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The only reason one could even try to compare Waco and Arlington is with their downtowns LMAO.
Even Waco has a better (somewhat ACTUAL) downtown than Arlington.
Ag-town is bigger, but it's not truly an independant city like Waco. Hell, even Waco has its own public transportation. But you do at least know the reason's why it isn't as big or important as Dallas or Fort Worth, right? Because if history when a different direction, it could have been....
Lol. You mad because I am expressing my opinion? Smh I didn't know we weren't allowed to joke or say what we think. I thought that's what the website is all about. Waco is a cool thriving place but I feel like it will always be overshadowed by others
No, but you just don't know what you're talking about. You said Waco is less of a city than Arlington. Arlington depends on Fort Worth and Dallas. Most residents in Arlington don't even work in Arlington. Waco is an independent city and always has been. It was not always completely overshadowed either and was one of the larger cities in Texas during it's beginning.
It's only overshadowed (like Lubbock, etc.) because it's not a very big metro area. I really do think Texas would have been better off building Texas Tech in Amarillo instead of Lubbock. Amarillo + Lubbock combined would make for a pretty nice sized metro area, and Amarillo is on the interstate grid.
No,
It's only overshadowed (like Lubbock, etc.) because it's not a very big metro area. I really do think Texas would have been better off building Texas Tech in Amarillo instead of Lubbock. Amarillo + Lubbock combined would make for a pretty nice sized metro area, and Amarillo is on the interstate grid.
That would have made a difference? (Don't know much about Tech and its history with Lubbock/Amarillo)
Waco is the most centrally located city in Texas in terms of population. Waco (and the Temple/Killeen) area are almost perfectly located in the center of the triangle formed by DFW, Houston, and Austin/San Antonio. That makes Waco and Temple perfectly located for industries and companies that want to distribute products to the major metro areas in Texas. In fact Waco and Temple have made a name for themselves by becoming regional distribution centers for the Texas market. Caterpillar just built a massive distribution center in Waco recently and Toyota is doing the same in Temple.
That said, the Waco area has a LONG ways to go before becoming any sort of major city. And Temple has even farther to go. I don't expect Waco will ever look like a major city with a skyline as it isn't attracting that sort of business. Rather, I'd expect it to end up looking more like say the Arlington/Grand Prairie area...lots and lots of endless sprawl and industrial development. And the population will certainly continue to grow along with the rest of the state.
In terms of new cities with skylines, I'd think that some of the outer suburbs of DFW and Houston will qualify as stand-alone cities in their own right before long. The Woodlands area north of Houston for example. It has a downtown business district that already probably exceeds every other city mentioned in this thread in terms of high rises and office density.
Waco is centrally locted between Dallas & Austin, not the Texas Triangle formed by D/FW, Houston, Austin, & San Antonio.
Those two larger metros overshadow Waco & Kileen by a long shot.
Bryan/College Station is the single largest, most centrally located metro within that boundary.
All you have to do is look at a map to see that.
Is Waco growing? Yes
Is Waco a viable option for people who want to have some, but not all of the big city ammenities without living in the rat race of Dallas? Yes
Does Waco have any more to offer in the way of education or economic value than a town not located within that boundady like say Tyler, Lubbock, Midland, or Beaumont? No
Last edited by Metro Matt; 05-19-2012 at 01:14 PM..
Waco is centrally locted between Dallas & Austin, not the Texas Triangle formed by D/FW, Houston, Austin, & San Antonio.
Those two larger metros overshadow Waco & Kileen by a long shot.
Bryan/College Station is the single largest, most centrally located metro within that boundary.
All you have to do is look at a map to see that.
Businesses don't care about how the crow flies. They care about driving distance. Bryan is what 75 miles from the nearest interstate?
Waco to DFW = 90 miles
Waco to Austin = 90 miles
Waco to San Antonio = 180 miles
Waco to Houston = 180 miles
--------------------------------
Total distance to all 4 = 540 miles mostly interstate
Bryan to DFW = 180 miles
Bryan to Austin = 100 miles
Bryan to San Antonio = 170 miles
Bryan to Houston = 100 miles
----------------------------------
Total distance to all 4 = 550 miles mostly NOT interstate
Even Waco has a better (somewhat ACTUAL) downtown than Arlington.
Ag-town is bigger, but it's not truly an independant city like Waco. Hell, even Waco has its own public transportation. But you do at least know the reason's why it isn't as big or important as Dallas or Fort Worth, right? Because if history when a different direction, it could have been....
My point when I originally brought up Arlington was not to compare Waco and Arlington as cities. Clearly they are different, one is a stand alone medium sized city, the other is an overgrown suburb.
My point was that to the extent that Waco continues to grow in the coming decades, that growth will look a lot more like what one sees in suburban cities like Arlington rather than in dense downtown districts like Fort Worth. The tallest building in Waco was built in 1910. No one is even talking or contemplating any sort of development that will change the Waco skyline. While the city planners would like to dream about a dense urban central core redeveloping in Waco, the fact of the matter is that most of the business and residential development continues to occur around the edges of the city in exactly the same type of car-centric development that one sees in Arlington.
I live in Waco and I'd love for it to turn into a dense pedestrian and bike friendly urban environment with good mass transit and a lively 24 hour downtown. More like Boulder or Madison or Albuquerque. And while the city is inching in that direction and making improvements, the fact of the matter is that most of the development dollars are flowing into the suburban areas, not downtown. In another 10 or 20 years downtown Waco will hopefully look better and be more lively than it is today. Especially if Baylor continues to grow. But it still won't be a big city in any sense of the word. And if Waco (metro population of 240,000) adds another 100,000 people I expect most of that growth will be of the form that one sees in Arlington (population 360,000). This is still Texas and people still want to live in the suburbs and drive their cars everywhere. Waco is no different.
