What are the big differences between Dallas, Atlanta, and Houston?

[bkueb73]

They all seem to be really similiar(on paper) outside of their geography...

[Gary]

Uh oh, this one could get nasty.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

Houston is flat and has trees.

Dallas is less flat and has no trees.

Atlanta has hills and trees.

Dallas and Atlanta are far ahead of Houston on railed mass transit.

Houston is close to the Gulf, Atlanta is close to the Appalachians, Dallas is close to Oklahoma.

[bkueb73]

thats about what ive gotten too.

[AZTX]

All are way too humid

[citykid09]

Houston is flat and has trees.

Dallas is less flat and has no trees.

Atlanta has hills and trees.

Dallas and Atlanta are far ahead of Houston on railed mass transit.

Houston is close to the Gulf, Atlanta is close to the Appalachians, Dallas is close to Oklahoma.

Dallas isn't flat. They have hills and some parts are really hilly.

[Trae]

^^Did hey not say Dallas was not AS flat.

[Subdude]

Uh oh, this one could get nasty.

Oh no it won't.

You know, this really ticks me off. Every couple of weeks someone tries to stir up trouble with this kind of city vs. city garbage. These threads ALWAYS end up in flame wars, because open-ended questions like "Gee, what's the difference between Houston and Dallas?" just call out exchanges of stupid stereotypes. And yet with all the warnings that have been posted here about it, and all the flame wars that have been shut down, some people still just can't quite seem to take the hint.

[Gary]

Agreed. Personally I don't have the strength to go through another flame war, there pointless.

[2112]

Never been to Atlanta. But the areas and cities around Dallas seem hilly to me. Since Houston has little to none, it is always kinda' nice to see a different terrain from what I am used to. For example, as you approach Dallas from I-45 south, there are some hills that welcome you as you approach the city limits. I did notice that the development on the south side seemed somewhat sparse. But that could change in the next decade or so if and when thier Port is built, which is planned for the south part of Dallas if I'm not mistaken. In the mean time, the south Dallas area is quite nice to look at, with all the hills and things like that. I sometimes wonder how cool Houston could look at night if all the city lights could span some major hills, instead of our flat terrain. It seems the only place I can see the emmence span of it all is either by one of Houston's large bridges, or by airplane. Anyways, the vegitation in and around Dallas is more of the shorter variety - almost like that of a prairie. Indeed, it is quite a bit more dryer and prairie like, not just on the south side, but going west out of Dallas. As you go west on - I believe it's I-30 - you are greeted again by beautiful hills, filled with prairie-like vegitation and even some lusher tree-filled parts. You do see some development as you leave Dallas, going a little distance, and then arriving at some of the neigboring cities like Arlington. Though not part of Dallas anymore, it is interesting to note. Eventually, as you get to Fort Worth, the greenery and hills do seem to get quite a bit bigger as you start approaching cowtown. Actually, my usual destination is in fact Fort Worth, and there is much in the arts community to see in that city. But back to Dallas. All in all, I think the hills make everything look natural and pretty. Although there are many lush - albeit flat - parts in Houston, Dallas's scenery seems to contrast from the intense traffic, bustle, and industrial gothe that characterize many parts of Houston.

[rantanamo]

I think most people get their idea of the Dallas landscape from DFW airport area and the northern I-35E area. I guess you could put downtown and Uptown into that as well. Most of Dallas doesn't look like these areas. There are a lot more areas that look like Lakewood or North Oak Cliff than the flat shrub prairie to the west.

[JasonDFW]

I did notice that the development on the south side seemed somewhat sparse.

I wasn't going to post to this thread, but your post was so pleasant I thought I would. Some good info may come of this thread afterall.

On this one point above, I think that is an understatement if you're traveling into Dallas on I45. I've been paying more attention to that lately, and once you leave downtown on I45 going south towards Houston all you see is trees and basically no development all the way out to the loop. Very different from most other highways in Dallas (although a bit like I30 going west into Grand Prarie). It's just funny that if you were to come in on the other end of basically the same highway, 75, you'd get a totally different view of Dallas (for better or worse). I guess you'll never really see development much in that area as much of it is in the Trinity floodplane and resulting Trinity Forest.

