Compare Houston

[Guest Plastic]

Ever traveled across the globe? Scene the sights in New York,Los Angeles,and Japan.

The word is full of cities some have similar styles.

I want to know from the well traveled of you what are some key differences you see form Houston when you travel to New York,Chicago,LA,Tokyo,Rio,Sydney,etc. I know we're slow but Houston does have a style similar to the other parts of the region.

Speak you part.

[editor]

Actually, the city Houston most reminds me of is Dallas. They're two squabbling siblings. I haven't been anywhere else that's like Houston, but I suspect Dubai might be.

[Guest Plastic]

Dubai? That place is small isn't it? I didn't mean to talk about places liek Housaton but places with differences.

People always say Houston and Dallas are alike but we like to see eachother as different. While spread Dallas is setup differently.Not to meantiont hat they've got another large city around 25 miles away.

[TheNiche]

Dubai? That place is small isn't it? I didn't mean to talk about places liek Housaton but places with differences.

People always say Houston and Dallas are alike but we like to see eachother as different. While spread Dallas is setup differently.Not to meantiont hat they've got another large city around 25 miles away.

Houston is just more compact in its placement of employment centers. Dallas and Fort Worth CBDs are like our CBD and Galleria/Post Oak area. Deep Ellum is our Midtown. They've got two airports--we've got two airports. We've got Port of Houston--they've got Port of Houston (and Alliance). They've got ExxonMobil--we've got ExxonMobil. I see the physical differences as less compelling than the cultural ones.

[editor]

Dubai? That place is small isn't it? I didn't mean to talk about places liek Housaton but places with differences.

People always say Houston and Dallas are alike but we like to see eachother as different. While spread Dallas is setup differently.Not to meantiont hat they've got another large city around 25 miles away.

The last census in the U.A.E. (1995) put Dubai at 1,204,000 people. The last census in the U.S.A. (2000) put Houston at 1,953,631 people. So, I'd say they're probably about the same.

And if you consider Dubai small, then perhaps these photographs will change your mind.

[Guest Plastic]

Dallas has a port? We both have Gallerias.

[Highway6]

I was in Dallas all weekend... My buddies there are always bugging me to move up there. I always tell them No, that I love Houston.

Anyways... I finally found something in Dallas that we don't have.. for the first time, I found a reason to be jealous of Dallas.

White Rock Lake.

Memorial Park and Herman Park just don't compare... or...they're good, but for different reasons.

I went up there to cycle with my buddies... The lake has a hardtop 10 miles perimieter great for road bikes..

they were having a sail boat race. Whats more, its less than 10 miles awya from downtown, uptown, their village area.

They also have a green strip with hardtop bike trail that stretches up for like 15 miles up the city all the way to their outter loop 635.

anyways.. I didnt reazlie until this weekend how much better cyclist in dallas have it.. that makes me jealous to realize just how inadequate our bike system is here.

[Guest Plastic]

White Rock lake. Is that anywhere near Carralton,Lewisvile, and Grapevine Mills?

[TheNiche]

Dallas has a port? We both have Gallerias.

Yes, Dallas also has a Port of Houston.

Technically it is called the Port of Dallas, but for all intents and purposes, its directly dependent upon the Port of Houston Authority. As I understand it, its essentially a very efficient rail spur of the Port of Houston.

[TJones]

Plastic, if you squint really hard, while you are traveling south on 59 coming from Humble into H-Town, it looks almost like Sydney, Australia !

[Montrose1100]

If we had 2 JPMCT's it would look like the WTC, only 400 or so feet smaller . (Viewing downtown from the southeast side).

[dalparadise]

Houston has a lot in common with Los Angeles, though LA seems much more progressive on issues like transportation, development of higher education, quality of infrastructure, metropolitan development and some other things. Houston seems to have a much better run city government, better police force (though equally strained by the size of the city), better employment opportunities and wages vs. cost of living.

Both are very young and relatively wealthy cities with strikingly similar ethnic makeup and similar urban challenges revolving around public education, housing for the poor and homeless, air quality and car dependency. Often, it's said that "Houston is Los Angeles fifty years ago" to illustrate growth patterns and where we might be headed. It's not really meant as a compliment.

