Why didn't Houston develop more towards to Gulf? (Galveston, League City: apartment, new home)

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by Htown2013

It was growing in that direction. Think Friendswood, which is supposedly very nice. Then TWIA happened. It is still growing and developing but slower. Also Energy Cooridor in West Houston may explain the growth on the west side.

It's just my opinion, but I was not impressed at all by Friendswood when we looked for houses back in the Spring. We saw 2-3 huge, lovely homes out there, but quickly eliminated the area. It just didn't seem well developed to us. Not cohesive, no town center or new retail areas (aside from Baybrook, which is technically FW not Houston, I think). It seemed to lack any "vision". Contrast that with what the Woodlands has become, especially over the past 10-15 years. I'm sure some might disagree.

I think you are right about TWIA. It really must boil down to the flooding risks. If the County wants development, it's going to have to make it worthwhile to the developers to be there. I wonder if the County has any reservations, however, about really pushing for mainland development perhaps at the expense of the Island itself? OTOH, to some degree is seems like the Island has been going through a bit of a mini renaissance the past several years.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Back in the 60's, when Houston started to really take shape, Hurricane Carla hit, it was a CAT 5 hurricane. I used to work with this older guy who was a little boy at that time, and he told me he was able to fish off his porch in Pasadena. I told him he was exaggerating, but he insisted he was not. I forgot about our conversation, but about two weeks later, he brought in an old black and white photo his parents took of him, and their house, address and all, and it was flooded.

I suspect that had something to do with the future of the development of the area. Unlike the west coast, the Gulf Coast is always a target for some bad stuff, ask anyone who's been flooded in recent years, and these were nothing like the big CAT 5 storms that could hit.

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by HookTheBrotherUp

Unlike the west coast, the Gulf Coast is always a target for some bad stuff, ask anyone who's been flooded in recent years, and these were nothing like the big CAT 5 storms that could hit.

Yea if you look at the map Houston is the only major city near the Gulf Coast unless you include Tampa. I suspect if tourism had been a bigger part of the Metros economy when it was first developing then more development would have been near the coastal areas...

[Buildings Ar Us]

Thanks for the replys guys. I guess it's all a game of risk just like earthquakes and windy mountain brushfires.
Different environment challenges for different parts of the world. We are lucky to have Houston as it is now and finding a way to make it work.

I'v never been to New York but isn't Manhattan in a similar position of low elevation and in danger of raising sea levels?

[steeps]

I've already said in a Houston thread... That once the Hurricane happened that destroyed Galveston. Houston inland became the location for the major growth. After all Downtowns Houston is 50-miles from the Ocean shore and Galveston.

Galveston did re-build. But interior growth in Houston now became Dominate as investors feared to invest in Galveston and Houston TURNED ITS BACK ON THE COAST as it grew inland ..... Galveston rebuilt beaches as needed. The Gulf south of Houston was neglected in restoring the shore. Grey Waters from the Mississippi's Delta normal sentiment patterns altered. Helped to cause the waters to gray. All the Oil Rigs off shore Oil related industry and much in with housing though access to the shore did not help promote public use and more shore set aside as fully for public recreation. Not Houston Proper either...

The State too could have did more too. More being done is not going to reverse the turning of its back of Houston to the Coast as not part of the city..... The inlet far closer to Downtown Houston. Was more accepted.

I still maintain a Downtown Houston Across from Galveston.... could have been a similar Aspect as a Miami and Miami Beach... So much more Awesome.

HOUSTON AS A MORE CÔASTAL CITY WOULD HAVE BEEN AWESOME AND TO ALSO AS CHICAGO AND GALVESTON RESTORE AND ADD TO ITS SHORE AND ALSO DO NEW CÔASTLINE OF BEACHES, PARKS AND HARBORS.... FOR THE PUBLIC.....

I have complemented my Favorite city of Chicago I did call home a few years. How after its total destruction by its Great Fire. It wanted to EMBRACE ITS LAKESHORE. That it also lost much in the growth of the city in its earlier decades that began to pollute the Lake with basically having Industry and its River becoming a virtual Sewer..... Something had to be done as a major Cholera epidemic from its drinking water getting polluted by its river and other fun-off.