I'll have to pay attention to the height of trees next time I visit Houston. I've heard the "no trees in Dallas" thing from Houston before but didn't totally understand it, but perhaps it has to do with height. I can think of a few trees (like Cypress) that would grow taller in Houston and give that effect. The thing I notice about Houston in the greenery area is they have more underbrush and plants below the trees which gives a nice green look. Houston also has things like moss in the trees which Dallas basically does not have. Also, the PH of the soil allows the Houston area to have more pine trees which are good for year round green. The final thing I notice is the overuse here of short ornamental trees like Bradford Pears and Crape Myrtles which may contribute to the short look of the area trees. On a side note I'm out of town in rural Pennsylvania this week and shockingly, the lack of all the Crape Myrtle trees bursting with reds, whites, and pinks makes this area look quite boring in comparison which I'm very surprised to be saying because I generally don't think of them as comparable in natural beauty given the forests and hills up here in PA.

Rain is the biggest difference between Dallas and Atlanta (in terms of the look of the vegetation) and to a lesser extent Houston. The rain in the DFW area goes from about 30" in southwest Fort Worth to over 40" in northeast Dallas. Houston has even more at about 46" and Atlanta has around 54" which combined with its relatively cool summer temperatures (which considerably lower heat indicies) make it the greenest of the 3 cities. One reason (of a few) the northeast Dallas county area isn't as lush as say Houston despite approaching its rainfall, is when it does get plant killing droughts, they're often nearly as severe as even western Fort Worth. Anothe reason is the relative humidity tends to be about 10-15% lower in that area compared to Houston which most plants do not like. There are a few exceptions like Brahea Armata palm trees and some yuccas which prefer our drier air.

The elevation in the Metroplex generally goes opposite from the rainfall. Dallas goes from about 450-750' and Fort Worth goes from about 500-900'. As you go southwest from Fort Worth you hit the edge of the hill country ridge, and as you go east from Dallas you run into the piney woods. The metroplex as a whole is in a fairly dramatic (for a plains area) transition zone between lush east Texas like Caddo Lake and the dry deserts of west Texas.

Two things I'm sure Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston have in common is they're all so big that you often find new areas with unique looks even after living there for a while. I've lived in the Metroplex in various cities (Mesquite, Fort Worth, Plano, Dallas) for around 8 years and just the other day I found a neat hilly tree-lined neighborhood I'd never seen east of my place in the Lake Highlands area of Dallas.

The other thing they have in common is they all have huge influxes of immigration and growth. From 2000-2005 the MSAs all have gained tons of people:

Atlanta metro 669,736 people

DFW metro 657,931 people

Houston metro 564,670 people

Which huge growth like that it is hard to generalize much on the people of each area. They are big melting pots.

jason

[C2H]

in response to citykid's post:

i hate to harp on the point about Dallas's hills but, I said it on SSP and i'm going to say it here. I've been in many areas of Dallas such as Mountain Creek, Grand Prarie, North Dallas, and others.

Dallas has some very beautiful terrain and its not flat as Houston, but at the end of the day, Dallas is still considered a flat city by Colorado standards. Most of the hills i usually notice when i travel to Dallas are mere small upgrade slopes, then they go back down immediately. My point is, the hills there are barely noticeable to catch any real "eye catching" overlooks. I'd say the hills in Austin are the real versions of hills that i'm used to seeing in Colorado. Here, we get breathtaking views of mountians, cliffs, lakes, and other things. I see the hills in Dallas as being slightly above par with the small slopes you see in The Woodlands and Conroe, no real big major difference.

As far as Houston's trees, yes Houston's trees are slightly taller than most of the one's i see in Dallas. But Who cares? I view the tree difference the same way i view the hill,slope difference between Dallas and The Woodlands/Conroe areas, NOT A BIG DIFFERENCE.

As it comes down to the difference between the 3 cities, I'd have to say that Dallas and Atlanta have had a jumpstart on Houston as far as trendy developments, infrastructure, and Mass Transit. Houston has had a jump start in building stadiums, urbanizing the CBD, and preserving natural beauty (i.e. GREEN SPACE- Buffalo Bayou and Parks) . All in all, all three metros can definitely learn something from one another.

[bkueb73]

to add a little bit more info

i graduate from college next yr, and im looking to get out of florida.

i am SICK of hurricanes.

looking for a nice big city, not TOO conservative(meaning lots of hot freaky babes), where i can go to law school and then stay in afterwards.

I like the thought of city living, but dont know if any of these cities would really qualify. I know atlanta does in some areas, not sure about the rest....

