The Size of Houston MSA (Plano, Euless: hotels, schools, university)

[SouthernBoy205]

I was kidding, and messing with HtownLove. However, the area doesn't need to be like that. People live there and they need necessities and booming businesses just like everyone else. If I lived there, I would want it to become a Washington Avenue then to continue to decline and turn into crime zones. RIGHT?

[SouthernBoy205]

Houston does seem bigger than its population suggests.
YouTube - US-59 Houston,TX Metro

[dtownboogie]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Houston, to me anyways feels twice as large as it really is. I suppose all of those skyscrapers & high flying freeways may have something to do with it.

In other aspects Houston feels proportionate to its overall size, (if that makes any sense) though the sheer amount of diversity rivals that of World class cities such as Los Angeles & Chicago. The fact Houston is a Southern city makes it even that much more amazing considering our growth spurt didn't happen until just this past century. Houston grew by over 111% between 1920-1930.

When visiting Houston you feel like you've been whisked out of Texas thats for sure.

Wishful thinking are we, Houston feels much more southern/Texan than does Dallas, DFW feels more like a larger OKC than it does Texan.

Originally Posted by Malvie

It feels much larger than Dallas/Ft. Worth to me (and I spent 20 years in DFW), and it feels much larger than Atlanta.

Dallas and Ft. Worth are two separate entities. There are over 200 metropolitan areas (cities) in the "Metroplex". While the area is huge, it doesn't "feel" huge, it feels smaller. You can't see downtown Dallas from downtown Ft. Worth and vice-versa.

Atlanta doesn't feel big because, as someone above mentioned, it's so covered in trees that views of the "big city" are rare. You can't get a feel for the sheer size of the city.

Houston is geographically huge (if I leave my house going "home" to Arkansas, one hour--at posted speeds--later, I'm still in Houston). You can SEE all the skylines from certain vantage points. It has the big-city feel and vibe, but, like all southern cities, is not "urban" like the big, older, northeastern cities. Houston never built "tenements"; there are no blocks and blocks of old buildings here. Get just outside the city center (meaning "downtown") and Houston feels more like, say, Long Island--suburban, just as Atlanta and Dallas feel far less urban directly outside the city centers. Yes, if you're directly on Peachtree in midtown Atlanta, you feel "urban", but all you have to do is turn off Peachtree into one of the neighborhoods and you don't feel "urban", you feel---by northeastern standards---"suburban".

Houston is very spread out, and is far less densely populated than all the other cities mentioned.

Wishful thinking once again Houston does not have a LI suburban feel whatsoever and as for your second comment I guess Houston doesn't have this neither correct?

[dtownboogie]

Originally Posted by HUM398

When you are driving down 290 between 610 and Cypress at 6pm....it feels like a metro of 10 million people.

Hell, it feels like everyone and their grandmother decided to visit Houston when you are on the western portion of 610 in Uptown.

You can most definitely get that feel.

of course it depends on what area you are in, im sure this is true with any city. But for the most part...you are going to know you are in a massive metro.

When people ask me to describe Houston's metro, i tell them that i can't really....because it seems as if the Burbs, and City are in a constant cohesion that makes them all feel like one area. and that contributes to a lot of it.

People view their little cities or burbs almost as neighborhoods instead of separate municipalities. its really fascinating. You go to dallas and people refer to the area as the metroplex or DFW....or specifically give you the city they are from Plano, Southlake, Euless, Grapevine, Prosper, etc....which is more traditionally Texan....as Texans love their identities....very few area's are like that here in Houston. Is just more uniform in terms of identity.

Geesh, you guys are some hardcore boosters, why not lets make a poll on City vs City to see if any one agrees with you

[Trae713]

Originally Posted by dtownboogie

Wishful thinking are we, Houston feels much more southern/Texan than does Dallas, DFW feels more like a larger OKC than it does Texan.


Wishful thinking once again Houston does not have a LI suburban feel whatsoever and as for your second comment I guess Houston doesn't have this neither correct?

No, DFW definitely feels more stereotypical Texan than Houston. You're the first person I've seen try to say DFW is not as "Texan" as Houston. Especially the Fort Worth side with all the wide open spaces and hills (also along I-20).

[SouthernBoy205]

Houston feels like LA, remember. LOL!

[SouthernBoy205]

Does anyone have any pictures showcasing Houston's massiveness?

[HtownLove]

This is kinda what they were talking about in the other thread, The development around the highways:




It is about 120 miles from the bottom right hand corner of this next photo to the top left hand corner of this next photo:


here is one of LA:



You have seen countless photos of downtown:











Uptown:


TMC:



But you gotta come experience it to feel it.

[SouthernBoy205]

Houston does, from pictures, looks big.

[HtownLove]

Here is more of the development around highways that they were talking about in the other thread:



Love this shot. The building in the center use dto be the Enron Building:



Those darn buildings feel like they are up in the clouds. Can't see the tops of them most mornings: