Metroplex part 2: HTW? (Houston, Fort Worth, Pasadena: sales, HOA, sales tax)

[DANNYY]

Other possibilities for a Metroplex are, Beaumont and Galveston.

Like many have stated earlier, Galveston wasn't incorporated for suburban reasons. It was a seaside town, it was the largest city in Texas, and often called "The New York of the South", but it was short lived, the Hurricane of 1900 completely destroyed Galveston. They never saw the storm coming, and overlooked it's strength, it came and destroyed everything. At this time, Houston was just a small town, far less smaller and less significant than Galveston.

After the Hurricane of 1900, Houston became a star, it grew at a rapid rate.
However, I don't see Galveston ever regaining it's momentum and becoming a major city again.
It's is now and always will be just a tourist spot. It's a terrible comparison to make but Galveston is to Houston as Malibu is to Los Angeles.

Anyways, if Houston's eastward expansion ever grew, it would find itself at Beaumont's doorstep, and the likelihood of them becoming a metroplex is quite possible. But for that Houston would need to expand upon it's eastern area's first. And that's going to take a while.

Katy, Sealy, Sugar Land (My home), Pearland, Missouri City, Stafford, Clear Lake, The Woodlands, Conroe, and even Pasadena are always going to remain suburbs. They can grow to any population they want, but they'll never become principal cities like the way Fort Worth is, because these cities lack the infrastructure of a principal city, they were designed to be a residence area with shopping, and parks and tourist sites.

Fort Worth even has it's own airport, Meacham International, and an airport shared with Dallas. Dallas-Fort Worth International.
It's own large CBD, and minor league sports teams that call the city home.

The only candidates for a Houston metroplex are Beaumont and Galveston (to a far lesser extent now). But that's only if Houston starts to expand rapidly eastward.

[SouthernBoy205]

Beaumont would be a candidate. Houston would be huge if Beaumont was to be added into the metro.

[dv1033]

Originally Posted by vertigo5110

Something that has kind of crossed my mind as of late.

Could the The Woodlands be Texas's next Fort Worth? That is, could it be the next suburb to metropolis story of Texas? It's already incorporated itself making ineligible for annexation by Houston. It also already has it's own little business area. I think I also read that it has upward of 92,000 residents.

Do any of my fellow Houstonians think that we may soon be called HTW or do you think The Woodlands will stay the size it is now...at least proportional to the rest of Houston?

Sugar Land/SW FT Bend County probably carries the most economic sway, Pasadena is probably a little higher or a little lower. The Houston Metro is setup differently than DFW in that the largest concentration of jobs is within the major city so that a Houston suburb can't really step up and challange Houston.

Interestingly, if NW Harris County and unincorporated areas became it's own city it would probably over time become the 2nd largest city in Texas. If that area consolidated, it would have no employment centers except for the HP business park, and would be 1 million plus commuter suburb.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by A&M Bulldawg

Beaumont would be a candidate. Houston would be huge if Beaumont was to be added into the metro.

That would be like Waco becoming part of DFW.

It wouldn't make Houston any bigger. It would just be greatly stretching the definition of a metropolitan area. If the goal is to get "big" then LA can just "add" San Diego and everything in between, and NYC can do the same with Boston and Philadelphia.

[SouthernBoy205]

True that.

[DANNYY]

Originally Posted by jfre81

That would be like Waco becoming part of DFW.

It wouldn't make Houston any bigger. It would just be greatly stretching the definition of a metropolitan area. If the goal is to get "big" then LA can just "add" San Diego and everything in between, and NYC can do the same with Boston and Philadelphia.

Waco is to DFW as College Station is to Houston.

It's probable. But look at it this way, Beaumont is rich with oil, and Houston's economy is largely based on that field. I think Beaumont entering the Houston sphere of influence is inevitable in the future. Waco and College Station can hold their post, DFW isn't expanding southward that fast and Houston isn't expanding northward that fast, with the exception of Conroe.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by OmShahi

I think Beaumont entering the Houston sphere of influence is inevitable in the future.

Economically it's already there, as is the whole oil industry. They have operations there, but the shotcallers are here. Culturally, though, Beaumont has more in common with southern Louisiana than with Houston or the rest of Texas for that matter.

[DANNYY]

Originally Posted by jfre81

Economically it's already there, as is the whole oil industry. They have operations there, but the shotcallers are here. Culturally, though, Beaumont has more in common with southern Louisiana than with Houston or the rest of Texas for that matter.

That is very true, but Houston is at the crossraods for Texas. It's getting influenced by New Orleans in music, food, and style a lot more now.

But yeah, it's the same as saying El Paso has more in common with Las Cruces, New Mexico than it does with other cities/parts of Texas.

[SouthernBoy205]

Where the does the Houston metro area's sprawl end past Baytown? If the sprawk from Houston continues miles past Baytown, then maybe in about 20 years, there will be infill to Beaumont.

[DANNYY]

Originally Posted by A&M Bulldawg

Where the does the Houston metro area's sprawl end past Baytown? If the sprawk from Houston continues miles past Baytown, then maybe in about 20 years, there will be infill to Beaumont.

File:Houston-Baytown-Huntsville CSA.png - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

^^ Greater Houston Metro

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/ff/BeaumontPortArthurMetro.png (broken link)

^^ Beaumont-Port Arthur Metro

As you can see, Houston is holding a very tight border with Beaumont's metro there.

It really is only a matter of time...