North Texas Tops 6 Million

[rantanamo]

Rantanamo on this post: Wow

[2112]

Generally when someone's that defensive it shows an insecurity.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Of course it is insecurity. There is something lurking in me that I need to say, but which I just cannot seem to be able to bring out. Behind all the brave sounding rhetoric, behind the cheap shots, and behind all the rudeness, there lies a civic consciousness that has slowly been built after decades of demeaning, demoralizing, and the simple lack of regard towards my fair city. When your hometown is the constant target of sly comments throughout the nation, would you not feel some insecurity? Of course you would. A recent New York article started out with the phrase

[SpaceCity]

Houston has plenty to be confident about. Perhaps if we start acting confident the rest of the world will take us more seriously.

Now people that have never been to Houston read those articles that say living here is a sentence, then they see that people who live here are insecure about it. It makes them believe that garbage! Just be confident in your city.

There is plenty to be proud of without putting every other city down.

[The Great Hizzy!]

2112,

My man, seriously, you really have to stop taking this stuff so hard or personel. You really need to understand the mindset of people in order to understand why some people can be so hostile to certain places. EVERYONE tears down another city when it appears to be on the uptick (and you'd be (not you but anyone) an idiot not to see that Houston is a city on the uptick). You don't move to a craphole for any reason, including to work, if you have better options, and if you don't have better options, then where you're moving to isn't a craphole by definition.

What are you going to do, run around bragging about your current locale and you can't support your own ass? No. You're going to go where the action is. I don't give a holy damn how beautiful geographically speaking San Francisco is, I'm not going to pay that amount of money for less home and more aggravation. Period. You don't impress me that much.

This puffery, this chest pounding that people do, it's meaningless. The average person will enjoy life in Houston the same as they would anywhere else. And the rich play by their own rules here just like they would anywhere else. The rest of this blabbering is to stroke one's own ego. Nothing more. It's just that play words, catch phrase and pop terms abound and when it catches, you role with it.

The average person knows diddly poo about Houston except what they've been trained to believe by people with an agenda. Shrug it off. You have no idea how ignorant the average person is about most things, especially geography, and their hostile comments prove it.

People are also snooty to the point where they become blinded by their own self-created crap. It's not important what some twit somewhere else thinks about Houston if they're not bringing anything to the table. Go to any US city in this country and their issues are Houston's issues, some of it more so, some if it less so. Just because some fly-by-night urban snobs have suddenly fallen in love with walking everywhere and shunnnig cars/freeways/etc or homes with yards, you're going to let them dictate every one of your tastes? You're going to let them make you feel insecure/uncomfortable about what makes you comfortable? I would hope not. It's not that big of a deal. Popularity contests are what rule high schools, not mature adult life.

So take it easy and don't worry about it. You can't be all things to all people all the time. And, to quote Robin Williams in Death To Smoochy, in a world of neanderthals and rapists, I wear the f*****' badge of honor.

I'm going to grab a diet Dr. Pepper, jump on the rail, take the 65 Bissonnet on over to Rice Village and have me a nice little evening with the ladyfriend. As far as I'm concerned, I'm in paradise. Those that disagree can suck their thumbs.

[2112]

Oh, don't worry, I'm happy. Really, I am. Actually, most people who know me know that. Anyways, I was just trying to distill the essence of the source of it all.

Now where's my beer...

[The Great Hizzy!]

Oh, well disregard my rant, bro.

Grab me a Molson!

[Houston19514]

I'm going to grab a diet Dr. Pepper, jump on the rail, take the 65 Bissonnet on over to Rice Village and have me a nice little evening with the ladyfriend. As far as I'm concerned, I'm in paradise. Those that disagree can suck their thumbs.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

OMG, I am so jealous. That made me long to be in Houston. It's paradise to me too.

[marc]

2112,

My man, seriously, you really have to stop taking this stuff so hard or personel. You really need to understand the mindset of people in order to understand why some people can be so hostile to certain places. EVERYONE tears down another city when it appears to be on the uptick (and you'd be (not you but anyone) an idiot not to see that Houston is a city on the uptick). You don't move to a craphole for any reason, including to work, if you have better options, and if you don't have better options, then where you're moving to isn't a craphole by definition.

What are you going to do, run around bragging about your current locale and you can't support your own ass? No. You're going to go where the action is. I don't give a holy damn how beautiful geographically speaking San Francisco is, I'm not going to pay that amount of money for less home and more aggravation. Period. You don't impress me that much.

This puffery, this chest pounding that people do, it's meaningless. The average person will enjoy life in Houston the same as they would anywhere else. And the rich play by their own rules here just like they would anywhere else. The rest of this blabbering is to stroke one's own ego. Nothing more. It's just that play words, catch phrase and pop terms abound and when it catches, you role with it.

