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I am not trying to bash Houston in ANY way. I am aware of Houston's strengths and potentials. I know it is a booming metropolitan region, I know its got big business with oil and energy, I know it has Johnson Space Center, I know it has a great theatre district, I know it has tons of shopping malls (some are fine as hell), and I know it has some VERY wealthy neighborhoods....I KNOW. But come on, FOURTH place? I feel like San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Boston deserve that spot a bit more than Houston does.
EXACTLY. Everything you just said merits it 4th place. Ok maybe not, I think SF should go at 4th. But there is just as much underestimating Houston as there is overrating it. People just tend to notice the overrating then they do underrating.
Furthermore, if San Francisco metro, Boston metro, and Philadelphia metro think they are that much better than metro Houston than you guys are sadly mistaken. I think Houston will fare quite well againist any of those metros.
Surprise surprise another Houston basher. City pop obviously matters to the census bureau, which is why they ranked us so. I know it hurts to think that Philly will never catch up in terms of city pop in this lifetime, and that you have the need to take solace in your surrounding cities and counties to help you feel better. We understand.
God this forum.....
Philadelphia has more structural density then Houston will ever have. Period. Population really doesn't mean as much as you think it does. It depends on different factors, and having a large population doesn't mean you are as big as a city as you think. Look at Jacksonville. It is HUGE right? It is roughly 950,000 people. However, it feels as urban as some suburbs as Pittsburgh. Why? Because their land area is 900 sq miles, and it is stretched over that area. If you made the city of Pittsburgh 900 freakin square miles it would be over 1,500,000 people. Population density and metro population is more important in seeing how big a city really is. That is the size of your city divided by the amount of people. (I know I got to explain it like a fourth grade teacher, but most on this forum seem like they are still waiting to graduate middle school).
BTW, Philadelphia has more than TWICE the population density of Houston.
Philadelphia has more structural density then Houston will ever have. Period. Population really doesn't mean as much as you think it does. It depends on different factors, and having a large population doesn't mean you are as big as a city as you think. Look at Jacksonville. It is HUGE right? It is roughly 950,000 people. However, it feels as urban as some suburbs as Pittsburgh. Why? Because their land area is 900 sq miles, and it is stretched over that area. If you made the city of Pittsburgh 900 freakin square miles it would be over 1,500,000 people. Population density and metro population is more important in seeing how big a city really is. That is the size of your city divided by the amount of people. (I know I got to explain it like a fourth grade teacher, but most on this forum seem like they are still waiting to graduate middle school).
So what? And Manhattan has population density of 70k/sq. mile while Philadelphia only has 10k/sq. mile. By this reckoning, Philadelphia is a tier four or tier five city in comparison. Same as Pittsburgh. Same as Boston. Same as San Francisco. Population density is only good for measuring population density. It's useless when measuring amenities, goods, services or just about anything else. Pure population is good for that. Where there are people, there are things for those people to do. Get over the fact that Houston doesn't have a ton of things for tourists to do. It's got plenty of those things to do during an average day for those people who comprise the average resident. Want to be a tourist? Fine, go to Philadelphia or Boston. Want a place to live? Come to Houston.
^Population Density measures how many of those amenities are located in a central location for the cities population. Population density also decribes how URBAN and CITY LIKE the city is.
You are describing living in a suburb. That is fine. I realize many people like that lifesyle. I am not bashing Houston. I am pointing out that when people come on here to say that Houston is a bigger city then Philadelphia, that it really isn't. Philadelphia has more than twice the population density, and is much much more urban.
What are you talking about plenty to do for the average resident also? I am just curious. Do you mean like grocery shopping? Going to a library? Walk in the park? Bike ride on a trail? Sitting in traffic? Going to a theater? Going out to eat? What?
I do all those things, besides sitting in traffic everyday within my own neighborhood without a car. I am just curious.
Also, what is up with this "Tier" talk. Like Pssshhh, Boston is only a 4th tier city. Boston is only America's coolest, most urban beautiful, historic city. What is up with the idea that you have to be sprawling out of control, have a booming population, and have traffic and stripmalls as far as the eye can see to be a "1st tier" city? I will never get this mentality.
Philadelphia has more structural density then Houston will ever have. Period. Population really doesn't mean as much as you think it does. It depends on different factors, and having a large population doesn't mean you are as big as a city as you think. Look at Jacksonville. It is HUGE right? It is roughly 950,000 people. However, it feels as urban as some suburbs as Pittsburgh. Why? Because their land area is 900 sq miles, and it is stretched over that area. If you made the city of Pittsburgh 900 freakin square miles it would be over 1,500,000 people. Population density and metro population is more important in seeing how big a city really is. That is the size of your city divided by the amount of people. (I know I got to explain it like a fourth grade teacher, but most on this forum seem like they are still waiting to graduate middle school).
