Houston Could Pass Chicago as Third-Largest City in U.S. in Next Decade (Jacksonville: apartments, home)
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I fail to see why one city becoming "larger" than another is supposed to be some kind of badge of honor. There are so many particulars that figure into that type of statistic that it's just a silly forecast to make at this point. Look at Phoenix....it's like the 4th biggest city/metro now and that place is a dusty PIT! Houston has a lot going for it on certain levels, but it will never have an iconic identity in the mold of Chicago. Houston isn't even the most iconic city in Texas.....both Dallas and Austin are always put out front before Houston is. There are jobs there...cheap housing, and you can ditch the snow shovel, same as up here in DFW.......but Houston isn't going to one up Chicago simply by growing larger. Not now, not ever.
One of the things that has bothered me most about living in Chicago is the insecurity of the people.. My experience living in Chicago is that this city is full of wanna be New Yorkers. Chicago is a joke to anyone outside of the upper midwest.
1. Never got even the slightest impression of that.
2. Never got even the slightest impression of that.
3. Yeah, that's why the New York based NFL moguls moved the draft from NY to Chicago this year, because Chicago's such a joke and so inferior to the rest of the nation. That's why California based George Lucas chose Chicago to build his dream Star Wars Museum in over San Francisco. That's why investors from every corner of the globe continue to battle over Chicago real estate and throw up skyscrapers on the turn of a dime.
1. Never got even the slightest impression of that.
2. Never got even the slightest impression of that.
3. Yeah, that's why the New York based NFL moguls moved the draft from NY to Chicago this year, because Chicago's such a joke and so inferior to the rest of the nation. That's why California based George Lucas chose Chicago to build his dream Star Wars Museum in over San Francisco. That's why investors from every corner of the globe continue to battle over Chicago real estate and throw up skyscrapers on the turn of a dime.
Because Chicago is a joke outside of the midwest
I think your response was exactly the point. A Star Wars museum and last year's NFL draft? LOL. Quite a response! What about mentioning the Obama Library to really hit your point home. I mean, look what presidential libraries have done to Yorba Linda, Simi Valley and Abeline. And don't forget the "Lake Michigan is just like an ocean, really!" argument.
And Chicago has dirt-cheap real estate compared to the coastal cities, and relatively little construction comparatively.
Chicago is a great city, definitely one of the best in the country, and full of interesting things, but responses like yours are the reason it gets tagged as a wanna-be city with a serious inferiority complex.
I don't think we should be wishing for that for any city.
I'm not saying this is something for which I want or wish; I am saying this is an inevitable consequence of building a city on the Golf coast. Subduction isn't helping matters.
Location: East Central Pennsylvania/ Chicago for 6yrs.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc
It would be. The harsh winters and lack of new housing construction have hampered growth from what I've read and heard from people there.
Bottom line is it will always be a classic, all-American city with tremendous culture, but it's booming population growth days are mostly over, most likely.
Houston has more land, better weather, and close to the ocean. I imagine it will continue its skyward growth. Most people can deal with heat and humidity better than cold, for whatever reason.
I prefer Chicago, any day, personally, over Houston. :/
Nice Post. Just I'm not sure the No New Housing is true. DOWNTOWN'S River North in the last 20 years had LOTS of old industrial buildings Made into LOFTS. It is basically new. New Mid-Rises there too and Townhouse developments. But it is not CHEAP HOUSING. For the New Young Professionals moving in. Same with the Gentrifying Neighborhoods. NEW INFILL AMONG THE OLDER RESTORED HOMES. North of Downtown the Same. New INFILL.
Skyscraper living still is going Strong downtown. Developments follow the "L" route and stations too. Areas of the Southside where Blight was cleared out all over. Got some newer Lower income infill. Time will tell how the City FULLY RESTORES. The Northwest and Southwest sides and neighborhoods built in the 50s early 60s have solid housing in place as good as the day built. Its BUNGALOW BELT 1910-1940 Single Craftsman Homes remain SOLID and held up well.
Most go by numbers and statistics.... Not sure how much RESTORED EXISTING HOUSING IS COUNTED UNDER NEW HOUSING? If it was still a house before? BUT IT SURELY COUNTS. We know with Houston it is virtually ALL NEW.
If it was really ok that Houston will surpass Chicago, then why all the Houston bashing?
You obviously pay way too much attention to what people say on this site. Most people in the real world could really care less about whether Houston is bigger or not, and in reality most people in most cities do not care whether one city is bigger than their own.
I've never actually heard anybody in Chicago really care about Houston in the context of Chicago. I have some friends who go visit there - some don't like it citing it's too suburban for them, a few of my friends like partying down there, and a few of my co-workers are on assignment there and think it's too hot. Out and about, I've literally never heard anybody even mention Houston outside of vacation or sports.
And while there's a rivalry of Chicago and NYC (dating back to the 1893 World's Fair time when people in NYC thought Chicago wasn't good enough to be the site of the fair), I think you'll find tons of people in Chicago who actually like NYC enough to visit there. I have friends in Chicago who are constantly visiting, and when my current opportunity arose where I get to spend most of my time in NYC but also live in Chicago at the same time, the majority of my friends were very positive about NYC. There are many who don't want to live there for many reasons (too much density, COL, think it's too dirty, etc). A few of my friends I'd say are NYC wannabes and have actually lived there before, but I don't think most care enough about wanting to be that. They just like visiting because it's a very energetic city with a ton to do. Yes, there are many people out there who will trash NYC too, but a lot don't really care one way or another. Houston though - I've seriously never heard anybody bring up Houston in conversation in Chicago outside of sports or where someone went on vacation, or for a business trip. Chicago could be surpassed by 5 cities in population and I bet you the majority of actual people in the city wouldn't really care that much to give it thought for more than 10 minutes like so many people do on this forum day in and day out.
