In 100 years, which metro will be Texas's largest (Houston, Dallas: prices, oil)

[michaelmac500]

Will DFW hold the lead, or will Houston metro pull ahead?

Despite the 80 mile separation can Austin and San Antonio become the single largest metro area?

Could there be a mid size sleeper city that surprises all?

Or do you think the I-35 corridor will become one massive urban mess?

[case44]

Let's be specific here. Are you talking square mile coverage or population??

[Lucidus]

Originally Posted by michaelmac500

Will DFW hold the lead, or will Houston metro pull ahead?

100 years is a long time to venture a prediction but I will anyway. I think Houston will pull ahead briefly due to strength of the energy sector but DFW will have the momentum to regain the lead when oil prices stabilize.

Originally Posted by michaelmac500

Despite the 80 mile separation can Austin and San Antonio become the single largest metro area?

Using the census bureau definition I think Austin and San Antonio will remain separate metro areas. Unofficially people may begin to think of them as a single metro area however.

Originally Posted by michaelmac500

Could there be a mid size sleeper city that surprises all?

As long as oil prices remain high Midland/Odessa will continue grow rapidly and may surprise a few people. If oil prices remain high for 10 to 15 years, Midland/Odessa will surpass Lubbock and Amarillo and be the largest metro area in West Texas except for El Paso which I think will continue to grow rapidly due to migration from Mexico.

Originally Posted by michaelmac500

Or do you think the I-35 corridor will become one massive urban mess?

I don't think so. Again with high gasoline prices, I see the cores cities becoming more dense as people will not want to make long and expensive commutes to central cities.

[michaelmac500]

Population

[Alatex]

In a hundred years, maybe Brownsville ?

[Muhnay]

Well if you count Mexico.. El Paso has and will continue to have the largest population.

But I would think Houston and Beaumont will merge and they will become the largest... if they are not already.. I mean look at how far out Houston covers with its many smaller cities all around it, and suburbs.

[case44]

I'd have to agree with Muhnay on the Houston situation, and I just got back from vacation and was just down there. I continue to be in awe about how massive that city is, as well as the areas that surround it. I think, in 100 years, it would not surprise me if Houston's metro took the title on population alone. That Gulf Freeway corridor is getting less and less rural. But D/FW is going to be right there with them. I'd be interested to see what everyone else will be like in 100 years.

[Mark Senior]

Should really continue to boom and add thousands to Metro area -

Midland.Odessa is a real reach with a little over 200,000 in their combined metro area now and Lubbock/Amarillo with well over 400,000 accord to current census estimated figures even with the recent old boom - don't forget this is dry West Texas water etc. It would be a real reach for any mid-size towns if Midland/Odessa are really mid-size Tyler/Longview would be a real reach too Although Tyler is only 65 miles to Dallas' subs. Oh well...

[spursfan]

Dallas-FW will be the largest in the Transnational Cooperative Republic of Earth-Texas Division

[case44]

Originally Posted by spursfan

Dallas-FW will be the largest in the Transnational Cooperative Republic of Earth-Texas Division

We may be absorbing Brock, Emory, Valley View, the Sherman-Denison area, and Italy by that time.