Dallas vs. Houston (San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth: relocating, rent, work)

[momof2dfw]

That is right, down there we have Cedar Hill State Park. Highly recognized for the topography, wildlife, hiking trails, native plants, etc. Many bird watchers go there.

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

And in what manner did I compare them mpope? Also, I don't understand the comment about being "balanced on scale."
I tried to present them both in a positive way; two fantastic, bustling cities with so much to offer and with a great future in store for all of the residents of each. I'm confused about why such a subdued hostility exists. And why the Dallas "trees" comment? I'm just scratching my head as to why this seems to be such a big deal. Have a great evening.

I'm not saying you did anything wrong. All I'm saying is that a lot of people don't like them being looked at in the same light, so by you saying that you don't see them going in different directions pretty much says that you don't see enough differences between the two. And there's no hostility over here so I don't know where that's coming from.

The comment about the trees was simply saying that I was done talking about it. Nothing more, nothing less.

[houstoner]

Houston and Dallas are more alike than they are different. Both cities have beautiful parts and insanely ugly parts. Both are sprawled, have about the same of everything, in different amounts or in different places... sorry, they're just REALLY not that different.

But in the spirit of the continuing rivalry... LOL... Houston may not have a White Rock Lake exactly (and I adore White Rock Lake!), but we've got McGovern Lake at Hermann Park, lakes around the metro and farther out, and the Gulf just south of us. We've also got the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, Armand Bayou Nature Center in the Bay Area, Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens (not unlike the DeGolyer Mansion) and other gardens, and Brazos Bend State Park not far away. We've got parks and trails out the wazoo. I think Houston is one of the cities with the most parks (337 city parks and over 200 greenspaces totaling over 19,600 acres, according to Wikipedia), but I don't remember where I read that. We've got not one, but two major city parks inside the Loop in Hermann Park and Memorial Park.

One thing I will give Dallas the edge over is their public transit. We're working on ours, but they're much, much further along than Houston in this area. It actually goes places and people actually use it! Amazing! Their downtown DART/Amtrak station rocks. Have you seen our Amtrak station? I didn't even know we had a functioning one till last week, though I'd always heard rumors! It's sad and pitiful.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by mpope409

I'm not saying you did anything wrong. All I'm saying is that a lot of people don't like them being looked at in the same light, so by you saying that you don't see them going in different directions pretty much says that you don't see enough differences between the two. And there's no hostility over here so I don't know where that's coming from.

The comment about the trees was simply saying that I was done talking about it. Nothing more, nothing less.

I think Dallas and Houston are very different cities in many aspects - the same in others; Houston is a gulf coastal city (well, almost - it's just a tad in from the coast) and Dallas is more of a Southern Plains city with a bit more of a temperate climate. The flora of both cities are different, the city councils (I hope) are different. Heck, the Dallas city council is the most dysfunctional group of people I've seen in my entire life.

Industries are different, with Dallas leaning more towards IT and Houston being the center of the energy industry (and let's not forget about NASA). I view Houston as somewhat more of a Southern city (not just in location, but culture) while Dallas has a mixture of Southern and Southwestern influences.

There are plenty of differences between the two cities, which is a good thing.

I'm curious to find out what you mean by different directions mpope, and I mean that sincerely. And I don't see any open hostility; that's probably an inappropriate term. It's a city rivalry that goes on between cities in other states as well - it's just that in most places I see these rivalries they don't have as much going for them as Houston, Dallas, and Texas in general and it's kind of like they're fighting over kitchen scraps.

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

I think Dallas and Houston are very different cities in many aspects - the same in others; Houston is a gulf coastal city (well, almost - it's just a tad in from the coast) and Dallas is more of a Southern Plains city with a bit more of a temperate climate. The flora of both cities are different, the city councils (I hope) are different. Heck, the Dallas city council is the most dysfunctional group of people I've seen in my entire life.

Industries are different, with Dallas leaning more towards IT and Houston being the center of the energy industry (and let's not forget about NASA). I view Houston as somewhat more of a Southern city (not just in location, but culture) while Dallas has a mixture of Southern and Southwestern influences.

There are plenty of differences between the two cities, which is a good thing.

I'm curious to find out what you mean by different directions mpope, and I mean that sincerely. And I don't see any open hostility; that's probably an inappropriate term. It's a city rivalry that goes on between cities in other states as well - it's just that in most places I see these rivalries they don't have as much going for them as Houston, Dallas, and Texas in general and it's kind of like they're fighting over kitchen scraps.

With the exception of the skylines, a drive on these cities' freeways gives the sprawl-hell facade that Dallas and Houston are identical. But honestly, to me, Dallas has always been the city that defines Texas and I've always looked at Houston as being one in its own. Sure, it's in Texas so there will be a lot of Texas culture, but aside from that, it's becoming a name brand city. It's not just a bigger Dallas, which is what people view it as. With all of these cultures down here, Houston is a city of the world. Dallas is more of an American city, to me. That's one way they head into different directions.

