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Honestly I think Houston is decieiving, probably because of the spread and multi skylines - to many I think it diminishes the wow factor; why it appears less large than the stats would bear. And yes I have been many times but this is why it is deceiving in appearance relative to stats
I guess that makes sense... but that one angle posted by Danny gives you a clear view of what Houston's skyline actually is.
Houston would already look like a smaller NYC & Chicago if all of its buildings where clustered together or in a linear line along a water front like Chicago's.
Don't even mention Miami or San Francisco...Houston has MUCH taller buildings & more of them. Miami's skyline is linearly aligned along an ocean front so it appears larger than it really is.
You know Miami can hold it's own against Houston:
Buildings over 500 ft. :
Houston : 31
Miami : 27
Buildings over 400 ft. :
Houston : 20
Miami : 30
Miami may not have a 1000 footer yet but one is already approved and all of it's buildings don't hug the Biscayne Bay either. Realize that Miami is only 35 Square miles compared to Houston's 539 Sq. miles and Miami's population is only around 430,000 to Houston's 2.2 million!
Downtown/Brickell skyline in the foreground & Miami Beach's skyline in the distance:
all pics by QuantumPX
I don't think Houston is anywhere near close to being on Chicago's or NYC's level.
How can Houston have 31buildings above 500ft and only 20 over 400ft??
are the ones above 500ft somehow not taller than 400ft???
I was in Miami last month and I do admit that Miami's skyline looks way more impressive than it did before tho.
Still not sure if it has caught up to Houston yet. I dunno if you can find more updated info. Emporis lists the cities as follows:
Houston:
Hi Rise: 415
Low Rise: 2648
Total Buildings: 3465
Total Height of top 5 buildings: 4437
Miami:
Hi Rise: 307
Low Rise: 1028
Total Buildings: 1375
Total Height of top 5: 3591
I would appreciate more update numbers. Emporis is filled with errors.
I know things change quickly. When the Chase Tower was built in Houston it was the 6th tallest building in the US. Only Aon Chicago, John Hancock, Sears, Chrysler and Empire State were taller.
'Which skyline is most deceiving? and 'which skyline is overrated?' are two different things.
Most deceiving? DTLA and Boston (makes them look smaller) and Chicago (make it look bigger, which is impressive, since the metro area is pushing 10 million people) and Miami.
The title of the thread is the most deceiving skylines but then the poll is which has the most overrated? This doesn't always go hand and hand with each other.
I don't think Houston has the most overrated but I do think it has the most deceiving. People don't really get the gist of how enormous the Houston skyline really is and it's mainly because of their city block layout and the location of the tallest buildings. 50 story buildings are hidden inside of the skyline, and almost every angle that you can view Houston's skyline from, you still can't find every building. This gives Houston the title of most underrated and most deceiving. Now in no way does it compare to NYC or Chicago, but it should receive a lot more credit when compared to cities like Philadelphia, which is the most overrated skyline on this site.
There are several good skylines in relation to population (city proper, NOT metro area):
-Chicago has a population of just under three million but the skyline seems fit for a city of 4.5 million or more
-Des Moines has just under 200,000 people but has the skyline of a 350,000 city
-Minneapolis has 350,000 but has a 550,000 skyline
-Pittsburgh has 330,000 but has a 550,000 skyline as well
-Richmond has just under 200,000 but has a 300,000 skyline
-Honolulu has just under 400,000 but has a 700,000 skyline
-Midland, TX has 100,000 but has the skyline of a 200,000 city
But there are also several disappointments:
-Los Angeles has 3.8 million but has the skyline of a city of maybe 1 million (and that's being generous)
-Jacksonville has 800,000 but has a 400,000 skyline
-Albuquerque has 400,000 and a 200,000 skyline
But IMO the most disappointing skyline in the US in relation to size is Phoenix. It has 1.5 million people but, judging by its skyline, you would think it has about 250,000.
Jacksonville's skyline looks more like a 250,000 to me.
I also think Seattle's skyline looks more like a city with closer to a million than one with 600,000
The title of the thread is the most deceiving skylines but then the poll is which has the most overrated? This doesn't always go hand and hand with each other.
I don't think Houston has the most overrated but I do think it has the most deceiving. People don't really get the gist of how enormous the Houston skyline really is and it's mainly because of their city block layout and the location of the tallest buildings. 50 story buildings are hidden inside of the skyline, and almost every angle that you can view Houston's skyline from, you still can't find every building. This gives Houston the title of most underrated and most deceiving. Now in no way does it compare to NYC or Chicago, but it should receive a lot more credit when compared to cities like Philadelphia, which is the most overrated skyline on this site.
I agree about Houston. Really hard to see the other buildings unless you are in downtown or drive on every freeway. Philly is not overrated on this site, quite the opposite by many posters.
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