The average person knows diddly poo about Houston except what they've been trained to believe by people with an agenda. Shrug it off. You have no idea how ignorant the average person is about most things, especially geography, and their hostile comments prove it.

People are also snooty to the point where they become blinded by their own self-created crap. It's not important what some twit somewhere else thinks about Houston if they're not bringing anything to the table. Go to any US city in this country and their issues are Houston's issues, some of it more so, some if it less so. Just because some fly-by-night urban snobs have suddenly fallen in love with walking everywhere and shunnnig cars/freeways/etc or homes with yards, you're going to let them dictate every one of your tastes? You're going to let them make you feel insecure/uncomfortable about what makes you comfortable? I would hope not. It's not that big of a deal. Popularity contests are what rule high schools, not mature adult life.

So take it easy and don't worry about it. You can't be all things to all people all the time. And, to quote Robin Williams in Death To Smoochy, in a world of neanderthals and rapists, I wear the f*****' badge of honor.

I'm going to grab a diet Dr. Pepper, jump on the rail, take the 65 Bissonnet on over to Rice Village and have me a nice little evening with the ladyfriend. As far as I'm concerned, I'm in paradise. Those that disagree can suck their thumbs.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Amen and Amen.

Enough said.

Let's move on.

Enjoy your evening.

m.

[greystone08(returns)]

It

[BayouCityGirl]

couldn't N.Texas also be Abilene, Lubbock, and other North Texas cities? Why did it just mention the metroplex?

Last I checked N.Texas was basically NOT just the metroplex.

[Gary]

I am in Dallas at least five times a year and these population statistics true or false are very misleading where the city of Dallas and Fort Worth are concerned. I have friends from Dallas who had bragged about there growing population (metro area) until I finally brought them here this year. To sum up they said wow, I had no clue this city was so huge. Mind you that all I showed them was the inner loop.

What I'm getting at is that Houston should never worry about the quote unquote Metroplex population. Dallas or Ft Worth for that matter doesn't hold a candle to Houston. Houston is a BIG CITY with a BIG CITY feel and look. Although Dallas is a large city with a decent amount of skyscrapers and actual CITY feel it is not on the same level as Houston and never will be.

[2112]

I will be there next Month. Anyone here on HAIF have any recommendations, besides Deep Ellum?

[The Great Hizzy!]

Check out Uptown along McKinney Avenue, about a mile north of DT. West Village, which is essentially the same as being on McKinney and it's in Uptown as well but a bit further up. The West End is okay but you'll probably be someone disappointed. You'd be more impressed with Uptown, I think.

Tool around White Rock Lake. Nice views there. The Turtle Creek (also north of downtown) area is nice, too.

[SpaceCity]

I am in Dallas at least five times a year and these population statistics true or false are very misleading where the city of Dallas and Fort Worth are concerned. I have friends from Dallas who had bragged about there growing population (metro area) until I finally brought them here this year. To sum up they said wow, I had no clue this city was so huge. Mind you that all I showed them was the inner loop.

What I'm getting at is that Houston should never worry about the quote unquote Metroplex population. Dallas or Ft Worth for that matter doesn't hold a candle to Houston. Houston is a BIG CITY with a BIG CITY feel and look. Although Dallas is a large city with a decent amount of skyscrapers and actual CITY feel it is not on the same level as Houston and never will be.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This thread has gone from interesting, to frustrating, to just plain sad.

[tcole]

2112:

Just bypass D and "rush" on over to Cowtown. The Kimball has a good show on now Featuring a British artist named Stubbs and his study of horses. The Modern is not to be missed (although in my opinion the building outshines the art inside). Stay at a little boutique hotel named "The Ashton" (managed by the same people who manage The Lancaster in Houston) and savor some of the local cuisine. In a month some early spring blooming will be in effect so if the weather is nice, try a stroll through the Japanese Gardens (in the Botanic Gardens) - nicer and better laid out than SFO's in my opinion.

[Lowbrow]

Ahh... white rock lake... I lost something there... what was it? hmmm

I went to high school in Dallas, north side. I always dug the shear volume of sports activities going on. SMU always had cool concerts coming through. The lakes were alot of fun to play on. They have had the west end downtown that brought us into town at night all the time. It was easy to jump over to that Other city, FW for Shakespeare in the park or the stock show. They filmed that part of Logan's Run there by Las Colinas, IIRC, where he comes out from underground amongst a water-garden with huge concrete slabs. They also filmed some of Born on the 4th of July there. Me and my buddies got in on that. I was always disturbed by the statistic back in 1987 that there were more BMW's in the metroplex area than in Germany.

