The BIG 4 - Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin (Katy, Center: homes, neighborhoods)

[C2H (ComingtoHouston)]

Originally Posted by TXSooner

And what other city of the four has something like a Katy-Mills mall?

Well, in DFW's defense, it also has Grapevine Mills which is an exact replica of the Katy Mills mall.

[txstate]

H-town the city aka hustletown

[C2H (ComingtoHouston)]

Originally Posted by mikey1984

You haven't seen all parts of San Antonio. It has the same look as Houston Dallas along 410 corridor, I-10 West, 281 Stone Oak area, Med Center, very congested areas.

Yeah i was talking about pretty much the eastern quadrant since that's where i'm pretty much familiar with. The North, Northwest, and Western areas of San Antonio are pretty well developed. Outside of the city, its a different story. It does appear to be growing betwen S/A and Austin.

Sorry, i guess i did the same thing as what alot of people do to Houston. Kind of like how they visit one portion of the city and suggest the whole city is like that. For example one of my friends said, " Houston is ugly but i didn't really see much, only where i stayed at in Pasadena." Go figure!

[catman]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Its good for the skin & helps keep you looking younger. Tropical vegetation & ever green pines thrive in that notorious Houston humidity thats why the city looks so green 365 days a year.

The more you know.

I wouldn't care whether it's good for the skin and helps me look younger. I'd rather look old and be happy in a different climate that doesn't make me miserable. I am happy for the vegetation, though. Molds like humidity. I don't!

[Lakewooder]

What really is the difference between suburbs here and suburbs there?

Dallas inside LBJ and Houston inside the loop are much different then the outlying areas.

I'll take Dallas myself. I lived in Houston for a couple of years. Austin and San Antonio are great places to visit but they just don't have the amenities of Dallas and Houston.

[Angel713]

Originally Posted by tstone

Come down to the south half of the metro (generally south of I-10) and the green turns brown pretty fast in the areas that aren't manicured. And due to the recent lack of rain the ground is looking pretty yellow. There are a few pines here & there, and some evergreens like Live Oaks and Yaupon Holly but the rest of the trees are looking pretty dormant.

The Woodlands does not = Houston.

Yeah, generally south of I-10 is when the trees leave and it becomes an endless prairie. Depends on where you are though. I'd probably say south of 610 or the Beltway is more accurate.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by tstone

Come down to the south half of the metro (generally south of I-10) and the green turns brown pretty fast in the areas that aren't manicured. And due to the recent lack of rain the ground is looking pretty yellow. There are a few pines here & there, and some evergreens like Live Oaks and Yaupon Holly but the rest of the trees are looking pretty dormant.

The Woodlands does not = Houston.

You obviously haven't ventured to the Northeast side of town near Humble, heck even Bush Intercontinental Airport is surrounded by a forest of pines. From Lake Houston on 1960 all the way west to Champions Forest is heavily forested even on 249 to Tomball. Portions of I-10 west are very wooded around Memorial. Go East along I-10 towards Baytown its the same thing trees trees & more trees. I've even seen pine trees down in Clear Lake of all places though they were probably planted. Houston used to have a huge logging industry until all most of the trees were cut down & oil took over. The city/state has done a nice job of reforesting along some of the freeways. This is most evident from 610 north all the way past The Woodlands on into Conroe & I-10 going to Katy.

[SweethomeSanAntonio]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

What really is the difference between suburbs here and suburbs there?

Dallas inside LBJ and Houston inside the loop are much different then the outlying areas.

I'll take Dallas myself. I lived in Houston for a couple of years. Austin and San Antonio are great places to visit but they just don't have the amenities of Dallas and Houston.

I think San Antonio and Austin have pretty much everything Dallas and Houston have, but, maybe on a smaller scale.

[tstone]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

You obviously haven't ventured to the Northeast side of town near Humble, heck even Bush Intercontinental Airport is surrounded by a forest of pines. From Lake Houston on 1960 all the way west to Champions Forest is heavily forested even on 249 to Tomball. Portions of I-10 west are very wooded around Memorial. Go East along I-10 towards Baytown its the same thing trees trees & more trees. I've even seen pine trees down in Clear Lake of all places though they were probably planted. Houston used to have a huge logging industry until all most of the trees were cut down & oil took over. The city/state has done a nice job of reforesting along some of the freeways. This is most evident from 610 north all the way past The Woodlands on into Conroe & I-10 going to Katy.

I wasn't talking about the north side-- I said come down to the south side and watch the green turn to brown. I already know about the north side. Generally speaking, south of I-10 but more accurately south of I-10 on the west, and south of TX-225 on the east is where the dormant brown starts. There is also a swath of huge pines in Dickinson, esp near the bayou.

And I live in Clear Lake, and yes - most of the pine trees were obviously planted as a front to cover up the lack of natural scenery. (IMO Live Oaks would've done the job better; the Tallows are crowding some of those young pines out.) There are a few natural-looking pines in certain places, but it's mostly towards the Armand Bayou, on the way to La Porte.

[crystalblue]

Im surprised so many people picked Houston. I woulda thought the traffic and weather to be more of a turnoff.