As stated, the city we most resemble, however, is Dallas. In some ways Dallas has some advantages on us. In others, we lead the way. In still others, it's either a wash, or doesn't really matter to 99.99% of the people in either city, but people here still love to talk about it -- like which city has the most billionaires, or who will get the first House of Blues. That stuff is silly.

Here are my thoughts on how the cities are alike, though this is not meant to be a "vs." thread that gets Subdud all weird. Just observations.

Both cities are known for great shopping -- the kind that pulls people in across borders and state lines to buy things. Dallas pulls in shoppers from Oklahoma, La. and Arkansas, as well as from East Texas. It offers many destination shopping areas with lots of boutiques and department stores. Houston's domestic shoppers don't come from as far away. They are pretty much from the region, as far away as Lake Jackson or Beaumont. They are supplemented by large numbers of Mexican, Venezuelan, British and other foreign shoppers who are here on energy business, sometimes with their families. There is one major destination -- The Galleria and the rest of Uptown and a scattered few others. The others are more localized than Dallas'. In other words, tourist shopping begins and ends in Houston at The Galleria.

Advantage: Dallas

Houston enjoys better employment opportunities, though in a more narrow range of industries. Both cities have relatively low costs of living. Dallas has boomed at good times for building in its history and the booms have lasted longer and have been a bit more controlled than Houston's. Their busts have also been a bit lighter than ours. The result is much more quality housing construction nearer to the city. Most of Houston's upper middle class housing near the city is townhouses now. Values in Houston in these neighborhoods seems to be outpacing Dallas, due to legitimate and perceived shortages. The availability of more options in Dallas has hurt its market in the $200-$300K range and that amount of money actually buys more value there, though you'll get less square footage.

Advantage: none

Entertainment wise, Dallas offers better live music and access to touring acts. Houston has a much more lively club scene and far better restaurants. Houston seems to have embraced the cosmopolitan concept of nightlife more quickly than Dallas, which seems to contradict our more casual style. Greenville, West End and Deep Ellum are either now fading or still college-aged hang-outs. Addison is suburban and uptown is a little stiff. Lakewood has a nice vibe -- kinda like a kinder, gentler Heights with a little Rice Village thrown in. Their Downtown is working to get where ours was a couple of years ago. Our nightclubs cater to a more international vibe and are much grander in scale. They are also more likely to fold under pressure of these big aspirations, though.

Advantage: If you're under 30, Dallas. Over, Houston.

Sports: Dallas has everything. Houston has it where it counts. Their biggest claim is the Cowboys, because Texas is a football state. They have the the most storied team in the best division, playing in the better conference. That's a tri-fecta. In Baseball, though, it hurts them to admit that American League baseball is the ugly stepchild of MLB, and that their team plays so far away. I don't think a whole lot of real sports fans care about the NBA and NHL much anymore, except when their team is winning. Dallas has had an edge in both of those areas for a few years now. Houston has better stadiums and ballparks and they are better situated for access and fan use. AA Center is their one win in this regard. I don't count MLS.

Advantage: none

The Arts: Houston has always had the upper hand in most regards. The Menil collection put us over the top about 20 years ago and gave Houston a legitimate presence in the international art world. It's what led to the expansion of the MFA and the continued viability of other institutions in both visual and performing arts. Dallas has traditionally tried to compete with itself, letting civic pride stand in the way of good sense in targeting, rather than embracing Ft. Worth. They seem to have their act together now, allowing FW to be itself, while building upon the Arts District in huge, multi-use fashion. This is being spurred by a gift of a private collection no less significant than the Menil's in Nasher's sculpture garden. They still have a long way to go to draw the kind of acclaim Houston does.

