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True but Houston would still have the sea to fall on and initially grew because of that anyway. So Houston still would have been something and probably more around the size of a Nashville. Tulsa would not be on the map at all without oil. Just another small town stop on Route 66.
I think oil is only about 1/3 of the Houston economy and its shrinking quickly. .
Makes sense. As more people move to the Houston area, you need more services to serve the growing population. Oil industry isn't going to grow linearly to the growing population. Still, much of those Downtown skyscrapers are leased or owned by big oil companies.
True but Houston would still have the sea to fall on and initially grew because of that anyway. So Houston still would have been something and probably more around the size of a Nashville. Tulsa would not be on the map at all without oil. Just another small town stop on Route 66.
Houston would not have boomed if it were not for oil. The lack of zoning/cohesiveness is a result of the unprecendented growth. The city is most at risk for flooding, business closures, and has not done enough to prepare for the inevitable.
Houston would not have boomed if it were not for oil. The lack of zoning/cohesiveness is a result of the unprecendented growth. The city is most at risk for flooding, business closures, and has not done enough to prepare for the inevitable.
That doesn't mean Houston is more defined by the oil industry than Tulsa. Houston still has a more diverse economy than Tulsa.
I guess i always thought it was Houston because Houston is the global capital of the oil industry.
In your lifetime there is no doubt. Houston is it.
Once upon a time Tulsa was the "Oil Capitol of the World" and they had more national brands located in Tulsa (and some surrounding towns) than anywhere else. Over time they all ended up in Houston (and sometimes Dallas).
During my early years Houston was just sucking them up. Getty, Sun, Skelly, Conoco, Phillips, Kerr-McGee in Oklahoma City. I bet half of the people I knew growing up (in my Oklahoma corporate oil town) who's fathers were in the corporate oil industry got transferred to Houston. And if their fathers didn't... then the kids I grew up with who got into into corporate oil ended up getting transferred to Houston.
In your lifetime there is no doubt. Houston is it.
Once upon a time Tulsa was the "Oil Capitol of the World" and they had more national brands located in Tulsa (and some surrounding towns) than anywhere else. Over time they all ended up in Houston (and sometimes Dallas).
During my early years Houston was just sucking them up. Getty, Sun, Skelly, Conoco, Phillips, Kerr-McGee in Oklahoma City. I bet half of the people I knew growing up (in my Oklahoma corporate oil town) who's fathers were in the corporate oil industry got transferred to Houston. And if their fathers didn't... then the kids I grew up with who got into into corporate oil ended up getting transferred to Houston.
True.Why did Houston become the oil capital of the world after Tulsa?
At the metro area level, Houston (3.7%) actually has a higher share of its employment in the industry sector Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining than Tulsa (2.6%) does. This is probably the category that aligns best with the oil & gas business.
It doesn't look like either area is much more economically diverse than the other, although Houston obviously has more of a large corporate headquarters presence. Tulsa has a larger share of employment in Information, Education & Health Care, Public Administration and Manufacturing among others. None of these seem to have much connection with oil & gas.
That doesn't mean Houston is more defined by the oil industry than Tulsa. Houston still has a more diverse economy than Tulsa.
I am not changing on it. I said that Houston would not have boomed if it were not for oil. Houston's major industries are service oriented. To be a large metro, there are more diverse economies that are smaller than Houston. I never stated it was more defined than Tulsa.
Houston is defined by how many oil companies that have moved there from Tulsa through the years.
Met a few classmates from Bartlesville at Cinco Ranch High School right after Phillips merged and moved in with Conoco. CRHS was very cosmopolitan for a neighborhood literally on the edge of the Houston sprawl (at the time). Not just Oklahomans or Louisianans, but Canadians hailing from Calgary, people coming back from ex-pat assignments in Saudi Arabia/Middle East, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DabOnEm
True but Houston would still have the sea to fall on and initially grew because of that anyway. So Houston still would have been something and probably more around the size of a Nashville. Tulsa would not be on the map at all without oil. Just another small town stop on Route 66.
Better question: "Why did Houston become a major global city over the other oil patches?"
There are plenty of sea port towns that never became major cities for global commerce. Charleston, Tampa, Miami, and New Orleans lag far behind Houston.
But most of Houston's growth was driven by the Energy industry, while most other major American cities thrive on being regional offices/HQs for American and U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies. That's the paradox! Only Hollywood and Wall Street did the same for L.A. and NYC.
The Medical and Aerospace industries only provided a negligible impact on the Houston economy; somewhat diversifying it. NASA doesn't centralize their operations the same way Energy does--Administration is in D.C., Jet Propulsion in L.A., Space Shuttle launchpad in Orlando, etc. The Texas Medical Center isn't renowned for Biotech (unlike Boston) and focuses on treatment of difficult ailments/diseases that neighborhood hospitals have to refer to specialists in the TMC.
But Energy surprisingly became an industry to create substantial economic growth to boost a one-horse town (Las Vegas being the archetype) into the global spotlight. There are 7 million people here, while DFW has ~500k more. And unlike Las Vegas, it has surprisingly weathered through economic storms during the 20th century (and into the 21st).
Last edited by KerrTown; 05-23-2020 at 04:20 PM..
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Oil