Lol. You mad because I am expressing my opinion? Smh I didn't know we weren't allowed to joke or say what we think. I thought that's what the website is all about. Waco is a cool thriving place but I feel like it will always be overshadowed by others
Opinion??? It's a fact that Waco's growth was spurred by developement, education and agriculture. Dallas and Austin have nothing to do with that. I wasn't expecting postivity towards Waco; I hate the place most of the time, but defend it. However, you were wrong.
Quote:
Originally Posted by texasdiver
My point when I originally brought up Arlington was not to compare Waco and Arlington as cities. Clearly they are different, one is a stand alone medium sized city, the other is an overgrown suburb.
My point was that to the extent that Waco continues to grow in the coming decades, that growth will look a lot more like what one sees in suburban cities like Arlington rather than in dense downtown districts like Fort Worth. The tallest building in Waco was built in 1910. No one is even talking or contemplating any sort of development that will change the Waco skyline. While the city planners would like to dream about a dense urban central core redeveloping in Waco, the fact of the matter is that most of the business and residential development continues to occur around the edges of the city in exactly the same type of car-centric development that one sees in Arlington.
I live in Waco and I'd love for it to turn into a dense pedestrian and bike friendly urban environment with good mass transit and a lively 24 hour downtown. More like Boulder or Madison or Albuquerque. And while the city is inching in that direction and making improvements, the fact of the matter is that most of the development dollars are flowing into the suburban areas, not downtown. In another 10 or 20 years downtown Waco will hopefully look better and be more lively than it is today. Especially if Baylor continues to grow. But it still won't be a big city in any sense of the word. And if Waco (metro population of 240,000) adds another 100,000 people I expect most of that growth will be of the form that one sees in Arlington (population 360,000). This is still Texas and people still want to live in the suburbs and drive their cars everywhere. Waco is no different.
You're looking at it from too much of a literal point. Major doesn't have to be tall buildings, urbanity and good public transit. Waco's biggest issue is pulling in high-paying jobs and I can tell you no matter how much you see it; the Arlington comparison is a bad one. Most developement in any major city/area is suburban driven; Waco is no different than Houston or Dallas in that.
The city is making strides and shockingly; the city of Waco is supporting these new ideas and plans. The recently build downtown lofts have filled up quickly and more is on the way [yes, there is demand]. The new downtown farmers market has been a hit and more. Waco is on the right path. If anything; Waco will become some-what like Austin is as it starts to utilize the downtown area more.
Last edited by blkgiraffe; 05-19-2012 at 02:54 PM..
Businesses don't care about how the crow flies. They care about driving distance. Bryan is what 75 miles from the nearest interstate?
Waco to DFW = 90 miles
Waco to Austin = 90 miles
Waco to San Antonio = 180 miles
Waco to Houston = 180 miles
--------------------------------
Total distance to all 4 = 540 miles mostly interstate
Bryan to DFW = 180 miles
Bryan to Austin = 100 miles
Bryan to San Antonio = 170 miles
Bryan to Houston = 100 miles
----------------------------------
Total distance to all 4 = 550 miles mostly NOT interstate
Businesses look at demographics #1.
They could care less how far Waco is from those cities or what interstate its on.
Waco & Bryan/College Stations metros are both right around ~230K give or take yet College Station is 30K smaller than Waco & a whole lot denser.
Last edited by Metro Matt; 05-19-2012 at 03:48 PM..
They could care less how far Waco is from those cities or what interstate its on.
Waco & Bryan/College Stations metros are both right around ~230K give or take yet Bryan is half the size of Waco & denser.
The type of businesses that Waco has been attracting recently do in fact care a great deal about those distances and the highway access. The industrial parks in south Waco have been attracting a lot of major parts and distribution centers. There is a giant new Caterpillar parts and distribution center that is expanding. Wal-Mart, Sherwin Williams, Tractor Supply, etc. have all built regional distribution centers in Waco precisely because it is uniquely located to service all four of the major metro areas in the state from a single location.
Waco really doesn't have all that much else to offer except for cheap plentiful land, a supportive business climate, Baylor University, and easy access to all four major metro areas in the state.
The type of businesses that Waco has been attracting recently do in fact care a great deal about those distances and the highway access. The industrial parks in south Waco have been attracting a lot of major parts and distribution centers. There is a giant new Caterpillar parts and distribution center that is expanding. Wal-Mart, Sherwin Williams, Tractor Supply, etc. have all built regional distribution centers in Waco precisely because it is uniquely located to service all four of the major metro areas in the state from a single location.
Waco really doesn't have all that much else to offer except for cheap plentiful land, a supportive business climate, Baylor University, and easy access to all four major metro areas in the state.
While that is great & all, it is by no means unique to Waco.
We have a newish Target distribution center & Wal-Mart distribution center here in East Texas.
Wacos selling points are its cheap COL, semi college town vibe, & Brazos River.
There is little in the way of natural beauty until you get down around the Hill Country some 60 miles south of town.
Their regional airport is in need of a serious overhaul.
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I didn't know we weren't allowed to joke or say what we think. I thought that's what the website is all about. Waco is a cool thriving place but I feel like it will always be overshadowed by others 
