Why is Houston the most attacked city in Texas? By other Texas cities? (Dallas: violent crime, university)

[txdemo]

I feel incredibly oppressed.

[DWC9108]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

Houston is where Texas started. Most of the Anglos who settled a sparsely populated Mexican province started around Brazoria County and northeast (roughly by US-59/future IH-69, which is one of the routes to Mexico City still in use today) to the U.S. border in Arkansas. (San Antonio was pretty much the rough extension of Nuevo León and the sister city to Monterrey--like Dallas is to Houston.)

By the time of statehood, most of the population was heavily centered on Galveston (literally the Manhattan of the South) and the state legislature wanted to spread the population to other parts of the state. The 1900 Hurricane re-centered the metro from Galveston to Houston. San Antonio was the largest city into the early 20th century, with Dallas taking the title for a short time, then Houston after the port was completed and the Energy industry was settled into Texas.

Somehow the I-35 corridor inexplicably developed into a megalopolis. Houston eventually became the only major city/metro along the coast in the South. The oil money created cultural institutions unmatched anywhere else in Texas. The Energy Industry introduced Houston to the global economy before globalization was the rage. This also brought with it ethnic diversity from the various parts of the world that the energy industry made contact. You could find Saudi Arabian sheikhs (and their wives!!!) here shopping at the Galleria Neiman Marcus but an Angolan classmate of mine probably checked them out.

BTW I saw a documentary about Angola's king adopting Catholicism in 1491 (pre-Reformation, 1517 was 26 years away!!!). Wow, this makes it the first or at least one of the oldest Christian countries in Africa.

It's the only major metro area in the south that sits directly on the coast outside of Florida, it is not the only one.

[War Beagle]

I suspect if most Texans could choose where to live in Texas, Houston wouldn't be at the top of the list. By and large, it's a lot dumpier than DFW. It doesn't have the culture or history that San Antonio does. It doesn't have the hipster/music/tech scene that Austin has. A lot of people think the weather is worse in Houston than the other cities, and there isn't much to say about it's natural aesthetics either.

I view Houston primarily as a place to work. It's not much of a destination otherwise. Certainly not in the way other parts of Texas are.

[madrone2k]

When I attended UT-Austin (back in prehistory) it seemed as if every student not from Houston hated Houston. I remember a girl from Dallas who, upon telling her I was from Houston, replied "Oh! But you're not going back there after you graduate, are you?"

Ever since then, I've always thought of Houston as being the Rodney Dangerfield of cities (many of you will have to look him up). One of his trademark lines was "I get no respect, no respect at all!".

[michaeltx9412]

I live in Austin so I know lots of people from Houston and almost 99% of them seem to hate the city they came from. lol

[AcresHomes44]

Originally Posted by War Beagle

I suspect if most Texans could choose where to live in Texas, Houston wouldn't be at the top of the list. By and large, it's a lot dumpier than DFW. It doesn't have the culture or history that San Antonio does. It doesn't have the hipster/music/tech scene that Austin has. A lot of people think the weather is worse in Houston than the other cities, and there isn't much to say about it's natural aesthetics either.

I view Houston primarily as a place to work. It's not much of a destination otherwise. Certainly not in the way other parts of Texas are.

Houston has it's OWN history and culture, which is good enough for me. From a black professional standpoint, Austin doesn't cut it, neither does San Antonio. Dallas is on par and that's about it. To be honest, I don't want Houston to be ritzy and pretentious like Dallas (I like Dallas, but DFW residents do put on airs; they try to be something they're not). People from all walks of life can touchdown in Houston and feel right at home.

[texas7]

Not a myth on Galveston. It was initially thought to be the major port city but the storm changes those plans and port and business growth moved inland.

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by AcresHomes44

Houston has it's OWN history and culture, which is good enough for me. From a black professional standpoint, Austin doesn't cut it, neither does San Antonio. Dallas is on par and that's about it. To be honest, I don't want Houston to be ritzy and pretentious like Dallas (I like Dallas, but DFW residents do put on airs; they try to be something they're not). People from all walks of life can touchdown in Houston and feel right at home.

Houston is messy, unconventional, and a great place to live. I've always thought of Dallas, especially North Dallas as a plastic city full of plastic people.

[AcresHomes44]

Originally Posted by WRM20

Houston is messy, unconventional, and a great place to live. I've always thought of Dallas, especially North Dallas as a plastic city full of plastic people.

That's why I was born & raised in Houston and don't plan on leaving. I'm a Houston representer

[War Beagle]

Originally Posted by AcresHomes44

Houston has it's OWN history and culture, which is good enough for me. From a black professional standpoint, Austin doesn't cut it, neither does San Antonio. Dallas is on par and that's about it. To be honest, I don't want Houston to be ritzy and pretentious like Dallas (I like Dallas, but DFW residents do put on airs; they try to be something they're not). People from all walks of life can touchdown in Houston and feel right at home.

The question the OP asked is why the rest of the state dumps on Houston, and they do. I personally can't stand Austin and the Dallas side of DFW is pretty annoying. But there is no doubt that most of the state thinks of Houston as a dump on the carcinogen coast.

As a transplant of 11 years, I view Houston as lacking much personality as a city. What personality it has is largely negative, in terms of it being trashy from lack of zoning or dirty from a higher share of industry than the other big cities have. It does have a good amount of history though.

I get that people who are born and raised in houston won't agree with me. And I know that there are transplants that genuinely love it. But I mostly work with people from other parts of the state, and they almost all dislike Houston.