Advantage: Houston

Transportation: Dallas is way ahead in commuter and light rail. Their airport system is also much bigger, though is not as easily navigated as ours. DFW is a cluster----, but Love is nice and efficient, though limited. In contrast, IAH is really easy and efficient, but is in the middle of nowhere. Hobby seems to be trying too hard to be bigger and is beginning to lose some of its convenience points. Overall, for domestic travel, it's hard to beat the convenience and connections in Dallas. For international travel, Houston wins hands-down. Although both cities offer similar lists of non-stops out of the country -- remember, many of DFW's are through American, which is little better than a truck stop in the sky. Simply a horrible airline. Continental used to be just as bad, but has improved service dramatically in the past 10 years. Southwest is an equal presence in both cities, though our Southwest flights don't turn into pumpkins on the other side of Albuquerque.

Advantage: Dallas

Downtown: Downtown Dallas gets a lot of hype on discussion boards. It's never really done it for me. It's pretty small and disjointed, yet impressive for its individual achievements. I think Houston's sculptural, colorful and textural qualities make it one the best in the country, though this one is purely subjective and probably doesn't mean a hill of beans to the cities. Dallas does have some occupancy problems, where Houston has even been able to do some good groundwork on re-absorbing even the Enron vacancy. Houston's downtown is also more lively, though it has waned in recent years, while Dallas' seems to be on the upswing. One thing that puts Houston way ahead is the Downtown ballpark. It adds both life and atmosphere 81 days per year. Now, if it would just trigger that promised development.

Advantage: Houston

Recreation: Houston has better city parks. Dallas has better lakes. Houston has Galveston. Dallas has...I guess Possum Kingdom and more area lakes. There aren't many good day or weekend trips from Houston, though, now that New Orleans isn't what it used to be. From Dallas, Ft. Worth is close by and Oklahoma and Arkansas offer good camping and scenery, recreation and more within a pretty easy drive. Both cities are reasonably close to Austin. Houston is closer to San Antonio. Dallas seems to enjoy outdoor dining and drinking more than we do. Dallas is a bit more naturally scenic than we are. Their hills are a little bigger than ours, but our trees are a little bigger than theirs.

Advantage: Dallas

In weather, most Dallasites would declare it a runaway victory and I think many Houstonians might agree. I've never understood this. Neither city is fit for human life for several months a year and both are unbearably hot. Dallas is more prone to extremes, though. Houston is cooler, but has higher humidity, so our heat index is usually about the same as their air temperature. I've seen 98 degrees in Dallas at 2:00am! The hail, tornadoes and ice in the winter didn't make me love the place either. Nor did the plague of crickets and raining mud after a dust storm. Of course, Houston always feels greasy and you can never get your hair to do that cool flip thing for very long. Recent Hurricanes and flooding have been eye-openers here, too. Even Dallas' recent flood doesn't come close to some we've seen here.

Advantage: none.

Healthcare -- both cities perform adequately for most of their residents. Houston has the TMC.

Advantage: Houston

Pollution: Houston has more air pollution and it seems to have more garbage on the freeways. Dallas isn't much better off, but...

Advantage: Dallas

I hope this illustrates how similar the two cities are. In just about any of the categories I gave, you could chalk it all up to perception and switch my ruling. Any other thoughts to add?

[Jeebus]

Houston has a lot in common with Los Angeles, though LA seems much more progressive on issues like transportation, development of higher education, quality of infrastructure, metropolitan development and some other things. Houston seems to have a much better run city government, better police force (though equally strained by the size of the city), better employment opportunities and wages vs. cost of living.

Both are very young and relatively wealthy cities with strikingly similar ethnic makeup and similar urban challenges revolving around public education, housing for the poor and homeless, air quality and car dependency. Often, it's said that "Houston is Los Angeles fifty years ago" to illustrate growth patterns and where we might be headed. It's not really meant as a compliment.

Dal, do you think if Los Angeles didn't have Hollywood & the film industry, that people might better be able to see the similarities between our two cities? I think that without Hollywood, Los Angeles surely wouldn't be as big as it is, and would not have grown as fast both in population and notority.

[The Great Hizzy!]

I actually think the aerospace industry is more responsible for the LA area's growth than Hollywood. Hollywood gave it more prestige, however.

And if I could post a notice on any "Dallas versus Houston" message board, discussion, blog, whatever, I'd copy & paste 95% of Dal's post.

