Houston vs. Dallas (Fort Worth, Arlington, Denton: educational, programs, good)

[el borracho]

Houston cause it's closer to the ocean

[metroplex2003]

Originally Posted by LAnative10

The funny thing is nobody every talks about my favorite town in Texas which is Fort Worth.

For a town its size, it offers so much. If we broke it down on a per capita basis, I think Fort Worth has more amenities than either Dallas or Houston proper. Of course if were comparing Metro Areas to ammenities, I think its pretty even.

Fort Worth played a big role as to why we moved here instead of Houston. We really like the contrast between Dallas and Fort Worth because even though they are joined at the hip and share everything, they are so different. If you cant do it in Dallas, you can do it in Fort Worth and vice-versa.

I agree. DFW does offer you the best of both worlds. Ft. Worth gives you a more down to earth "Texan" feel, and Dallas gives you more a modern sopisticate. Both are nice to have in this area.

And my thoughts on Houston: I do like your close proximity to the ocean and the other texas cities.

[houstonliver]

Originally Posted by metroplex2003

I like Dallas' better than Houston's obviously. Reunion tower gives it a unique look. Uptown is connected to downtown and adds to the skyline. IM Pei's building is unique. The Chase building is nice too. But overall, over the next 5 years, the skyline will be transformed by the likes of Victory Tower, the Museum Tower, etc. With 25 high rises over next 5 years and 26 others that are about to be approved, things will look quite different in Dallas.

i say that dallas skyline is a bunch of chicken scratch

[houstonliver]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

IF I had to choose between the two, I'd take Dallas if for no other reason than the humidity is much less....and they're not subject to hurricanes as Houston is. Dallas also gets more of a winter than Houston, so that's another "plus."

But....having said that, I am not really a big city person....and would not really want to live in a place any larger than where I am now. I am such a wuss that traffic in EITHER place drives me NUTZO!!!

IF I had to live in a big city in TX....it would be El Paso.

gess u couldn't survive in nyc!

[Lakewooder]

Don't believe the bile coming out of houstonliver!

[portyhead24]

Originally Posted by houstonliver

i say that dallas skyline is a bunch of chicken scratch

ummm, what?

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

Don't believe the bile coming out of houstonliver!

Its not worth the effort to press the keys for a proper response.

[homeinatx]

For anyone outside Texas, they are very similar cities - big, sprawly fundamentally suburban places - so we are in the narcissism of small differences here. The differences are fundamentally ones of tone rather than substance. In terms of restaurants and food culture, I give the edge to Houston, which can draw on its longer history of culinary diversity and closer access to the great indigenous cuisines of Louisiana and Mexico. Houston has an interesting indigenous food culture, Dallas has the culinary charms of the southern plains (such as they are) and the not yet integrated contributions of recent immigrants. You can eat much better in Houston. Dallas has better residential architecture. There is nothing in Houston like Swiss Avenue, and the Park Cities have a concentration of gorgeous 1920s mansions only rivaled in the U.S. by Hancock Park in L.A. River Oaks has some beautiful houses, but not quite in the same league. As far as I am concerned the suburbs are equally tedious in both places. You could be anywhere in the sunbelt. They both have excellent high cultural amenities- museums, symphonies, ballet etc, but when it comes to living culture, I would say Houston is better. Dallas remains a place where people buy culture, not where they make it. The Menil collection is second only to MOMA in NYC as a collection of modern art, and the Rothko Chapel is one of the seven wonders of the contemporary world. The Nasher in Dallas is a great museum but in a greatest hits kind of way. I like both cities but Houston has an intellectual and experimental edge. The lack of zoning while adding to the ugliness of the city adds a dimension of interest. There is a strip mall off 59 in southwest Houston where there is a Mexican transvestite bar next to a gun shop next to a Halal butchery. No such juxtapositions exist in Dallas, perhaps not anywhere else in the world. It amazes me that DFW is the 4th largest MSA in the U.S. and yet lacks a single research 1 university. Rice is tiny, but a not an insignificant player in inner loop Houston. Both cities are good places to live, but I prefer the tone of Houston. Dallas always feels aspirational - it tries too hard. Houston could not give a damn - it is a cosmopolitan, sophisticated, albeit suburban city, Dallas feels to me like it needs to tell that it is a real place. Though I prefer Erykah Badu to Beyonce Knowles! They are not that different, but I find Houston just a little smarter, a little less staid, a little wilder and a lot more fun.

[First24]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

For anyone outside Texas, they are very similar cities - big, sprawly fundamentally suburban places - so we are in the narcissism of small differences here. The differences are fundamentally ones of tone rather than substance. In terms of restaurants and food culture, I give the edge to Houston, which can draw on its longer history of culinary diversity and closer access to the great indigenous cuisines of Louisiana and Mexico. Houston has an interesting indigenous food culture, Dallas has the culinary charms of the southern plains (such as they are) and the not yet integrated contributions of recent immigrants. You can eat much better in Houston. Dallas has better residential architecture. There is nothing in Houston like Swiss Avenue, and the Park Cities have a concentration of gorgeous 1920s mansions only rivaled in the U.S. by Hancock Park in L.A. River Oaks has some beautiful houses, but not quite in the same league. As far as I am concerned the suburbs are equally tedious in both places. You could be anywhere in the sunbelt. They both have excellent high cultural amenities- museums, symphonies, ballet etc, but when it comes to living culture, I would say Houston is better. Dallas remains a place where people buy culture, not where they make it. The Menil collection is second only to MOMA in NYC as a collection of modern art, and the Rothko Chapel is one of the seven wonders of the contemporary world. The Nasher in Dallas is a great museum but in a greatest hits kind of way. I like both cities but Houston has an intellectual and experimental edge. The lack of zoning while adding to the ugliness of the city adds a dimension of interest. There is a strip mall off 59 in southwest Houston where there is a Mexican transvestite bar next to a gun shop next to a Halal butchery. No such juxtapositions exist in Dallas, perhaps not anywhere else in the world. It amazes me that DFW is the 4th largest MSA in the U.S. and yet lacks a single research 1 university. Rice is tiny, but a not an insignificant player in inner loop Houston. Both cities are good places to live, but I prefer the tone of Houston. Dallas always feels aspirational - it tries too hard. Houston could not give a damn - it is a cosmopolitan, sophisticated, albeit suburban city, Dallas feels to me like it needs to tell that it is a real place. Though I prefer Erykah Badu to Beyonce Knowles! They are not that different, but I find Houston just a little smarter, a little less staid, a little wilder and a lot more fun.

I find your post a fairly accurate description of both cities.

My primary difference of opinion is that I find Dallas a little smarter. The city is a non-seaport, with no other major waterways, built in the middle of rolling prairielands and yet has become part of the 4th largest metro area in the nation; which was also the fastest growing over the past decade. The city has attracted an ethnically diverse populous via immigration and in-migration and also a wide array of large companies from all over the world specializing in many different industries. To me it's amazing such a large metro area has blossomed and is flourishing here.

About the Tier 1 university situation. One or two of the following will likely be vying for Tier 1 funding by year's end; UT-Dallas, UT-Arlington and UNT-Denton. The higher education scene in DFW is solid already. SMU, UTSW-MS, TCU and UT-D are all nationally respected.

[ladarron]

Originally Posted by houstonliver

i say that dallas skyline is a bunch of chicken scratch

Houston's skyline is no better!