Houston Could Pass Chicago as Third-Largest City in U.S. in Next Decade (Aurora: crime, school)

[IrishIllini]

Originally Posted by Chicago South Sider

Houston's MSA will be larger than Chicago's MSA in 20 years. Chicagoland will have added another decade of stagnation by 2020. Some posters can't get it through their thick heads that Chicago has issues far beyond other major metropolitan areas.

How so?

[urbanchillage]

Don't forget that Houston also dwarfs Chicago in Cancer rates. So there's that. The CDC doesn't call it the East Texas 'Cancer Belt' for nothing

[IrishIllini]

Originally Posted by urbanchillage

Don't forget that Houston also dwarfs Chicago in Cancer rates. So there's that. The CDC doesn't call it the East Texas 'Cancer Belt' for nothing

Houston has higher rates of cancer than Chicago? Where did you find this?

[urbanchillage]

It's been known that the East side of Houston has real problems with high lung Cancer rates

Texas: Possible Cancer Clusters In East Harris County and Houston – Houston Public Media

The Cancer Belt

Houston Area Lung Cancer Rates Higher Than Average - Lung Cancer Fact.com

You can use this to compare Cancer rates in Harris County to Cook County (they are on opposite ends of the spectrum for Lung Cancer):

https://statecancerprofiles.cancer.g...ap.noimage.php

Here's a city-data discussion:

//www.city-data.com/forum/houst...es-nation.html

[IrishIllini]

Originally Posted by urbanchillage

It's been known that the East side of Houston has real problems with high lung Cancer rates

Texas: Possible Cancer Clusters In East Harris County and Houston – Houston Public Media

The Cancer Belt

Houston Area Lung Cancer Rates Higher Than Average - Lung Cancer Fact.com

You can use this to compare Cancer rates in Harris County to Cook County (they are on opposite ends of the spectrum for Lung Cancer):

https://statecancerprofiles.cancer.g...ap.noimage.php

Here's a city-data discussion:

//www.city-data.com/forum/houst...es-nation.html

Weird. Refineries, maybe?

[urbanchillage]

Originally Posted by IrishIllini

Weird. Refineries, maybe?

Yes, the air pollution is ridiculous. It's seriously disgusting in some of these communities.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

I think Houston is just a much more attractive looking city than Chicago. In Houston, like most large Texas cities, everything looks so brand spanking new that it sparkles, especially under a clear blue Texas sky. Houston looks and feels young and vibrant and healthy and exciting and hopeful. Kinda the way a person feels when they graduate high school, like you got your whole future ahead of you. Houston with its youthful energy and vibrancy feels like it's where the future of America is. It has the attitude that anything is possible and the sky is the limit. Chicago, on the other hand, looks and feels like a much older town than Houston. It's old and cold and gritty and grey and looks like it's been run thru the ringer. Some people find beauty in the bleakness. Maybe thats why so much blues comes out of Chicago.. For myself, I favor newness to oldness.

[beasley106]

Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock

I think Houston is just a much more attractive looking city than Chicago. In Houston, like most large Texas cities, everything looks so brand spanking new that it sparkles, especially under a clear blue Texas sky. Houston looks and feels young and vibrant and healthy and exciting and hopeful. Kinda the way a person feels when they graduate high school, like you got your whole future ahead of you. Houston with its youthful energy and vibrancy feels like it's where the future of America is. It has the attitude that anything is possible and the sky is the limit. Chicago, on the other hand, looks and feels like a much older town than Houston. It's old and cold and gritty and grey and looks like it's been run thru the ringer. Some people find beauty in the bleakness. Maybe thats why so much blues comes out of Chicago.. For myself, I favor newness to oldness.

I have never seen the words "Houston" and "vibrant" mentioned in the same sentence before. Compared to Chicago which has numerous nodes of activity that are bursting with people most of the day such as Lincoln Park, Houston's downtown area pretty much is a ghost town even with recent improvements such as Discovery Green, new sports stadiums, etc (and the other neighborhoods are nothing to write home about either). Anyways what is exactly wrong with old architecture? Many European cities such as Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen have buildings that are over 300 years old and no one in their right mind would say that Houston is more vibrant than any of them, especially as far as pedestrian activity and vibrancy is concerned.

[chicagogeorge]

Originally Posted by DavePa

So the point is Chicago is going into a sewer to change its demographics to a wealthier more educated city core outward? Finally a stagnant population that for a few decades stayed put instead of moving to where Corporate expansion moved for lower taxes and generally wages too, in the sunbelt. For African-Americans. It is a reverse migration to where their Grand-Parents came. 50s 60s. Greg demographic changing them eras especially.

The stagnation is staying put (especially if young). Not moving to the jobs for your level of job skills. Stagnation comes in far more negative forms then just claiming it as a negative term for population losses or very low overall growth.

It's better any group move to the jobs. You just can't to China sooooo many went.

