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I grew up in Houston, attended Woodrow Wilson, Lanier and Lamar. I was also was transferred to Galveston, San Antonio, Beaumont, Waco and a couple other places in other states. I never understood the common wisdom that Dallas was uppity.
Until we were moved there. Dallas gets my vote hands down. They know how to run a city. And there's the deal. All the suburbs around are Dallas are also incorporated cities.
Unlike Harris county, if you are not in an incorporated city you have to rely on HOA and MUDs for any city services like trash pick up and law enforcement.
The communities in and around Dallas know how to run a town. That leaves the residents free to pursue wherever their interest leads them. Unlike the greater Houston area where tires are stolen from vehicles so frequently it appears the thieves have regular route. And the robbery is so frequently the LEOs won't even bother taking fingerprints.
Then when a disaster hits, the rest of Texas doesn't know how to deal with disaster management. Sadly Houston already had so much practice when the Winter Storm hit. Biden and AOC only visited Houston because their presence won't disrupt recovery operations. The rest of Texas was still finding their bearings at the time!
Also Houston's homelessness reduction program under Mayor Parker has saved Houston from the massive disaster that Austin, L.A. and S.F. have been experiencing. Austin's problem ruined the rest of Texas with the new state law criminalizing homelessness, instead of humanely managing it as we did in Houston.
I grew up in Houston, attended Woodrow Wilson, Lanier and Lamar. I was also was transferred to Galveston, San Antonio, Beaumont, Waco and a couple other places in other states. I never understood the common wisdom that Dallas was uppity.
Until we were moved there. Dallas gets my vote hands down. They know how to run a city. And there's the deal. All the suburbs around are Dallas are also incorporated cities.
Unlike Harris county, if you are not in an incorporated city you have to rely on HOA and MUDs for any city services like trash pick up and law enforcement.
The communities in and around Dallas know how to run a town. That leaves the residents free to pursue wherever their interest leads them. Unlike the greater Houston area where tires are stolen from vehicles so frequently it appears the thieves have regular route. And the robbery is so frequently the LEOs won't even bother taking fingerprints.
From the Native Dallasites I know, Houston opened their mind that there is a world outside of the U.S. The oil industry has brought so many people from all over the world which turned Houston into the Most Diverse City in the U.S. (much like Toronto).
Dallas is classic inland Middle America with a Southern U.S. twist. The religious bigotry coming from the dominant Evangelical Southern Baptist culture is mindboggling in 21st century America.
Robert Jeffress, current pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas, continues the tradition of bigotry from his predecessors. A decade ago, he gave a sermon declaring that Catholicism is a Babylonian pagan cult founded by Satan. Meanwhile back in 1960:
The vortex of bigotry seemed to expand despite Kennedy’s forthright address. Historian Shaun A. Casey called it “one of the last pan-Protestant moments,” a unified crusade against Catholics and liberals led by right-wing Protestant organizations like the National Evangelical Association. Activists urged ministers to deliver anti-Catholic sermons on October 30, Reformation Sunday. Two hundred thousand copies of an anti-Kennedy sermon by W.A. Criswell, the square-jawed doyen of Dallas’ First Baptist Church, spread around the country. These ministers were doing exactly what Kennedy vowed he would not: transforming religious pulpits into political stumps.
The conservative business community subsidized the spiritual animus. Dallas insurance magnate Carr P. Collins purchased hours of radio airtime to stir anti-Catholic sentiments. H. L. Hunt, a Texas oil tycoon and eccentric conspiracy theorist, funded the distribution of Criswell’s sermon. Even Christianity Today, a mainstream Protestant periodical underwritten by right-wing businessmen, implied that voting for Kennedy betrayed Protestant values.
Also Hunt is well known in both cities as the founder of the Hunt Oil Company.
I love them both for different reasons. I'm from another southern state and I love the southern charm that Houston has while still being a more international and cosmopolitan city. It's diverse and really seems to embrace its diversity. People seem friendlier in Houston and more welcoming.
Not counting all the above, I like DFW better. More diverse economy. It's easier on the eyes. I actually like Houston's crazy no zoning. That isn't what makes it ugly to me. It's the flatness of it and number of stripmalls. No zoning actually makes it unique. I like popping up on random things that don't seem to belong. Found a cool gyro place by mistake located in a place that made no sense, lol. I also seen people convert homes to businesses which I thought was very cool. That freedom of hanging a shingle anywhere and starting a business is actually beneficial to the underdog. I like the fact that strict zoning laws can't price people out from competing.
DFW also because its airport is my favorite airport in the country. Galveston beach is horrible so Houston gets no extra points from me for that. If money were no option, I'd rather be an urbanite in Houston's inner loop. If i had to stay in the burbs or away from a city center I'd choose DFW. I'm in Dallas now for the money.