When I was moving there from California I thought it was going to be desert and tumbleweeds. Horses and barbed wire. Maybe something like the Southfork ranch off tv. I was suprised some... but actually never aclimated. 95% of the people I knew there, went to school with, worked with, etc., were all transplants.. with no intention of staying there. It made everything seem to temporary to me. Maybe things have changed there. Although I can only think of one of my friends that actually stayed in Dallas. I shoudl really get up there to visit him sometime.

I'm not really contributing to the conversation here. Just sharing observations.

[Gary]

This thread has gone from interesting, to frustrating, to just plain sad.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

\

I don't understand what's sad. Would you elaborate please?

[SpaceCity]

We have to constantly "one up" Dallas. We cannot read an article about Dallas' population growth without saying, "Yeah, but we're bigger!"

Dallasites know we're bigger. They are not as obsessed with us as we are with them.

[Dallasite]

These are the facts, and they are undisputed:  Even if you add the population of Fort Worth (against their wishes, mind you), to the population of Dallas, Dallas IS AND CONTINUES TO BE smaller than Houston.  Houston is the largest CITY in the state of Texas, and nationally, it falls right behind Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.  These are the facts, and they are undisputed.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

2112, what are so mad at my friend? It is not enough to start trash on the Dallas forum or even the Fort Worth forum that you MUST dwell on this issue even on your own turf? Get over it dude.

[Dallasite]

This story is not that hard to believe. Additionally, it does not come at the expense of Houston. People aren't leaving Houston to move to Dallas. Why are we so defensive over this?

The statistics are based on the study conducted by the DBJ. Why is that so hard to swallow?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It is refreshing to hear from a level headed individual.

[2112]

Dallasites know we're bigger. They are not as obsessed with us as we are with them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[2112]

2112, what are so mad at my friend?  It is not enough to start trash on the Dallas forum or even the Fort Worth forum that you MUST dwell on this issue even on your own turf? Get over it dude.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Stop following me.

[The Great Hizzy!]

I think we can all agree that Texas > Oklahoma.

[2112]

2112, what are so mad at my friend?

[Gary]

We have to constantly "one up" Dallas. We cannot read an article about Dallas' population growth without saying, "Yeah, but we're bigger!"

Dallasites know we're bigger. They are not as obsessed with us as we are with them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

First of all I'm not a native Houstonian and I am NOT obsessed with Houston one uping Dallas. I was merely stating my observations.

I have become well aware since coming here that Houstonians are defensive about there city. I could be wrong but I think it's because it's such a huge cool city that never really got on the map until recently. I personally was blown away by Houston in 98 as I had no clue it was such a big cosmopolitan city. In other words I can understand there frustration and find myself feeling the same way.

Houston is now my home and I love it here and tell all of my out of town friends how cool it is. I applaud the anger Houstonians have in there defense of this city, it will only continue to help us.

[713 To 214]

I have friends from Dallas who had bragged about there growing population (metro area) until I finally brought them here this year. To sum up they said wow, I had no clue this city was so huge. Mind you that all I showed them was the inner loop.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

. . .and you think that's a good thing for Houston? That's Houston's problem. It's too spread out. That is one of the reasons its population numbers are high. It just keeps acquiring land. Geographically, Houston doesn't know where it wants to end. I know because I used to live in Houston for over 10 years during the 70's and 80's (Love Ya Blue) and a couple in the 90's. Also, unlike your sporadic visits to Dallas (5 times a year), I travel between Houston and Dallas at least every other week (was there on Tuesday 2-15 and will be there again for three days starting on Sunday 2-20).

Houston needs to centralize more of its development inside the inner loop (610) as opposed to the sprawl that it is experiencing. If Dallas, or New York for that matter, annexed all of the surrounding areas/suburbs until those cities had the same amount of square miles as Houston, then their populations would soar far past their current numbers. Bottom line is, Houston's population numbers are directly tied to its geographic size. Unlike geographically smaller cities, but with larger populations (New York, Chicago), Houston will never have that urban feel because it is just too damn spread out and hardley any of its communities are connected (except for those along the new rail line).

[2112]

[2112]

I applaud the anger Houstonians have in there defense of this city, it will only continue to help us.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sarcasm or do you mean that? Sorry, can't tell.

[Montrose1100]

Good for Dallas + Fort Worth. I have a feeling, they'll always be the biggest metro in Texas...

As Mr. Burns said before, it is amazing that Texas is the only state with 3 cities over a million in population.

[slfunk]

Moderators can we close this thread. Thanks.

Slfunk