I never said that we are going into a sewer. We have to face reality though. There is a problem here. Economic/political forces are making us bleed out people like no other state. We can't sugar coat this. That needs to change. We don't have to be losing that many people to domestic out migration. Yes, the Sun Belt will continue to syphon off residents from Midwest/East. Why on earth would I want to spend my retirement here if I pay 5+ times more in property taxes (and have to be indoors for 4 months)?



http://www.businessinsider.com/us-me...ion-map-2016-5



We are still a draw from international migrants. Let's try and maintain that. Other metros are catching up with us


Top Immigrant Origins by Metropolitan Statistical Area | migrationpolicy.org

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by urbanchillage

Don't forget that Houston also dwarfs Chicago in Cancer rates. So there's that. The CDC doesn't call it the East Texas 'Cancer Belt' for nothing

Uh, Houston is not in East Texas. It's on the Gulf Coast. East Texas is more of the heavily forested area northeast of Houston. Tyler-Lufkin-Nacogdoches is the anchor of population in that region.

Originally Posted by urbanchillage

It's been known that the East side of Houston has real problems with high lung Cancer rates

East Houston is analogous to the heavy industry of Gary and the Indiana suburbs (and the neighboring Chicago Southside). I was surprised to see the Citgo refinery so close to the Western suburbs though.

Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock

I think Houston is just a much more attractive looking city than Chicago. In Houston, like most large Texas cities, everything looks so brand spanking new that it sparkles, especially under a clear blue Texas sky. Houston looks and feels young and vibrant and healthy and exciting and hopeful. Kinda the way a person feels when they graduate high school, like you got your whole future ahead of you. Houston with its youthful energy and vibrancy feels like it's where the future of America is. It has the attitude that anything is possible and the sky is the limit. Chicago, on the other hand, looks and feels like a much older town than Houston. It's old and cold and gritty and grey and looks like it's been run thru the ringer. Some people find beauty in the bleakness. Maybe thats why so much blues comes out of Chicago.. For myself, I favor newness to oldness.

I made my first winter visit to Chicago around Thanksgiving. I ended up sampling how horrible Chicago is during the winter. I kept relishing memories of my summer visits the whole time. The kicker was the traffic computer wrapped in a picture of the Naperville quarry on a summer afternoon along Chicago Ave near Downtown Naperville. It made my day and depressed me a little bit at the same time. I hated having to put on gloves, scarf, toque, and earmuffs just to fetch forgotten items back in my car. Going home, when the plane landed at Bush, I was relieved to see (sadly, brown) grass again instead of the snow covered Chicago that I left a couple hours earlier.

Originally Posted by beasley106

I have never seen the words "Houston" and "vibrant" mentioned in the same sentence before. Compared to Chicago which has numerous nodes of activity that are bursting with people most of the day such as Lincoln Park, Houston's downtown area pretty much is a ghost town even with recent improvements such as Discovery Green, new sports stadiums, etc (and the other neighborhoods are nothing to write home about either). Anyways what is exactly wrong with old architecture? Many European cities such as Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen have buildings that are over 300 years old and no one in their right mind would say that Houston is more vibrant than any of them, especially as far as pedestrian activity and vibrancy is concerned.

It's a little hypocritical to complain about sprawl when Chicagoland is further out than Houston!

After having the horrible experience of shopping in dirty, cramped, and dated Jewel's in Aurora and Hoffman Estates, I was missing the clean, spacious, modern Kroger back in Houston. The food is much fresher and cheaper in Houston's Kroger than in Chicago's Jewel. I can understand the hype about H-E-B here in Texas, but what is all the hype about Jewel's? Mariano's is a joke as in Whole Foods-lite by Roundy's/Kroger. I went to the former Dominick's in Aurora and was stunned that the deli sandwiches were $10.95. Randalls would have sold a similar sandwich for $6.95 and I thought that was expensive!

I was impressed with the State Street Macy's and the stunning Loop and Near Northside skyline, but the absurd 10% tourist tax was abusive. I ended up looking at the malls in the suburbs after relatives in the city confessed that they don't shop there and realized that Woodfield was so popular for being the closest indoor suburban mall to the city and stunned that Old Orchard and Oak Brook were outdoor malls in this horrible climate.

The Art Institute was so horrible to charge $1 per item for the coat check on top of the expensive admission in this weather. Couldn't believe I spent $33 to park in the nearby Grant Park South garage on a snowy, Sunday afternoon but that beat ruining my shoes and soaking my socks taking public transport. I also caught a cough and runny/stuffy nose from the weather and I was penalized for being sick with the 1.75% sales tax. Darn, predatory Yankee business practices!

I rented a car and couldn't afford the CTA passes and ended up going to St. John Cantius instead of visiting the Catholic and Episcopal Cathedrals. I was impressed with the Tridentine Mass offered there. The masses in Houston are lightly attended and/or poorly timed and located. I wish Houston could carry out a service as nice as the one in Chicago.