I love them both for different reasons. I'm from another southern state and I love the southern charm that Houston has while still being a more international and cosmopolitan city. It's diverse and really seems to embrace its diversity. People seem friendlier in Houston and more welcoming.
Not counting all the above, I like DFW better. More diverse economy.
Actually the one thing DFW corporations have in common is that they took Corporate Socialist handouts to relocate to Texas. Typical companies who take these welfare payments are "Cash Cows" transitioning into "Dogs" according to the BCG matrix. Not a sustainable method of economic growth since it's easy to copy, and it kills entrepreneurship.
But I'm really concerned about the Religious Right trampling on the First Amendment. Dallas is the epicenter of the Evangelical Taliban. Lakewood Church of Houston--the biggest megachurch in America--is often derided for the Prosperity Gospel, but 3 Baptist megachurches in DFW are definite Christian Nationalist--now Trumpist--outfits.
They talk about putting prayer back in school, but end up complaining when non-Christians exercise their First Amendment rights. The prayer room in a suburban Dallas high school prompted lots of complaints.
Baskin said prayer rooms in schools are acceptable and legal under the First Amendment. Schools can also give students time to pray, whether it’s during free time or a lunch period. They can give students passes to leave class to pray or leave campus for religious education.
“It’s a concept that courts have looked at for many years,” Baskin said. “It’s called 'release time,' and it’s the idea that in order to follow a tenet of faith, the student is briefly excused. It’s an opportunity to have an excused absence in order to follow a tenet of faith.”
The OP of this thread is from Canada and Southern U.S. Evangelical cultural domination barely registers there. Like Europe, politicians in Canada don't use religious tropes for political posturing. Most people from other developed countries find America's peculiar religious intermixture into politics weird and in some situations, unsettling.
Both are about 90% similar. After having done some research and reading numerous online threads (including the ones on here) and watching Youtube videos, I've concluded that more people prefer Dallas-Fort Worth over Houston but only for a couple of reasons - Houston's oppressive humidity is a major drawback for many people. DFW also has relatively more domestic immigration numbers whereas Houston has more international immigration numbers. Dallas IMHO is just more of a well-rounded city with more diverse economy compared to Houston, which largely relies on G&O and healthcare sector.
*Pros of Houston:
- world-class ethnic diversity.
- friendliness and Southern hospitality.
- closer to the beach and New Orleans.
- relatively greener and lush.
- better surface road conditions with wider lanes.
- better museums
- better access to seafood and Cajun/Creole food
- not as socio-economically/ethnically segregated as Dallas
- The Woodlands, TX
- has a character and more pride - it's known as Space City, Magnolia City, Clutch City, Energy Capital of the World, etc.
- outstanding healthcare options with its well-known, gigantic Texas Medical Center.
*Cons of Houston:
- higher crime rates
- lack of zoning
- insanely high humidity
- dangerously prone to hurricanes and flooding
- just not as aesthetic as Dallas due to its absence of zoning law
- everything tends to be more widespread thus requiring longer travel distance
- topography is flat as pancake as you'd expect from places closer to the Gulf
- horrendous traffic
*Pros of Dallas
- relatively better shopping experience
- almost similar level of diversity to Houston, but with more Japanese, Korean and South Asians (Indians and Nepali)
- slightly better public transportation with their DART commuter rail system (and it's getting better)
- still a sprawling mega-city, but everything is closer to where you live, especially in the burbs.
- better and cleaner suburbs to raise your kids in.
- more diversity in economy other than energy and healthcare
- not as humid as cities in the Gulf region
- close to another big US city = Fort Worth
- better airport for domestic flights for cheaper prices
- closer to the mountains in Oklahoma/Arkansas
- more pronounced 4 seasons compared to Houston (i.e. leaves changing colors and occasional snow in winter)
- looks more orderly and cleaner overall due to everything being strictly zoned.
- better traffic (still horrible, just not as bad as Houston)
*Cons of Dallas
- prone to flooding AND hailstorms PLUS tornadoes, but flooding is nowhere as bad as Houston and tornadoes rarely happen
- homes tend to closely sit next to each other and you get smaller front yards (same thing in Houston but it's more noticeable in the Dallas burbs)
- lack of greenery compared to Houston.
- crappy, bumpy surface road conditions with smaller lanes on highways
- you get way more of that generic, boring, conservative vibe from DFW that's hard to explain versus Houston.
I think this was fair. I think corona virus will change things a little bit for the foeseesble future.
I'm also hopeful that Houston's economy will be realized beyond O&G (G&O as you put it), especially now stepping in to the tech industry. I think Amazon's elimination list was a painful lesson for Houston.
