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That doesn't mean international in terms of appeal...
I don't think the OP or the conversation is limited to tourist appeal or activity - that's YOUR limitation that you're trying to impose.
But yes, it's very clear that you know next to nothing about Houston, so that's one answer to the OP's question that's clarified.
Here is the OP's question:
Quote:
From the perspective from people all over the world and people you know do you find Houston to be an international city? Do you believe it to be more international than San Francisco and Chicago? Or do you think Chicago and San Francisco are more international?
The OP didn't give a definition of what "international" meant, but he did ask for personal opinions and yours is duly noted for exactly what it is - personal opinion.
I think I've provided quite a bit of actual information (rather than simply personal opinion - which may be interesting but is often far from factual) regarding the international aspects of Houston. Over ninety foreign consulates, over 1 million residents who are of foreign birth, over 90 languages spoken there, more than 790 foreign-owned firms, more than 400 companies with branches in 129 other nations and more than 3,300 area firms, foreign government offices and nonprofit organizations involved in international business.
You can try to slap your own definition of international on it, but I think it's pretty clear that there's a huge international presence in Houston, whether you are interested in it or attracted to it or not.
Last edited by KathrynAragon; 02-10-2015 at 02:24 PM..
I think the international posters here have pretty much answered the question of whether or not Houston is international. I think continuing to try to convince them it is is just beating a dea horse.
I think the international posters here have pretty much answered the question of whether or not Houston is international. I think continuing to try to convince them it is is just beating a dea horse.
LOL we're all international. Like the song goes, It's five o'clock somewhere!
I don't care if I've convinced anyone on C-D or not. It is what it is.
I don't think the OP or the conversation is limited to tourist appeal or activity - that's YOUR limitation that you're trying to impose.
But yes, it's very clear that you know next to nothing about Houston, so that's one answer to the OP's question that's clarified.
Here is the OP's question:
The OP didn't give a definition of what "international" meant, but he did ask for personal opinions and yours is duly noted for exactly what it is - personal opinion.
I think I've provided quite a bit of actual information (rather than simply personal opinion - which may be interesting but is often far from factual) regarding the international aspects of Houston. Over ninety foreign consulates, over 1 million residents who are of foreign birth, over 90 languages spoken there, more than 790 foreign-owned firms, more than 400 companies with branches in 129 other nations and more than 3,300 area firms, foreign government offices and nonprofit organizations involved in international business.
You can try to slap your own definition of international on it, but I think it's pretty clear that there's a huge international presence in Houston, whether you are interested in it or attracted to it or not.
How many of those are Mexicans? Because Houston is close enough to Mexico that 800,000 foreign born Mexicans isn't that impressive. And since you seem to be interpreting international differently than most of the other posters here, especially the non-Americans, what exactly is your definition of what makes a city "international"? Just curious on what your opinion is.
How many of those are Mexicans? Because Houston is close enough to Mexico that 800,000 foreign born Mexicans isn't that impressive. And since you seem to be interpreting international differently than most of the other posters here, especially the non-Americans, what exactly is your definition of what makes a city "international"? Just curious on what your opinion is.
I've described in great detail the particulars about Houston that make it an international city from a business perspective several times - that's what I was discussing. I expounded on it because apparently many people outside of the US are not very familiar with just how much international business and international influence is in Houston - not that I expect or would even want Houston to be an international tourist destination. It's an international BUSINESS destination - but that doesn't negate the international influence to those living and working there.
I've posted the demographics of Houston several times now. It's about 35 percent Hispanic. It's about 40 percent white/Non Hispanic. The rest is a mixture of just about every conceivable race - predominately African, African American, and Asian but there are over 90 different languages (and foreign consulates) in Houston if that gives you some idea of the depth and breadth of the international influences there.
I don't know where you got the figure of 800,000 Mexicans living there but I'll take your word for it. You do know that the Houston metro area has over 6,000,000 residents, though, right? So actually 35 percent of 6,000,000 is more than double your figure, but maybe half those who are Hispanic are from countries other than Mexico. Not sure, but considering that so much oil industry hails from South America, I'm sure that there is a sizeable Hispanic population in Houston that's NOT from Mexico.
Hope this clarifies my take on things for you and also sheds some light on Houston.
Lol...seriously? Dream on. Houston is a rising star, yes, but still far behind the big leagues of Chicago, San Francisco, and especially New York.