[Synopsis]

Off city data's website (which I believe are relatively accurate), Houston has about a percentage point more Vietnamese than Dallas, a couple of percentage points more Hispanic, and while Chinese are almost non-existent in Dallas, 1.2% of Houston's population is Chinese.

Dallas has a larger percentage of blacks, Native American, white (non-hispanic), and about an 0.8% advantage of those defined as "other race."

Houston is a more culturally diverse in some areas, but lacking in others. To draw some kind of line that puts Houston on another level of cities above that of Dallas is a matter of interpretation.

Also, I looked up the term "world city" on wikipedia and the GAWC inventory of world cities shows that both Dallas and Houston are ranked even with about 6 points each. Now, if you delved into the numbers you might find that one or the other of these cities to be slightly above the other, but they are both classified as being "minor world cities."

To put Houston in the same class as Tokyo, London, and New York is wishful thinking in my opinion and the direction they are both headed is up.

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

Off city data's website (which I believe are relatively accurate), Houston has about a percentage point more Vietnamese than Dallas, a couple of percentage points more Hispanic, and while Chinese are almost non-existent in Dallas, 1.2% of Houston's population is Chinese.

Dallas has a larger percentage of blacks, Native American, white (non-hispanic), and about a 0.8% defined as "other race."

Houston is a tad more culturally diverse in some areas, but lacking in others. To draw some kind of line that puts Houston on another level of cities above that of Dallas is a matter of interpretation.

Dallas has a slightly larger percentage of blacks, but I believe Houston has almost twice as many blacks. Even so, Houston is the black city in Texas. Had it not been for Atlanta's place in the Civil Rights movement, Houston would be the black city in the south (though it still has the largest number in this region). As far as it's culture, it has the most diverse restaurant selection in the south, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world with the third largest consular corps in the nation (86 consulates...not sure where Dallas fits on that list). So as far as those numbers you presented, I'm not sure what they're trying to say about Dallas and Houston's diversity because there's no competition in that area.

Also, I looked up the term "world city" on wikipedia and the GAWC inventory of world cities shows that both Dallas and Houston are ranked even with about 6 points each. Now, if you delved into the numbers you might find that one or the other of these cities to be slightly above the other, but they are both classified as being "minor world cities."

That list is from 1999. So far, it is the "official" one, but another one is in the works which supposedly places Houston, Boston, and Washington on the same level that Dallas is not. I may be incorrect, so don't quote me on that but I'm looking for the link of the website I read that on. But what if they decided to give Fort Worth a place on that list? That cuts about one third of "Dallas'" worth off. As a matter of fact, I hope FW does get their own place on the list because it's about time it gets a name for itself rather than Dallas taking all the credit.

To put Houston in the same class as Tokyo, London, and New York is wishful thinking in my opinion and the direction they are both headed is up.

Never suggested it was up there with Tokyo, London, and New York, but I wouldn't be way out of line to say that it's heading in that direction. Will it ever reach it? Probably not, but that's the track it's on.

[Synopsis]

Well, you won't hear any argument from me about consular offices. My wife is a long-time green card holder and has had to take trips to the Japanese embassy in Houston on several occasions. I'm not disputing any of the facts that you provide mpope, I just have a hard time understanding the whole city rivalry thing with people from each place wanting to make the claim that there city is better in that one has more of this, one has more of that.

In my home state of Oklahoma (which I haven't lived in for almost 20 years), OkC and Tulsa duke it out all of the time. I do have to say that the Texas forum is a bit more civilized in that respect - some of the comments going back and forth between OkC and Tulsa residents are downright mean and nasty.

Your arguments, on the other hand, are respectable and civil, which I appreciate very much.

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

Well, you won't hear any argument from me about consular offices. My wife is a long-time green card holder and has had to take trips to the Japanese embassy in Houston on several occasions. I'm not disputing any of the facts that you provide mpope, I just have a hard time understanding the whole city rivalry thing with people from each place wanting to make the claim that there city is better in that one has more of this, one has more of that.

In my home state of Oklahoma (which I haven't lived in for almost 20 years), OkC and Tulsa duke it out all of the time. I do have to say that the Texas forum is a bit more civilized in that respect - some of the comments going back and forth between OkC and Tulsa residents are downright mean and nasty.

Your arguments, on the other hand, are respectable and civil, which I appreciate very much.

Yours as well. I appreciate it every time I get the opportunity to discuss something on this site with a polite and respectful individual.

While I personally think Houston is better than Dallas, I don't think that economical or cultural value and size has anything to do with a town's ultimate worth, so if someone says Dallas is better than Houston who am I to say they're wrong? In that light, Houston is not necessarily better than Dallas.

[crystalblue]

Didnt Houston lose its only amusement park?