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I understand the earlier points about Houston's generic suburbs. However, I still marvel at the sheer scale of Houston. When realtors in Houston talk about "older" areas (from a long time ago, etc), they're referring to subdivisions built up in the early 2000s.
Also, it's the only place I know where people talk lovingly about their new interstate (99) and how brand-new everything is along it.
The master-planned communities are getting more elaborate by the day. Bridgeland consists of a main road which goes for miles alongside a man-made pond and huge open green space. This one development is some 20 square miles. To the extent that I am appalled by the architecture and sameness, I am equally as impressed at the sheer audacity and determination of capitalism itself.
For this reason I remain intrigued by Houston like no other place, although I probably wouldn't want to live there since I dislike traffic.
There's an I-99 in Houston?
What Texas Congresscritter got that one authorized?
The original I-99 runs through west-central Pennsylvania from the Turnpike north into New York State, where it ends at I-88. The Congressman who represented the district it runs through for several decades, Bud Shuster, pushed legislation through to give upgraded US 220, which serves his hometown of Altoona and State College, this designation even though it's out of order in the Interstate numbering scheme and neither Altoona nor State College have even 40,000, let alone 50,000, residents.
What Texas Congresscritter got that one authorized?
The original I-99 runs through west-central Pennsylvania from the Turnpike north into New York State, where it ends at I-88. The Congressman who represented the district it runs through for several decades, Bud Shuster, pushed legislation through to give upgraded US 220, which serves his hometown of Altoona and State College, this designation even though it's out of order in the Interstate numbering scheme and neither Altoona nor State College have even 40,000, let alone 50,000, residents.
Or is it a state highway?
In fairness on that one, there is an absolutely massive state university there so the population numbers, which exclude the students, are not reflected. As someone who attended said university prior to that highway being completed, getting into town was typically a train wreck of an experience.
In fairness on that one, there is an absolutely massive state university there so the population numbers, which exclude the students, are not reflected. As someone who attended said university prior to that highway being completed, getting into town was typically a train wreck of an experience.
Just looked it up. It's a state highway, built to freeway standards. It's called the "Grand Parkway," and it's Houston's outermost loop highway (there are two more loops further in: Beltway 8 (the Sam Houston Parkway)/Sam Houston Tollway and I-610, aka Loop 610 or the Inner Loop). Highway 99 is incomplete as of now; its southern section has yet to be built.
My big takeaway from my one visit to Houston so far — for a family reunion in 2019 — was that it was Texas' answer to Los Angeles, right down to the palm trees, a suburb named Pasadena and freeways full of Mario Andretti wannabes all doing 70 in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I had to dust off my slalom driving skills to make it from Bush Intercontinental Airport to the hotel I was staying in in League City, especially as i found myself in the left lane of US 59 approaching Loop 610, and the off-ramp I needed to take was about 1/4 mile away and four lanes over.
I did, however, thank the Texas Department of Transportation for its practice of building frontage roads on just about every freeway in the Houston area (and much of the rest of the state), for those allowed me to avoid a huge 2-mile backup on I-45 southbound caused by two of those Andretti wannabes getting into a spectacular wreck.
Pasadena, TX, is neither as glamorous nor as affluent as Pasadena, CA, however. Also, the southern Houston suburbs are not as affluent as the northern ones, or at least not the ones you encounter along I-45 headed towards Galveston. League City, where the hotel was located, actually had a town center worthy of the name, though I thought the main road through it excessively wide. (And it appears that it too attracted Andretti wannabes; on Saturday evening, I encountered a wrecked car facing east in the westbound lanes of the road as I crossed it to get to the Randalls supermarket on the other side. The hotel was located in a rather nice 1980s office park, and it had a pool with a swim-up bar.
The friendliness of Houstonians, and the ease with which the various ethnic and racial groups mixed, left a very strong and positive impression on me. I definitely want to visit again, but I would never live there given its drive-everywhere nature.
Just looked it up. It's a state highway, built to freeway standards. It's called the "Grand Parkway," and it's Houston's outermost loop highway (there are two more loops further in: Beltway 8 (the Sam Houston Parkway)/Sam Houston Tollway and I-610, aka Loop 610 or the Inner Loop). Highway 99 is incomplete as of now; its southern section has yet to be built.
My big takeaway from my one visit to Houston so far — for a family reunion in 2019 — was that it was Texas' answer to Los Angeles, right down to the palm trees, a suburb named Pasadena and freeways full of Mario Andretti wannabes all doing 70 in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I had to dust off my slalom driving skills to make it from Bush Intercontinental Airport to the hotel I was staying in in League City, especially as i found myself in the left lane of US 59 approaching Loop 610, and the off-ramp I needed to take was about 1/4 mile away and four lanes over.
I did, however, thank the Texas Department of Transportation for its practice of building frontage roads on just about every freeway in the Houston area (and much of the rest of the state), for those allowed me to avoid a huge 2-mile backup on I-45 southbound caused by two of those Andretti wannabes getting into a spectacular wreck.
Pasadena, TX, is neither as glamorous nor as affluent as Pasadena, CA, however. Also, the southern Houston suburbs are not as affluent as the northern ones, or at least not the ones you encounter along I-45 headed towards Galveston. League City, where the hotel was located, actually had a town center worthy of the name, though I thought the main road through it excessively wide. (And it appears that it too attracted Andretti wannabes; on Saturday evening, I encountered a wrecked car facing east in the westbound lanes of the road as I crossed it to get to the Randalls supermarket on the other side. The hotel was located in a rather nice 1980s office park, and it had a pool with a swim-up bar.
The friendliness of Houstonians, and the ease with which the various ethnic and racial groups mixed, left a very strong and positive impression on me. I definitely want to visit again, but I would never live there given its drive-everywhere nature.
I actually meant the PA I-99 (Penn State). I have no idea about Houston highways, ha, though the handful of times I've been there I find the entire area fascinating as it's such an odd hodgepodge that you just don't see elsewhere.
I actually meant the PA I-99 (Penn State). I have no idea about Houston highways, ha, though the handful of times I've been there I find the entire area fascinating as it's such an odd hodgepodge that you just don't see elsewhere.
The post I had responded to initially contained this passage:
Quote:
I understand the earlier points about Houston's generic suburbs. However, I still marvel at the sheer scale of Houston. When realtors in Houston talk about "older" areas (from a long time ago, etc), they're referring to subdivisions built up in the early 2000s.
Also, it's the only place I know where people talk lovingly about their new interstate (99) and how brand-new everything is along it.
The master-planned communities are getting more elaborate by the day. Bridgeland consists of a main road which goes for miles alongside a man-made pond and huge open green space. This one development is some 20 square miles. To the extent that I am appalled by the architecture and sameness, I am equally as impressed at the sheer audacity and determination of capitalism itself.
For this reason I remain intrigued by Houston like no other place, although I probably wouldn't want to live there since I dislike traffic.
The "it" is Houston, and he calls "99" an "interstate".
Looks like I followed up the wrong post with my "There's an I-99 in Houston?" comment. It was this one I was working to correct. Had the poster called it a "freeway", there would have been no confusion. BTW, "freeway" doesn't mean "free of tolls"; part of this beltway also has tolls. It means "free of at-grade crossings or uncontrolled access points (such as driveways)."
Just curious, outside of The Woodlands. What suburb do you feel is truly spectacular?
Sugar Land/Katy.
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