BTW, Philadelphia has more than TWICE the population density of Houston.
All this talk about pop density making a city "bigger" is pure subjective interpretation, and strikes me as nothing more than an attempt to psychologically compensate for the lack of overall population due to concentrated urbanization. Sure a city like San Francisco may "feel" more urban with 800K bodies packed in a 30 sq mile area, but Houston is still the bigger city de jure, whether its 2.2 million residents were spread out or all packed inside the 100-150 sq mile inner loop area. It's almost like saying that a half-gallon jug of water contains more liquid than a gallon of water in the bath tub.
^Population Density measures how many of those amenities are located in a central location for the cities population. Population density also decribes how URBAN and CITY LIKE the city is.
You are describing living in a suburb. That is fine. I realize many people like that lifesyle. I am not bashing Houston. I am pointing out that when people come on here to say that Houston is a bigger city then Philadelphia, that it really isn't. Philadelphia has more than twice the population density, and is much much more urban.
What are you talking about plenty to do for the average resident also? I am just curious. Do you mean like grocery shopping? Going to a library? Walk in the park? Bike ride on a trail? Sitting in traffic? Going to a theater? Going out to eat? What?
I do all those things, besides sitting in traffic everyday within my own neighborhood without a car. I am just curious.
I do too. In my neighborhood (City-Data population density on par with Philadelphia's population density - 77006, by the way) everything I need is within easy walking distance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Awesomo.2000
Also, what is up with this "Tier" talk. Like Pssshhh, Boston is only a 4th tier city. Boston is only America's coolest, most urban beautiful, historic city. What is up with the idea that you have to be sprawling out of control, have a booming population, and have traffic and stripmalls as far as the eye can see to be a "1st tier" city? I will never get this mentality.
I never said that, strawman. The point I made was about the uselessness of comparing amenities of cities with population density as the benchmark. Are there neighborhoods flung far from the central city, too far away to have quick access to museums, theaters and regular street fesivals? Of course, but this is no different from any other city in the US, Boston, Philadelphia and New York included. I also haven't spoken ill about any of those cities. While I've yet to visit Boston, I know for a fact Philadelphia and New York and all the other top tier US cities are thoroughly enjoyable. They're beautiful cities and have tons of things to do if you're a tourist. On the other hand, Houston is not a city geared towards tourism. It doesn't register on anyone's radar as a place to go for things to see. When people come here, they do it for business or simply because they're passing through and filling time. Under these circumstances, and because the beauty inherent in this city is off the beaten path (ie. freeways) people get the wrong impression of the place and categorize it strictly off hearsay. You won't find Houston's soul on the Interstate. You won't find any city's soul on the Interstate, and if that's where you look for it, that's your own fault, and indicates an inability to travel knowledgeably.
All this talk about pop density making a city "bigger" is pure subjective interpretation, and strikes me as nothing more than an attempt to psychologically compensate for the lack of overall population due to concentrated urbanization. Sure a city like San Francisco may "feel" more urban with 800K bodies packed in a 30 sq mile area, but Houston is still the bigger city de jure, whether its 2.2 million residents were spread out or all packed inside the 100-150 sq mile inner loop area. It's almost like saying that a half-gallon jug of water contains more liquid than a gallon of water in the bath tub.
Amen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasTheKid
I do too. In my neighborhood (City-Data population density on par with Philadelphia's population density - 77006, by the way) everything I need is within easy walking distance.
I never said that, strawman. The point I made was about the uselessness of comparing amenities of cities with population density as the benchmark. Are there neighborhoods flung far from the central city, too far away to have quick access to museums, theaters and regular street fesivals? Of course, but this is no different from any other city in the US, Boston, Philadelphia and New York included. I also haven't spoken ill about any of those cities. While I've yet to visit Boston, I know for a fact Philadelphia and New York and all the other top tier US cities are thoroughly enjoyable. They're beautiful cities and have tons of things to do if you're a tourist. On the other hand, Houston is not a city geared towards tourism. It doesn't register on anyone's radar as a place to go for things to see. When people come here, they do it for business or simply because they're passing through and filling time. Under these circumstances, and because the beauty inherent in this city is off the beaten path (ie. freeways) people get the wrong impression of the place and categorize it strictly off hearsay. You won't find Houston's soul on the Interstate. You won't find any city's soul on the Interstate, and if that's where you look for it, that's your own fault, and indicates an inability to travel knowledgeably.
Hallelujah.
As an person of agnostic (non)faith, I'm feel myself tapping into those evangelical Houstonian roots today. (PS. It should be possible to rep a post multiple times.)
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(PS. It should be possible to rep a post multiple times.)
