Is this population growth sustainable? (Houston, Dallas: movies, cost, shop)
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Originally Posted by CptnRn
The weather bouys in the gulf are currently showing these water temperatures: National Data Buoy Center
85 degrees at Port Aransas, 89 degrees in the bay
80.6 degrees at South Padre Island (this bouy is further off shore so is probably cooler)
82 degrees at Port Isabel ( in the bay).
Quote:
Originally Posted by cBach
That makes sense. Corpus Christi Bay is a shallow super-saline bay with average depths of 1 to 3 feet. I don't know why CC Bay is warmer than Port Isabel though. I think it's due to the water clarity being better at Port Isabel, thus the upper layer isn't as warmed. I think the bay is a bit more stratified at CC.
Actually Corpus Christi Bay is deeper then that, I can sail most of it with my 4.5' deep draft sailboat. A "shallow bay with average depths of 1 to 3 feet" is a better description of the bay at Port Isabel, you see wade fisherman walking all over it.
When I wrote Port A "in the bay" I meant it was on the bay side of Port A. That bay side bouy is actually over near the ferry crossing on the ICW at Port A, not out in the bay. The ICW is deep but not all that wide, so the land mass probably warms the water up more.
Articles like this don't help:
there was "not one day a year" where you "couldn't enjoy being outside".
Not ONE day a year where you couldn't enjoy being outside? Try all the days in the month of June 2011, where it was 100 bleepin' degrees every day, and tell me that you can enjoy the outside. We had to go early in the morning or it's sunburn city. Reality check. I'm dealing with the heat all right, have been for 7 years, but come on. Articles like this just encourage people to pile in their Winnebago with an Austin or Bust sticker on it and then post:
Try living in the Midwest when it is cold outside, and virtually nothing to do. I hated it! To each his own...........some people like / tolerate the heat and some people like / tolerate the cold.
I never acclimated to the cold. Sounds like you aren't acclimating to the heat. At least here with the heat, you can literally jump in the lake. You can swim, ski, jet-ski, paddle board, kayak, you name it......
I'll admit..........I do have a pool and that helps.
I just hope that the people moving here really want to become Austinites and not just have transform us to "Broadway in Austin" or "Silicon Valley in Austin" or "South Beach in Austin" or God forbid "Houston in Austin".
We are our own city and I just hope that people will not force their ideas on us.
Back in the Old Days, Houston was the Big Ol' Cosmopolitan / International City, Dallas was the Texas Big City, and Austin was the small, college town / capital city. And San Antonio was this horribly dusty city that held the Hemisfair......which I went to.
I agree, I wish people would stop comparing them.
For one thing, it's not right to compare Houston with Austin because for a very long time, Houston has been much larger and more cosmopolitan than Austin. It's like it was prepared for the growth. They had a blip in the 80's oil bust, when their local economy was all oil.... but now their local economy is more diverse than ours! What will happen to us if state government and tech take a dive?
I am very worried about sustainability here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by riaelise
I have no real issue with the growth...but people need to realize that Austin isn't Mecca. This is not the city of Milk and Honey. NO, you are not guaranteed to find a job (well paying one at least) here any easier than your home city. NO, the cost of living isn't "ridiculously cheap" (ok, vs. NYC, then yes, it is.)
This is exactly what I was talking about with the ridiculous puff-piece articles on Austin that seem to come out constantly.
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Originally Posted by sagewithaflaw
Just something I've wondered - do people actually make a move to Austin based on articles like these? I've always seen the short little blurbs in magazines more or less as talking points.
I don't know, but I really hope not. If so, we have lots of either gullible or desperate people (or both).
If we focus on density and smart growth, then water won't be as big of an issue. It's the sprawl and irrigation associated with it that's causing our problems.
This is an easy fix anytime we want to do it. Raise prices above a certain amount (say 10K gallons) to $1/gallon (or whatever you want). Usage will plummet.
This is an easy fix anytime we want to do it. Raise prices above a certain amount (say 10K gallons) to $1/gallon (or whatever you want). Usage will plummet.
Water is a non issue
Also water is not in any way a limited resource, energy is. With cheap energy the water problem is easily solved by any number of means. Energy is also not really a limited energy source either, we just dont have the technology to get it yet. If water actually became a problem at all (i.e. more expensive than energy) then we could desalinate salt water pumped from the gulf, completely purify 100% of wastewater for drinking etc.
It's the endless articles with only positive things to say about Austin that's bringing them by the hundreds. They show cute pictures of downtown, talk about Barton Springs, and people think
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Originally Posted by N. Olikee
This is absolutely true. You can't imagine the remarks I have heard about Austin and Texas by people who have never been here.
Also, cities do market themselves to various magazines, websites, etc. There's lots of "spin" going on out there.
Yes, these are all the puff-piece articles that seem to come out on Austin endlessly. Austin seems to be alone (or mostly alone) within Texas and maybe even the South as far as these chest-pounding articles, so no wonder the flood gates are open. Marketing can be a very powerful thing.
Also water is not in any way a limited resource, energy is. With cheap energy the water problem is easily solved by any number of means. Energy is also not really a limited energy source either, we just dont have the technology to get it yet. If water actually became a problem at all (i.e. more expensive than energy) then we could desalinate salt water pumped from the gulf, completely purify 100% of wastewater for drinking etc.
That someone has the idea that water is not in any way a limited resource and that serious shortages of it can be "easily" fixed is, frankly, frightening. It's that kind of attitude that's in large part responsible for the situations we find ourselves in today with various problems.
Bottom line: overpopulation is a problem. Whether it's worldwide or in one specific area. And potable water is going to be a serious problem in the future. A laissez faire attitude towards it,is only going to make things worse.
Besides, you don't really think that desalinization of sea water on the scale that would be needed to deal with our needs doesn't carry its own problems and risks, do you? Or is that just a problem you're more than happy to foist off on your kids or grandkids if only you can get somewhere faster?
That someone has the idea that water is not in any way a limited resource and that serious shortages of it can be "easily" fixed is, frankly, frightening. It's that kind of attitude that's in large part responsible for the situations we find ourselves in today with various problems.
Bottom line: overpopulation is a problem. Whether it's worldwide or in one specific area. And potable water is going to be a serious problem in the future. A laissez faire attitude towards it,is only going to make things worse.
Besides, you don't really think that desalinization of sea water on the scale that would be needed to deal with our needs doesn't carry its own problems and risks, do you? Or is that just a problem you're more than happy to foist off on your kids or grandkids if only you can get somewhere faster?
Actually you are basically just ignorant of modern technology. The technology already exists to do this on a large scale. However it isnt cost effective because energy is more expensive than water. Water never gets used up it only gets contaminated. It takes energy to clean/purify it. With abundant energy water will no longer be an issue.
Water is only a limited resource in localized areas. On a global scale it is not limited at all.
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