[Gary]

Houston has a lot in common with Los Angeles, though LA seems much more progressive on issues like transportation, development of higher education, quality of infrastructure, metropolitan development and some other things. Houston seems to have a much better run city government, better police force (though equally strained by the size of the city), better employment opportunities and wages vs. cost of living.

Both are very young and relatively wealthy cities with strikingly similar ethnic makeup and similar urban challenges revolving around public education, housing for the poor and homeless, air quality and car dependency. Often, it's said that "Houston is Los Angeles fifty years ago" to illustrate growth patterns and where we might be headed. It's not really meant as a compliment.

As stated, the city we most resemble, however, is Dallas. In some ways Dallas has some advantages on us. In others, we lead the way. In still others, it's either a wash, or doesn't really matter to 99.99% of the people in either city, but people here still love to talk about it -- like which city has the most billionaires, or who will get the first House of Blues. That stuff is silly.

Here are my thoughts on how the cities are alike, though this is not meant to be a "vs." thread that gets Subdud all weird. Just observations.

Both cities are known for great shopping -- the kind that pulls people in across borders and state lines to buy things. Dallas pulls in shoppers from Oklahoma, La. and Arkansas, as well as from East Texas. It offers many destination shopping areas with lots of boutiques and department stores. Houston's domestic shoppers don't come from as far away. They are pretty much from the region, as far away as Lake Jackson or Beaumont. They are supplemented by large numbers of Mexican, Venezuelan, British and other foreign shoppers who are here on energy business, sometimes with their families. There is one major destination -- The Galleria and the rest of Uptown and a scattered few others. The others are more localized than Dallas'. In other words, tourist shopping begins and ends in Houston at The Galleria.

Advantage: Dallas

Houston enjoys better employment opportunities, though in a more narrow range of industries. Both cities have relatively low costs of living. Dallas has boomed at good times for building in its history and the booms have lasted longer and have been a bit more controlled than Houston's. Their busts have also been a bit lighter than ours. The result is much more quality housing construction nearer to the city. Most of Houston's upper middle class housing near the city is townhouses now. Values in Houston in these neighborhoods seems to be outpacing Dallas, due to legitimate and perceived shortages. The availability of more options in Dallas has hurt its market in the $200-$300K range and that amount of money actually buys more value there, though you'll get less square footage.

Advantage: none

Entertainment wise, Dallas offers better live music and access to touring acts. Houston has a much more lively club scene and far better restaurants. Houston seems to have embraced the cosmopolitan concept of nightlife more quickly than Dallas, which seems to contradict our more casual style. Greenville, West End and Deep Ellum are either now fading or still college-aged hang-outs. Addison is suburban and uptown is a little stiff. Lakewood has a nice vibe -- kinda like a kinder, gentler Heights with a little Rice Village thrown in. Their Downtown is working to get where ours was a couple of years ago. Our nightclubs cater to a more international vibe and are much grander in scale. They are also more likely to fold under pressure of these big aspirations, though.

Advantage: If you're under 30, Dallas. Over, Houston.

Sports: Dallas has everything. Houston has it where it counts. Their biggest claim is the Cowboys, because Texas is a football state. They have the the most storied team in the best division, playing in the better conference. That's a tri-fecta. In Baseball, though, it hurts them to admit that American League baseball is the ugly stepchild of MLB, and that their team plays so far away. I don't think a whole lot of real sports fans care about the NBA and NHL much anymore, except when their team is winning. Dallas has had an edge in both of those areas for a few years now. Houston has better stadiums and ballparks and they are better situated for access and fan use. AA Center is their one win in this regard. I don't count MLS.

Advantage: none

The Arts: Houston has always had the upper hand in most regards. The Menil collection put us over the top about 20 years ago and gave Houston a legitimate presence in the international art world. It's what led to the expansion of the MFA and the continued viability of other institutions in both visual and performing arts. Dallas has traditionally tried to compete with itself, letting civic pride stand in the way of good sense in targeting, rather than embracing Ft. Worth. They seem to have their act together now, allowing FW to be itself, while building upon the Arts District in huge, multi-use fashion. This is being spurred by a gift of a private collection no less significant than the Menil's in Nasher's sculpture garden. They still have a long way to go to draw the kind of acclaim Houston does.