Actually the one thing DFW corporations have in common is that they took Corporate Socialist handouts to relocate to Texas. Typical companies who take these welfare payments are "Cash Cows" transitioning into "Dogs" according to the BCG matrix. Not a sustainable method of economic growth since it's easy to copy, and it kills entrepreneurship.
But I'm really concerned about the Religious Right trampling on the First Amendment. Dallas is the epicenter of the Evangelical Taliban. Lakewood Church of Houston--the biggest megachurch in America--is often derided for the Prosperity Gospel, but 3 Baptist megachurches in DFW are definite Christian Nationalist--now Trumpist--outfits.
They talk about putting prayer back in school, but end up complaining when non-Christians exercise their First Amendment rights. The prayer room in a suburban Dallas high school prompted lots of complaints.
The OP of this thread is from Canada and Southern U.S. Evangelical cultural domination barely registers there. Like Europe, politicians in Canada don't use religious tropes for political posturing. Most people from other developed countries find America's peculiar religious intermixture into politics weird and in some situations, unsettling.
The first time we were transferred to Dallas the first question I was asked at a neighborhood block party was when was I saved.
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-Dallas seems to be more politically active for whatever reason on both sides. The liberals I know in Dallas more liberal and the conservatives I know there are more conservative than in Houston. Both are more vocal as well. Houston is much more libertarian in nature where as Dallas is more liberal and conservative.
-I never appreciated DFW airport enough. Its so much more user friendly than Bush is. DFW also served about 30 more destinations than Bush does. Bush does have more international carriers but that isnt enough to make up the difference for me.
-The way each city views the other is different. People in Houston view Dallas a city with only white people and people in Dallas view Houston as a strictly blue collar city. The stereotypes are worn and tired.
-When people in Dallas complain about Houston, they mainly seem to complain about the humidity and ugliness of the industrial side of the city but I never heard people in Dallas complain about the people. When people in Houston complain about Dallas, they only seem to complain about the people. This makes me quite annoyed with Houstonians who do that.
-People in Houston are more wound up about the rivalry of the cities than people in Dallas. Especially when it comes to sports.
-People in Houston place a greater emphasis on their culinary and fine arts scene. People in Dallas place a greater emphasis on shopping and nightlife.
-Dallas has a far more consumerist mindset. People in Houston are far more laid back.
-Going out in Dallas (at least for the scene I like) was much more of a chore but a lot more intense too. We would have to get dolled up just to go to a bar, but people tended to stay out later too. In Houston, people are cool with throwing on a pair of jeans to go anywhere.
-I never considered Dallas a hilly city, but I find myself missing what hills there were. The rolling prairie had a beauty to it that I didnt quite appreciate. Now that I live in a city that is truly flat, I miss that. That said, I could totally see myself missing the greenery in Houston if I left here.
-Both cities are more religious than your average city (Dallas ever so slightly moreso), but I never once in either city had anyone ask me about my beliefs, where I went to church, or anything else on topic. I never understood the need to paint either place as overly religious. Agnostics like myself can exist either place and never have to be caught up in religious culture.
-Both Dallas and Houston have a massive number of immigrants but the flavor and feel Houston is certainly more international. Ive always said "Dallas is an American city with international residents, Houston is an international city with international residents".
-Fort Worth is the unsung hero of the Metroplex. What I did enjoy about living in Dallas was being able to go to Fort Worth and get a completely different flavor. Dallas and Fort Worth truly complement each other very well despite the rivalry. Part of the selling point of living in Dallas was Fort Worth. Houston really doesnt have an equivalent. Ive heard the arguement made for Galveston but its simply not the same. Its further and is more culturally isolated from Houston. The two just dont interact as much.
-I miss being able to drive to the foothills of the Ozarks which was only 3-3.5 hours from Dallas. That said, there are things Id miss about Houston's proximity too. I like being able to go the beaches in South Texas or drive to New Orleans and that was a plane trip from Dallas.
-Im not gay but my wife and I love going to gay clubs. The gay scene in Dallas is HUGE. Houston has nothing that comes close to Dallas on the level of gay nightlife.
So based on all of this, do I have a preference? I do have a slight preference for Houston for two reasons:
1) the people are genuinely more laid back
2) the culinary scene is objectively better. There are some aspects of the food scene that are better in Dallas (the Korean and Japanese food leap to mind), but overall Houston does win out there.
That said, if I need to move back to Dallas, I wouldnt shy away from it at all. I enjoyed my years there and wouldnt be opposed to spending more time there.
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), especially now stepping in to the tech industry. I think Amazon's elimination list was a painful lesson for Houston.