[JasonDFW]

Dallas has some very beautiful terrain and its not flat as Houston, but at the end of the day, Dallas is still considered a flat city by Colorado standards.

Certainly. The whole region would be considered flat by most. Incomparable to say Colorado.

I think it is pretty natural with humans to zoom in on the finer details when comparing things that are pretty similar. So you get comparisons of things we call hills that would be called slopes in CO. Just a by product of that fact that everything is relative. If you're not used to seeing the view of a glacial valley in Rocky Mountain National Park, you're much more like to find the view from the hill sitting ~100' above White Rock Lake to be pretty. A place like CO numbs your senses to what beauty Houston or Dallas might have. I think you're point is that hairs are being split and I guess you're right. If you're comparing hills to Atlanta (as I guess we are given the topic fo the thread) I think both Houston and Dallas are about the same.

Jason

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

Certainly. The whole region would be considered flat by most. Incomparable to say Colorado.

Jason

Thats it, we must take Colorado back

As far as differences, Houston and Dallas are both Texas to me so i dont really see much difference over all. Both are very proud of thier cities and state, thats just Texas Atlanta is a nice city and home to Coca Cola, the most recognized brand in the world. I think the thread should be changed to what are the similarities between the cities, they are numerous. All 3 are home to 3 of the worlds largets airlines for starters............

[bkueb73]

thats the thing, there all so similiar, im trying to look for things to differntiate them from the rest.

my top 4 choices are

Atlanta

Dallas

Houston

DC

now, DC i can easily sperate, but the other 3....

[AZTX]

thats the thing, there all so similiar, im trying to look for things to differntiate them from the rest.

my top 4 choices are

Atlanta

Dallas

Houston

DC

now, DC i can easily sperate, but the other 3....

I've never even been to ATL, but I have lived in Houston & Dallas and I would recomment BigD.

[jmancuso]

the only man-made qualities that makes the three cities so similar is the their skylines and a few of there neighborhoods (both residential and commerical) but other than that, all three have their own distict vibes.

i was in atlanta this spring for the first time and other than having big modern buildings and chili's, the cultural difference was like night and day. same with hosuon and dallas although being in the same state, the differences werent as obvious.

[bkueb73]

and what did you find the cultural differences to be?

[2112]

I once read something on the DFW forum, from a DFW person no less, that distilled at least one thing that seemed a little different. The guy said "...there was always something a little 'sinister' about houston". The guy was recalling the days when he used to live hear. Maybe I never realy noticed it before, but I guess I am used to seeing those "sinister" things all around Houston to the point that I dont really notice. But there is an abundance - on every other corner it seems - of businesses of that topless variety, or the totally nude variety, or of the adult novelty variety, or of the "modeling studio" variety. Heck, there are plenty of stores all over the place that speciallize in wardrobe strickly for those in the adult dance business. I now understand that a "24-hour chiropracter" or a "24-hour health spa" is....well...it has nothing to do with realigning a spine or sitting in a spa. Apparently, there is an entire industry in Houston with these kind of services. As an aside, that Dallas poster did mention that Houston girls seemed to be more aggressive and "friendlier", whatever that meant. The guy wasnt really complaining. I do notice that when spending weekends in downtown, in the historic district particularly, there does seem to be an incredible variety of girls from just about every nationality it seems, walking around from club to club, in provactive attire that leaves little to the imagination. Yet, you can go to the Rice Village, and walk around from club to club, and just drop jaw with all the georgeous women and girls - albiet a bit more classy in the Village, yet just as sexy. But back to the sin. I recall some famous actor who had apparently visited Houston, later making the comment that: "...I cant get a freak'n sandwich anywhere in Houston without having to look at a pair of breasts..." Indeed, there are many nice lunch buffets out there to be had, now that I think about it. I like that. I like that a lot. So I guess in the end I have no problem with the "sinister" side of Houston. Not really.

[713 To 214]

I long for the days when the maturity level of this forum's members reaches the point where comparison threads, such as this one, are no longer needed. IMHO, this thread, and others like it, only serves to validate Houstonians' infeiority complex. Let's move on. . .shall we?

[TheNiche]

I long for the days when the maturity level of this forum's members reaches the point where comparison threads, such as this one, are no longer needed. IMHO, this thread, and others like it, only serves to validate Houstonians' infeiority complex. Let's move on. . .shall we?