Advantage: Houston

Transportation: Dallas is way ahead in commuter and light rail. Their airport system is also much bigger, though is not as easily navigated as ours. DFW is a cluster----, but Love is nice and efficient, though limited. In contrast, IAH is really easy and efficient, but is in the middle of nowhere. Hobby seems to be trying too hard to be bigger and is beginning to lose some of its convenience points. Overall, for domestic travel, it's hard to beat the convenience and connections in Dallas. For international travel, Houston wins hands-down. Although both cities offer similar lists of non-stops out of the country -- remember, many of DFW's are through American, which is little better than a truck stop in the sky. Simply a horrible airline. Continental used to be just as bad, but has improved service dramatically in the past 10 years. Southwest is an equal presence in both cities, though our Southwest flights don't turn into pumpkins on the other side of Albuquerque.

Advantage: Dallas

Downtown: Downtown Dallas gets a lot of hype on discussion boards. It's never really done it for me. It's pretty small and disjointed, yet impressive for its individual achievements. I think Houston's sculptural, colorful and textural qualities make it one the best in the country, though this one is purely subjective and probably doesn't mean a hill of beans to the cities. Dallas does have some occupancy problems, where Houston has even been able to do some good groundwork on re-absorbing even the Enron vacancy. Houston's downtown is also more lively, though it has waned in recent years, while Dallas' seems to be on the upswing. One thing that puts Houston way ahead is the Downtown ballpark. It adds both life and atmosphere 81 days per year. Now, if it would just trigger that promised development.

Advantage: Houston

Recreation: Houston has better city parks. Dallas has better lakes. Houston has Galveston. Dallas has...I guess Possum Kingdom and more area lakes. There aren't many good day or weekend trips from Houston, though, now that New Orleans isn't what it used to be. From Dallas, Ft. Worth is close by and Oklahoma and Arkansas offer good camping and scenery, recreation and more within a pretty easy drive. Both cities are reasonably close to Austin. Houston is closer to San Antonio. Dallas seems to enjoy outdoor dining and drinking more than we do. Dallas is a bit more naturally scenic than we are. Their hills are a little bigger than ours, but our trees are a little bigger than theirs.

Advantage: Dallas

In weather, most Dallasites would declare it a runaway victory and I think many Houstonians might agree. I've never understood this. Neither city is fit for human life for several months a year and both are unbearably hot. Dallas is more prone to extremes, though. Houston is cooler, but has higher humidity, so our heat index is usually about the same as their air temperature. I've seen 98 degrees in Dallas at 2:00am! The hail, tornadoes and ice in the winter didn't make me love the place either. Nor did the plague of crickets and raining mud after a dust storm. Of course, Houston always feels greasy and you can never get your hair to do that cool flip thing for very long. Recent Hurricanes and flooding have been eye-openers here, too. Even Dallas' recent flood doesn't come close to some we've seen here.

Advantage: none.

Healthcare -- both cities perform adequately for most of their residents. Houston has the TMC.

Advantage: Houston

Pollution: Houston has more air pollution and it seems to have more garbage on the freeways. Dallas isn't much better off, but...

Advantage: Dallas

I hope this illustrates how similar the two cities are. In just about any of the categories I gave, you could chalk it all up to perception and switch my ruling. Any other thoughts to add?

Although there are a few truths in your review, I find most of this post bogus. From the comments on DT Houston's "waning nightlife" to the supposed fact that Dallas has the edge on Houston in recreation, to me show's little subjectivity.

I'm not trying to start a flame war, but with the way your so matter of fact with your statement's show's (at least to me) a little bias.

I don't find the cities as similar as some have posted here with the exception of the freeway system's and a few of the neighborhoods.

Houston is far more concentrated to my eyes, there music venues and crowds are better, and I find the recreation here to have a much better variety than that of Dallas.

I second an earlier post when I say that Houston is alot more like LA than it is Dallas.

[TJones]

Actually, the city Houston most reminds me of is Dallas. They're two squabbling siblings. I haven't been anywhere else that's like Houston, but I suspect Dubai might be.