Before I started coming to this forum, I barely ever encountered anything like that in Chicago where people actually, seriously compared it to another city outside of sports teams. The site has completely skewed my perception of what the reality actually is on topics like this. Most people in most cities don't really give a damn about putting down another city or being defensive about it. Most people just care about living their lives and having fun.
Get out and talk to some people - you might realize that most people in the world don't really care about these things enough to have an opinion.
Quote:
Chicago is a joke to anyone outside of the upper midwest.
Do not agree with this. Joke is a very strong word. Most people aren't bringing it up in contention for THE best city in the US, but it is not a joke in the least bit to the average person who actually travels around the country and/or world. I can't think of a single person I've ever met in a coastal city who has thought of Chicago as a joke. it either ranges from them liking it to them not knowing much about the actual city. Yes, I've met a few who didn't like it, but they never said anything like it was a joke - it's usually something like "It's okay but it's not for me."
However, I do think that it was probably more of a joke 2+ decades ago outside of the midwest. It was kind of a joke when I was growing up and before I moved there, most of my family on the coasts never, ever considered visiting. It was only when I moved there that I told them they may enjoy it and they'd finally take a visit. My Uncle's brother (non blood related) actually went to law school in Chicago in the 1970s, but my Uncle never even considered visiting him because he did actually think the city was a joke. he finally visited in 2010 and loved it. He wondered why he never visited before, but I had to also tell him the city is much different from when his brother went to school there.
It's definitely one of the top 5 cities in the US. On the other hand, I find that people who don't know much about the city often have a stereotype about the city that is 2+ decades old (though some of the stereotypes are definitely partially true). For example, there are many who think the city is just a bunch of hot dog and pizza places, don't know that the city actually has really good food. That might have been more true awhile ago but not nearly as much today.
Last edited by marothisu; 09-16-2015 at 11:14 AM..
Location: East Central Pennsylvania/ Chicago for 6yrs.
2,535 posts, read 3,283,834 times
Reputation: 1483
^^^^^^^ Great Post above though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NOLA101
I think your response was exactly the point. A Star Wars museum and last year's NFL draft? LOL. Quite a response! What about mentioning the Obama Library to really hit your point home. I mean, look what presidential libraries have done to Yorba Linda, Simi Valley and Abeline. And don't forget the "Lake Michigan is just like an ocean, really!" argument.
And Chicago has dirt-cheap real estate compared to the coastal cities, and relatively little construction comparatively.
Chicago is a great city, definitely one of the best in the country, and full of interesting things, but responses like yours are the reason it gets tagged as a wanna-be city with a serious inferiority complex.
NOLA... BEHAVE. Mocking and entering like a TORNADO insights and plants the ARGUING THAT GETS THREADS CLOSED. Keep in mind..... THIS IS NOT COMPARING NYC TO CHICAGO OE HOUSTON.
The point is Chicago was GETTING SOME THINGS HOUSTON DID NOT.... NOT YOUR NYC.
SO PICK A SIDE.... LAUGH AND MOCK THOSE DEFENDING CHICAGO OR HOUSTON OR AS YOU WOULD GENERALLY DO... MOCK BOTH. Just DON'T MAKE IT SEEM LIKE HATE and LAUGH at RESPECTBLE POST AND POSTERS.
I hope this thread does not go into a SPIRAL of PERSONL ATTACKS LAUGHING and mocking totally other post
A simple I DISAGREE and WHY is SUFFICIENT.
No one SAYS Lake Michigan is a Ocean. BUT WE WILL DEFEND IT HAS GOOD BEACHES AND HARBORS. Any OCEAN COAST COULD BE PROUD TO HAVE.... IT IS A ASSET. NO SMELL OF A OCEAN BREEZE BUT FOR 1000 MILES Inland ....DARN GOOD.
Why mention things nobody is discussing to demean a poster? Not comparing NYC cost of living or property values again. WE ALREADY KNOW HOUSTON TENDS TO BE CHEAPER THEN CHICAGO ... But not by HUGE amounts. Chicago's HIGH-END LIVING NEIGHBORHOODS BOOST ITS OVER COST OF LIVING AVERAGE. AS NYC'S BOOST THEIRS. But cheaper housing can be found.
NOLA... BEHAVE. Mocking and entering like a TORNADO insights and plants the ARGUING THAT GETS THREADS. Keep in mind..... THIS IS NOT COMPARING NYC TO CHICAGO OE HOUSTON.
The point is Chicago was GETTING SOME THINGS HOUSTON DID NOT.... NOT YOUR NYC.
SO PICK A SIDE.... LAUGH AND MOCK THOSE DEFENDING CHICAGO OR HOUSTON OR AS YOU WOULD GENERALLY DO... MOCK BOTH. Just DON'T MAKE IT SEEM LIKE HATE and LAUGH at RESPECTBLE POST AND POSTERS.
I hope this thread does not go into a SPIRAL of PERSONL ATTACKS LAUGHING and mocking totally other post
A simple I DISAGREE and WHY is SUFFICIENT.
No one SAYS Lake Michigan is a Ocean. BUT WE WILL DEFEND IT HAS GOOD BEACHES AND HARBORS. Any OCEAN COAST COULD BE PROUD TO HAVE.... IT IS A ASSET. NO SMELL OF A OCEAN BREEZE BUT FOR 1000 MILES Inland ....DARN GOOD.
I think that person is trolling under different screen names (NOLA in at least 2 of them).
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Any OCEAN COAST COULD BE PROUD TO HAVE.... IT IS A ASSET. NO SMELL OF A OCEAN BREEZE BUT FOR 1000 MILES Inland ....DARN GOOD.
