Houston vs. Dallas (Howe: 2014, construction, live)

[Bobloblawslawblog]

Originally Posted by dallasboi

No I wouldn't because its not part of the DFW MSA.

Counties in DFW Area


And if it was it would be just as close to Dallas as Huntsville and Conroe is to Houston........I Think

You're right. The map I looked at earlier was for the CSA, though it came up on a Google search for MSA. Pardon my confusion. Still, I find much fault with MSA as it still includes too much rural land and small towns that aren't connected to the urban area. For instance, most of Parker and Hunt counties, which are included in the link you provided are mostly rural. Same goes for Houston's MSA with counties like Waller, Liberty, and Chambers.

A better way to look at it is satellite and aerial imagery. That way, you can clearly see where development ends. The only county in Houston's MSA (outside of Harris) that has any really substantial amount of suburban (not separate towns that already existed before the sprawl reached them) development is Fort Bend. The only part of Montgomery county that could really be considered part of Houston's continuous urban area is the Woodlands and the part of Kingwood that extends across the county line. That's a very small percentage of Montgomery county as a whole.

Towns like Conroe, Willis, and Pinehurst are very close, but still separated from Houston's urban area, in much the same way that Denton is still separated by a thin stretch of undeveloped area from the rest of the metroplex. For the record, Denton is almost the exact same distance from downtown Dallas as Conroe is from downtown Houston.

[Jimmy1953]

I lived in Denton 3 times. Incredible place... a mini Austin. Downtown Denton is a treasure of treasures. The train connecting Denton and Dallas is wonderful.

[hornraider]

Originally Posted by Jimmy1953

I lived in Denton 3 times. Incredible place... a mini Austin. Downtown Denton is a treasure of treasures. The train connecting Denton and Dallas is wonderful.

Yes it is...I take the A-train from Lewisville to Carrollton almost every day. Then jump on the Green Line to Dallas for work. I could fall asleep on that ride, its so comfortable.

[SouthernBoy205]

Originally Posted by Bobloblawslawblog

You're right. The map I looked at earlier was for the CSA, though it came up on a Google search for MSA. Pardon my confusion. Still, I find much fault with MSA as it still includes too much rural land and small towns that aren't connected to the urban area. For instance, most of Parker and Hunt counties, which are included in the link you provided are mostly rural. Same goes for Houston's MSA with counties like Waller, Liberty, and Chambers.

A better way to look at it is satellite and aerial imagery. That way, you can clearly see where development ends. The only county in Houston's MSA (outside of Harris) that has any really substantial amount of suburban (not separate towns that already existed before the sprawl reached them) development is Fort Bend. The only part of Montgomery county that could really be considered part of Houston's continuous urban area is the Woodlands and the part of Kingwood that extends across the county line. That's a very small percentage of Montgomery county as a whole.

Towns like Conroe, Willis, and Pinehurst are very close, but still separated from Houston's urban area, in much the same way that Denton is still separated by a thin stretch of undeveloped area from the rest of the metroplex. For the record, Denton is almost the exact same distance from downtown Dallas as Conroe is from downtown Houston.

Conroe feels connected to Houston, but feels like its own city at the same time. It's connected to TW with some developments. When Camp Strake starts, the two places will connect even more.

[Trae713]

Originally Posted by Bobloblawslawblog

That would still have to be a ridiculous amount of development to actually link Huntsville to Greater Houston. Houston would have to maintain it's boom-pace growth for at least another 20 years or so to make it happen, and even then the development would probably only occur in a tentacle-like pattern along I-45 (if it ever happens at all). Houston's growth rate will more than likely slow down a bit in the coming years.

Besides, Willis is still kind of separated from the solid mass that is Houston's actual urban area. There is still open, undeveloped land between Willis and Conroe, and even more open, undeveloped land between Conroe and the Woodlands. It will take quite a bit of infill before I would consider anything North of the Woodlands as an actual part of Greater Houston.

Nah, the land between Conroe and TW is pretty filled in now. Much more than the land between Conroe and Willis.

[Bobloblawslawblog]

Originally Posted by Trae713

Nah, the land between Conroe and TW is pretty filled in now. Much more than the land between Conroe and Willis.

I'll take your word for it, but it doesn't really look that way from the latest satellite images, which I'm pretty sure are only about a year old. It's very close, but not really what I would call "filled in". Maybe along I-45 it appears that way. They tend to develop a lot of commercial property along the freeways, but I'm just not seeing a lot of residential mass in that space between roughly FM 488 and the 336 loop, unless it was all built up at rapid-fire pace in the last year or so.

I'm sure in the next five years or so the development will be completely uninterrupted. I still don't see it ever going out as far as Huntsville though. That would just be insane if it did.

[SouthernBoy205]

Originally Posted by Bobloblawslawblog

I'll take your word for it, but it doesn't really look that way from the latest satellite images, which I'm pretty sure are only about a year old. It's very close, but not really what I would call "filled in". Maybe along I-45 it appears that way. They tend to develop a lot of commercial property along the freeways, but I'm just not seeing a lot of residential mass in that space between roughly FM 488 and the 336 loop, unless it was all built up at rapid-fire pace in the last year or so.

I'm sure in the next five years or so the development will be completely uninterrupted. I still don't see it ever going out as far as Huntsville though. That would just be insane if it did.

I was up there like 2 months ago. The two are connected, and I'm not even taking I-45 into account. There several small subdivisions in between. Then, you have the big MPC, Woodforest, between them as well.

[dallasboi]

City Living Transportation - Dallas Business Journal

[dallasboi]

Report: DFW relocation, corporate expansion key to real estate recovery - Dallas Business Journal

[dallasboi]

..From the Houston Chronicle itself.......( I know its kinda old)

USA Today readers think Dallas skyline is great - Houston Chronicle

In a reader poll, Houston's northern rival earned the no. 1 spot for "Best International Skyline." Though Houston has more skyscrapers and taller buildings, Cowboy nation somehow managed to wrangle this award.

This goes to show that Height is forgotten with "BIG" boring skylines

An "expert" also says the city's colorful interactive lighting has played a role in impressing travelers.