It is already established that Houston doesn't have as big as an international brand as compared to Chicago, San Francisco, and New York, and thus, is less appealing to tourists. However. Houston does rank in the league of those three cities when it comes to ethnic diversity, and it is an international hub for the Energy Industry.
The poster, anyways, was referencing Houston's internationalism as it pertains to people from Ecuador or Panama, and many other Latin American countries, and yes, to people from those areas, Houston does hold the same international appeal as Chicago, San Francisco, or New York.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ariete
I think for Americans 50% white, 40% Mexican and 10% African-American is "international".
But an European city which is 10% Finnish, 10% Danish, 10% French, 10% Italian, 10% Slovak, 10% British, 10% Russian, 10% Hungarian, 10% Irish and 10% Spanish is "homogenous", as the census says 100% white. And Europe is all the same anyway, it's just skin colour that matters.
Best regards,
A city of 185k people where 150 languages are spoken at home.
No, wait, I'm gonna be more mean. To even call this a "city" is absurd. Houston is a 6 million strong suburb. Even Orwell or H P Lovecraft couldn't invent something that terrible.
Fail. That picture is clearly of a suburb outside of Houston (and that's if that picture is even in the Houston Area), not the actual city of Houston. Stop kidding yourself. Every city in the world has suburban areas outside their limits. And the funniest part is, that picture comes from an article that talks about how Houstonians are abandoning the suburban model of living, and, instead, are moving increasingly into the urban core.
I think it's pretty meh to most Americans too. Dallas and Austin and maybe even San Antonio attract more attention of non Texans.
Completely false. Houston gets more visitors than each of those cities.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gentoo
I think the international posters here have pretty much answered the question of whether or not Houston is international. I think continuing to try to convince them it is is just beating a dea horse.
That's because a lot of the posters lack the understanding of a holistic approach towards this matter. That is, they focus only on one aspect that can make a city international (appeal to tourists), but then go on to ignore other equally important aspects (ethnic diversity, business hub, etc) that can contribute to such a status. Make no mistake, Houston does attract immigrants from the world over, and it is an internationally known hub for the energy industry, hence why it is international. It will continue to establish itself as a city, and in turn will expand its brand further, and further across the globe.
I'm going to try to answer this from a foreigner's perspective. Houston in my eyes is:
• "Houston, we have a problem." -- the very impression of Houston when I was a child watching TV shows on astronauts. I didn't know back then exactly where that city is located within the States.
• Then when Singapore Airlines starting flying to Houston, I checked it out on a map. Oh, okay...
• Then I wondered why SQ would fly there at all, given that most Singaporeans probably don't know of its existence and that as a holiday destination, it's definitely off the radar.
• Sadly, that's all I know of Houston up till today
I'm going to try to answer this from a foreigner's perspective. Houston in my eyes is:
• "Houston, we have a problem." -- the very impression of Houston when I was a child watching TV shows on astronauts. I didn't know back then exactly where that city is located within the States.
• Then when Singapore Airlines starting flying to Houston, I checked it out on a map. Oh, okay...
• Then I wondered why SQ would fly there at all, given that most Singaporeans probably don't know of its existence and that as a holiday destination, it's definitely off the radar.
• Sadly, that's all I know of Houston up till today
Hopefully you know a bit more about it today than you did yesterday!
OK further to my earlier post, Houston is definitely international if we're just talking about ethnic diversity (although not in the way London or NYC is) but if we're talking about how it's perceived abroad, or its cultural projection then you'll find most people only think about the space centre and the oil. Can the average person outside the US name a famous building, sports venue or art gallery in Houston? A famous person apart from Beyonce? At a stretch maybe, but it's very limited in that respect, especially against the more obvious choices of NYC and LA.
I'm going to try to answer this from a foreigner's perspective. Houston in my eyes is:
• "Houston, we have a problem." -- the very impression of Houston when I was a child watching TV shows on astronauts. I didn't know back then exactly where that city is located within the States.
• Then when Singapore Airlines starting flying to Houston, I checked it out on a map. Oh, okay...
• Then I wondered why SQ would fly there at all, given that most Singaporeans probably don't know of its existence and that as a holiday destination, it's definitely off the radar.
• Sadly, that's all I know of Houston up till today
That is about it for me as well, and the direct flights from Australia to Texas don't even land in Huston, they land in Dallas.
Those working in Australia's oil and gas industry would know more about the city.
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