houston Growing?

[Subdude]

Last week, the Census released population figures that will reshape the House of Representatives, moving political power south and west. The four states that added the most people were California, Florida, Georgia and Texas, and the two states with the highest growth rates were Arizona and Nevada. Why do these states attract so many people?

...

Housing in the growth regions is inexpensive, both in absolute terms and relative to those areas’ incomes. People, perhaps unsurprisingly, don’t seem to be putting great value on humid Houston weather.

But those low housing prices actually provide a vital clue about why Arizona, Georgia and Texas are growing. These states have built hundreds of thousands of homes despite having low housing prices. Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York have high prices but far less new construction.

...

Housing regulations, more than those that bind standard businesses, explain the Sun Belt’s population growth. If New York and Massachusetts want to stop losing Congressional seats, then they must revisit the rules that make it so difficult to build.

Link to the full article. It's a good read!

[crunchtastic]

We're stacking 'em deep and selling 'em cheap!

Interesting commentary. I think it greatly oversimplifies the issue, but expect it will be very useful ammunition for anti-labor conservatives in other states during the next election cycle.

The re-districting fight in Texas will be a dogfight.

[HTX]

Did a Harvard economics professor just confirm what the Tea Party has been saying?

[TheNiche]

Did a Harvard economics professor just confirm what the Tea Party has been saying?

A thousand chimps at a thousand typewriters would one day create the collected works of Shakespeare. So yeah, even the Tea Party gets one right every now and again...even if they themselves do not properly understand why.

[TheNiche]

Interesting commentary. I think it greatly oversimplifies the issue

It's just a newspaper article; you can't expect for it to be exhaustive.

EDIT: I take it back. After having read some lengthier articles by Glaeser, it does appear that he's got a recurring tendency to leap to conclusions when it suits his agenda.

[20thStDad]

We're stacking 'em deep and selling 'em cheap!

Interesting commentary. I think it greatly oversimplifies the issue, but expect it will be very useful ammunition for anti-labor conservatives in other states during the next election cycle.

The re-districting fight in Texas will be a dogfight.

As long as we find a way to re-district SJL out of a job, I'm for it.