With Dallas' "zoning" I don't think it is anything like Houston. You have distinct areas of commerce and residency as where here your house might back right up to an industrial park.

[The Great Hizzy!]

Actually, there are neighborhoods in Dallas that have similar characteristics, including the area near Harry Hines Blvd on the southwestern edge of Love Field.

Or how about in SE Dallas just south of I-30 and north of Sceyne Road?

Or how about West Dallas near Singleton?

Though, I understand your overall point about zoning and some of its affects. Nevertheless, the urban landscapes of the two cities are very similar. In both cities, industrial districts followed the traditional paths of rail lines, and in those areas, working class neighborhoods were located close by. San Antonio is probably not much different, though I'm not nearly as well versed on SA as I believe I am on Dallas.

[JasonDFW]

Actually, there are neighborhoods in Dallas that have similar characteristics, including the area near Harry Hines Blvd on the southwestern edge of Love Field.

Or how about in SE Dallas just south of I-30 and north of Sceyne Road?

Or how about West Dallas near Singleton?

Though, I understand your overall point about zoning and some of its affects. Nevertheless, the urban landscapes of the two cities are very similar. In both cities, industrial districts followed the traditional paths of rail lines, and in those areas, working class neighborhoods were located close by. San Antonio is probably not much different, though I'm not nearly as well versed on SA as I believe I am on Dallas.

I don't know how the topic sort of shifted to comparing Dallas and Houston but I applaud the discussion being without serious flames. Nice and friendly, even Gary is being reasonable!

On the topic of zoning in Dallas, I agree entirely with Hizzy. It certainly doesn't keep one thing all that orderly in some areas. They're always working on improving the zoning though so its an ongoing process.

To dalparadise: That 98

[KimberlySayWhat]

Wuuuuut? Dallas has a port? Dallas cain't have no port! Well I'll be.

[Subdude]

Why do these discusssions always end up as Houston v Dallas? It gets sooo old.

[Jeebus]

Ever traveled across the globe? Scene the sights in New York,Los Angeles,and Japan.

The word is full of cities some have similar styles.

I want to know from the well traveled of you what are some key differences you see form Houston when you travel to New York,Chicago,LA,Tokyo,Rio,Sydney,etc. I know we're slow but Houston does have a style similar to the other parts of the region.

Speak you part.

I'm somewhat baffled too that anyone was able to figure out what Plastic's asking for in this thread.

Plastic, are you looking for cities that have different styles, or cities with similar styles:

The world is full of cities some have similar styles.

Similar?

I want to know from the well traveled of you what are some key differences you see form Houston when you travel..

Different?

I know we're slow but Houston does have a style similar to the other parts of the region.

Similar?

So which is it: similar or different? And when you say "styles", you mean styles of what?

[dalparadise]

Although there are a few truths in your review, I find most of this post bogus. From the comments on DT Houston's "waning nightlife" to the supposed fact that Dallas has the edge on Houston in recreation, to me show's little subjectivity.

I'm not trying to start a flame war, but with the way your so matter of fact with your statement's show's (at least to me) a little bias.

I don't find the cities as similar as some have posted here with the exception of the freeway system's and a few of the neighborhoods.

Houston is far more concentrated to my eyes, there music venues and crowds are better, and I find the recreation here to have a much better variety than that of Dallas.

I second an earlier post when I say that Houston is alot more like LA than it is Dallas.

I stated a some qualified opinions as just that. I thought I was pretty careful to step outside my bias toward Houston, however. I'm sorry if you saw through it.

I think you may have missed a point or two, though. I didn't characterized Houston's downtown as "waning," necessarily, rather that it had "waned" a bit over the past couple of years. By this I meant to say that it is not as lively as it was a couple of years ago -- an opinion, to be sure. I know a few bar and club operators who share this view. I stated accurately that our Downtown is much farther along in its development.

The statement about Dallas' being a better city for recreation is actually very subjective, just as my repeated disclaimers warned. Not sure what you meant that I "showed little subjectivity". I've never heard anyone say that before.