So engineers developed a means to reverse the Chicago River away from the Lake and Locks were also put in place to regulate the flow out of the Lake that at first became too great. That change is still in place.

The city of Chicago envisioned ad then developed Big plans to restore a Coastline in a new MAN-MADE NEW LAKESHORE of New Landfill and prevent industry from locating on the Shore. Then a long-term plan designed by Daniel Burnham. To create a Lakefront from new Lake-fill and create Public Park, and with Harbors and Beaches on the city's 26-miles of Coastline it re-created.... All the Green is Man-made public space.

Downtown Chicago and its North Shoreline
today and Skyline there....

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by cBach

If you look at the Houston metro area from a satellite, it's clear it stretches from downtown all the way to Galveston with a gap between Dickinson and 1764. So it's almost continuous all the way to Galveston.

The only other direction it stretches so far is to the north, from downtown all the way to Conroe with a gap between the Woodlands and Conroe.

Conroe is no "Galveston" (no beaches)

[cBach]

Originally Posted by Buildings Ar Us

Do you guys feel as if Houston's core was just slightly closer to the gulf, it would have more of a "Gulf Coast global city" identity and vibe? I dont feel like i'm close at all to the "coast" as a downtown resident.

Houston has the biggest port in the United States if im not mistaking. Bigger than Long Beach thats forsure.

The Metro makes more since as "Houston, Baytown, Galveston," not "Houston, Sugarland, The Woodlands".

Why create another inland sprawl metro design like Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix? We have the geographic advantage to be something unique and different. It's like if Los Angeles was centered in the high desert or coachella valley.

Downtown Los Angeles is 15 miles from the coast. That would be like having downtown Houston at 1765 and I-45. Basically west of Texas City. After the hurricane of 1900, investors wanted higher ground. Houston at 50 feet was more desirable. They decided to dredge out the Houston Ship Channel at great cost instead of settle for lower lying areas.

Galveston came back with a seawall but it was too little, too late. It would never become more than a tourist town from then on.

I think Houston has done a great job in the Clear Lake area, the greatest concentration of marinas and boats in the US. I mean this is impressive:

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.5460.../data=!3m1!1e3

Almost as impressive as the Lake Michigan photos steeps provided.

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by Buildings Ar Us

Do you guys feel as if Houston's core was just slightly closer to the gulf, it would have more of a "Gulf Coast global city" identity and vibe? I dont feel like i'm close at all to the "coast" as a downtown resident.

Houston has the biggest port in the United States if im not mistaking. Bigger than Long Beach thats forsure.

The Metro makes more since as "Houston, Baytown, Galveston," not "Houston, Sugarland, The Woodlands".

Why create another inland sprawl metro design like Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix? We have the geographic advantage to be something unique and different. It's like if Los Angeles was centered in the high desert or coachella valley.

Yes Houston has a huge port and the Turning Basin is actually inside the loop just about 3 or 4 miles east of where you live.

Houston develops according to market forces that have favored more inland development at least when it comes to commercial development. As we post there is a renaissance going on in the coastal areas along the Western shore of Galveston Bay and Galveston Island itself. With insurance rates and building cost what they are those areas are becoming more affluent since only wealthy residence can afford the cost of living directly on the water....

[Buildings Ar Us]

Wow i cant thank you enough Steeps (: thanks for sharing a valuable piece of history with us all. Along with everybody else who partcipated in this thread. I believe its important to know the history of where one lives. In our life times, we are only going to see a very small part of Houston's legacy as it continues to grow forever. When we die future generations are going to continue migrating here and deminstrating the Texas role model at being sucuess and prideful.

[Buildings Ar Us]

If it werent for the hurrcanes i wonder if Houston could have been competetive with the Bay Area. Think about it, we have the energy. That would attract the techy hipsters and alot of computer enginering start up. (Not my profession but just throwing out ideas).

I would start a new thread but one must read from the beginning to understand.