Actually, this has been a pretty tame thread all things considered.

[2112]

I long for the days when the maturity level of this forum's members reaches the point where comparison threads, such as this one, are no longer needed. IMHO, this thread, and others like it, only serves to validate Houstonians' infeiority complex. Let's move on. . .shall we?

Explain?

Looking back to the posts, all seemed well tamed, well mannered, and objective.

[TheNiche]

I once read something on the DFW forum...

I like your take on the issue...but I think the only difference in this case is that we aren't afraid to show what we've got. Trust me...everything that we have....Dallas has it too. So does every other big city. Sex is the world's oldest profession, afterall.

[2112]

I like your take on the issue...but I think the only difference in this case is that we aren't afraid to show what we've got. Trust me...everything that we have....Dallas has it too. So does every other big city. Sex is the world's oldest profession, afterall.

Interesting. I guess the real questions then is to what extent the two cities have these professions. I might have a somewhat skewed view, as I travel the downtown south-bound I-45 corridor alot. But, as soon as you leave downtown, you have....oh, it seems - no fewer than 10 destinations of that variety, all the way to NASA Rd. 1 and beyond, right off of the freeway. I am not saying it is a good thing. And then again, I a am not saying it is bad thing either. But it is there, and it adds an interesting dimension to Houston that is worth noting. I think that 713-to-214 might have interpreted my post as stating something negative, and that maybe where he thought there was some hint of inferiority with that. Rest asured, no inferiority complex there.

[TheNiche]

Interesting. I guess the real questions then is to what extent the two cities have these professions. I might have a somewhat skewed view, as I travel the downtown south-bound I-45 corridor alot. But, as soon as you leave downtown, you have....oh, it seems - no fewer than 10 destinations of that variety, all the way to NASA Rd. 1 and beyond, right off of the freeway. I am not saying it is a good thing. And then again, I a am not saying it is bad thing either. But it is there, and it adds an interesting dimension to Houston that is worth noting. I think that 713-to-214 might have interpreted my post as stating something negative, and that maybe where he thought there was some hint of inferiority with that. Rest asured, no inferiority complex there.

I have a theory. Dallas is actually a pretty small city, geographically. All around Dallas are suburban cities...beyond those are more suburban cities. I'll bet that Dallas proper is probably pretty lax about regulating such establishments since its a central city, but that places like Richardson, Plano, McKinney, etc. are very strict. I would hypothesize that the net effect is probably that aside from Dallas proper, there are a few "sanctuary cities" with a whole lot of strip clubs that serve many of the needs of the DFW area.

In contrast, about everything from Clear Creek to Downtown along I-45 is within the City of Houston. In almost every direction, Houston expands all the way out to the county line or until you reach unincorporated areas. That means no land use controls and relatively lax sign ordinances in a very very large area.

[skwatra]

or maybe the zoning in Dallas keeps all the strip clubs on Harry Hines, while in Houston they're everywhere, many along the feeders.

though the Gulf has more then any other freeway in Houston i would guess, wonder why that is...

which reminds me of something funny, i actually found a card for a free buffet at Sugar's on my windshield, at work, in Clear Lake! it only says Sugar's, Free Buffet, and has map - no mention of the type of place it is. I'm really hoping a summer intern sees it and thinks, free food and goes there during lunch. that would be priceless.

[2112]

or maybe the zoning in Dallas keeps all the strip clubs on Harry Hines, while in Houston they're everywhere, many along the feeders.

though the Gulf has more then any other freeway in Houston i would guess, wonder why that is...

which reminds me of something funny, i actually found a card for a free buffet at Sugar's on my windshield, at work, in Clear Lake! it only says Sugar's, Free Buffet, and has map - no mention of the type of place it is. I'm really hoping a summer intern sees it and thinks, free food and goes there during lunch. that would be priceless.

The buffet at Sugar's is typical of the others. Although, The Ritz - just 7 minutes north - has a better one... Uhh...so I've been told. Anyways, as far as the Gulf Freeway having more than it's share, I think that I-59 makes up for all of it by just having The Colorado Club on it, with it's Las Vegas like behemoth of a sign that you can see for miles...................sorry, I dosed off there for a second. The North Freeway also has it's fare share, just about as much as the Gulf Freeway I would say.

[Trae]

The Katy Freeway has none, but when you exit Highway 6, and head south, you will see plenty of them.