As far as live music goes, I will just have to take your word for it, as you, as a musician, are better informed than I am. Having lived in both cities, though, I always found the venues, acts and touring bands to be more prevalent and varied in Dallas. Houston definitely has a bigger DJ and club scene. I think live music bars and clubs tend to cater to a younger audience, while cluubs and lounges with DJs tend to skew older. I realize these are not absolute characterizations. Thus, my opinion in that matter.

[dalparadise]

Dal, do you think if Los Angeles didn't have Hollywood & the film industry, that people might better be able to see the similarities between our two cities? I think that without Hollywood, Los Angeles surely wouldn't be as big as it is, and would not have grown as fast both in population and notority.

Well, the great weather helps, too. That's what brought the film industry, after all. Hollywood does a lot to attract that "creative class" that cities all crave. The support industries for movies and commercials also fuel the economy.

LA minus the film industry is rich with oil deposits, offers exceptional growing conditions for produce grown nearby and a great harbor for shipping produce grown in the Central Valley and throughout the Pacific, south to Mexico and Central America. LA's manufacturing industries and their design industry are huge contributors to their economy, prestige, population and wealth, as well. Aerospace has been huge there since B-29s rolled off the lines bound for Europe.

So, short answer -- I think without Hollywood, LA would still be huge. Its economy is even more diverse than New York's, though not as large, obviously. NY's is more based in banking and finance and LA's leans toward service and manufacturing. In many ways, LA and DFW are very similar economically -- which is one reason LA so closely resembles Houston, too.

[nmainguy]

Well, the great weather helps, too. That's what brought the film industry, after all. Hollywood does a lot to attract that "creative class" that cities all crave. The support industries for movies and commercials also fuel the economy.

LA minus the film industry is rich with oil deposits, offers exceptional growing conditions for produce grown nearby and a great harbor for shipping produce grown in the Central Valley and throughout the Pacific, south to Mexico and Central America. LA's manufacturing industries and their design industry are huge contributors to their economy, prestige, population and wealth, as well. Aerospace has been huge there since B-29s rolled off the lines bound for Europe.

So, short answer -- I think without Hollywood, LA would still be huge. Its economy is even more diverse than New York's, though not as large, obviously. NY's is more based in banking and finance and LA's leans toward service and manufacturing. In many ways, LA and DFW are very similar economically -- which is one reason LA so closely resembles Houston, too.

Ok I'll take the bait:

I think the Mavericks play in Dallas but other than that, they have no NFL or MLB teams. Houston has more theatre seating than any other US city outside of NYC.

Houston directs all manned space flight.

Dallas has no port. Houston has a future port annex in Dallas.

nmainguy comes off as looking defensive but is really only factual

Finally, responding to plastic, there are more differences between cities than you could begin to count. So take all of the above as somewhat tounge in cheek and move on. Revel in where you live!

[H-Town Man]

One thing I will say for Dallas is that they seem to be ahead of us in urban living. When I visited a friend there recently, we went through some very nice, well-planned townhome neighborhoods near downtown that actually reminded me a little of Chicago. Houston of course has plenty of townhomes to, but it doesn't seem to mesh as well here, i.e. not as walkable, probably because of the planning.

And dal, you are so right about the wonderful urban vibe brought by Minute Maid Park. I'll never forget a game I went to last year against the Mets, when it was storming outside, and watching thousands of fans (a sellout crowd) hike their way through downtown's streets to get to the park. And then inside, everyone's face had that glow that you get from rushing in from the rain. Quite a night.

[dalparadise]

Ok I'll take the bait:

I think the Mavericks play in Dallas but other than that, they have no NFL or MLB teams. Houston has more theatre seating than any other US city outside of NYC.

Houston directs all manned space flight.

Dallas has no port. Houston has a future port annex in Dallas.

nmainguy comes off as looking defensive but is really only factual

Finally, responding to plastic, there are more differences between cities than you could begin to count. So take all of the above as somewhat tounge in cheek and move on. Revel in where you live!

I'm curious -- what does it matter that a couple of the teams in DFW play in the suburbs? If anything, I kind of admire the fact that they are able to let a county government other than the city's one foot the bill for some of these palaces...if that is, in fact the case.

In that way, don't the residents of the city get most of the benefits without paying all the expense?