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Houston and That Toddlin' Town


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I hate compraing oursleves to other cities... but at the rate of growth we are experiencing our downtown density is going to increase with the likes of cities like Chicago

It's a start - but I think we will have more in common with Los Angeles overall.

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I hate compraing oursleves to other cities... but at the rate of growth we are experiencing our downtown density is going to increase with the likes of cities like Chicago

 

Houston has a lot of skyscrapers, but density of them is not one of the strong suits...

 

It will be a long time before Houston's downtown skyline is comparable to chicago's. Maybe if Midtown and EaDO filled up with midrises/highrises as well.

 

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Someone will need to re-photoshop the skyline merger with Downtown, the Medical Center, Uptown, and Greenway once all this is done. We're not Chicago, New York, or anywhere else. Those places are open for business should anyone find them ideal. 

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ya i don't get the chicago comparison at all... we are nowhere near their density. i also don't get the chicago bashing - it's a great city and the need to bash it (or any other city) in order to talk up Houston makes one seem childish and only further deepens the so-called Houston inferiority complex.

 

Houston is a quickly growing city with a dizzying amount of momentum right now.... celebrate it (or criticize it) on it's own merits.

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Chicago is one of my favorite cities. Great city, Great food. I went there for probably the 10th time in February. Girlfriend and I walked about 10 miles a day (yeah it was cold, but nothing a scarf and a good coat can't handle). I envy that kind of walk-ability and mass transit and wish HOuston had it as well.

 

That being said, Houston is home for me. Different cities, different feels/likes, different construction/transportation eras, and different climates. I recognize the differences between the cities. Can I say I like Houston and Chicago? haha

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By 2020 or 2030, we might pass them on a city/city basis but their metro area is 10+ mil and we're somewhere in the 6 mil range.

 

Yes, by census data - Houston may pass (likely) Chicago by 2020. If not pass by then, it will be close. The thing to remember, Houston has TONS more land so the average density is way lower... But our city population (not metro area) could surpass Chicago this decade. I think that is exciting, but not necessarily a goal or anything... I am enjoying the city's growth... and it doesnt hurt to be in the top 3 US cities by population :)

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Chicago - great city.  Probably the very best big city in America.  Has problem after problem and won't grow at the same rate of Houston.

Houston - great city with an age issue.  We've got the potential to be the next great city, we're still too young and raw to have achieved that.  With smart new development and infill we can get there ...over time.  Still a long way to go, which makes this all the more exciting.  We just need to make sure we diversify our economy enough that when oil is no longer king we don't have a loss of population/jobs.

 

I'm sure this is posted elsewhere but do we have a 100% height in feet or meters for 609 Main?  Just curious, and I'm sure Emporis has something but I'm not sure I trust them compared to insiders here.

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By 2020 or 2030, we might pass them on a city/city basis but their metro area is 10+ mil and we're somewhere in the 6 mil range.

 

Actually at the present rates of growth (most recent data for cities is 2010-2012 growth; most recent data for metro areas is 2010-2013 growth), the Houston metro area will surpass the Chicago metro population around 2030, when both metros will be just over 10 million. 

 

Houston city will not surpass Chicago city until later in that decade (around 2036), when both cities will be just under 3 million.

 

 

(FWIW, Chicago is not currently 10+ million.  Their most recent metro population estimate (July 1, 2013) was 9.5 Million.  Houston's 2013 metro population estimate was 6.3 million.)

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Yes, by census data - Houston may pass (likely) Chicago by 2020. If not pass by then, it will be close. The thing to remember, Houston has TONS more land so the average density is way lower... But our city population (not metro area) could surpass Chicago this decade. I think that is exciting, but not necessarily a goal or anything... I am enjoying the city's growth... and it doesnt hurt to be in the top 3 US cities by population :)

 

No.  By census data Houston will absolutely not pass Chicago by 2020.  By 2020 we will still be approximately 300,000 behind Chicago.  Our city population absolutely will not surpass Chicago this decade. 

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I know where Toronto is they based it in North America.  Chicago still has over 9 million metro.  But Toronto did pass the city population last year.  Nine million people in Houston would drive me nuts!  I still think in the city it will be close in 2020.  COH just needs to annex NW Harris county and we will be done.

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It's a start - but I think we will have more in common with Los Angeles overall.

 

Agreed.  We're much closer to LA than we are to Chicago.  There's no part of Houston that will ever have the kind of density that Chicago has along the lakefront.

 

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Another big difference between Houston and Chicago is that Houston gets all excited about a 45-story building downtown.  In Chicago, if it's under 75 stories it won't even make the paper.  The two cities simply operate at different scales.

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