Hometown Glory
City of the future? Forbes writes Houston a love letter
Houston must be looking good to Forbes scribe Joel Kotkin.
In his latest column, Kotkin described Houston as a "model city," listing several impressive statistics marking Houston as the city of the future, and advising critics to take a trip down south to see.
You won't be alone: Last year Houston added 141,000 residents, more than any region in the U.S. save the city's similarly sprawling rival, Dallas-Fort Worth. Over the past decade Houston's population has grown by 24%--five times the rate of San Francisco, Boston and New York. In that time it has attracted 244,000 new residents from other parts of the U.S., while older cities experienced high rates of out-migration. It is even catching up on foreign immigration, enjoying a rate comparable with New York's and roughly 50% higher than that of Boston or Chicago.
What are Houston's biggest advantages? According to Kotkin, a lack of restricting government regulation, affordable housing and a vibrant private sector.
So what does Houston have that these other cities lack? Opportunity. Between 2000 and 2009 Houston's employment grew by 260,000. Greater New York City — with nearly three times the population of Houston — has added only 96,000 jobs. The Chicago area has lost 258,000 jobs, San Francisco 217,000, Los Angeles 168,000 and Boston 100,004.
But Kotkin claims it's not just space and sunbelt prosperity that drives Houston's success. The secret weapon is Houstonians — vibrant, worldly, and ever ambitious.
But Houston's biggest advantage cannot be reduced to numbers. Ultimately it is ambition, not style, that sets Houston apart. Texas urbanites are busy constructing new suburban town centers, reviving inner-city neighborhoods and expanding museums, recreational areas and other amenities. In contrast with recession-battered places like Phoenix, Houston remains remarkably open to migrants from the rest of America and abroad.
While Kotkin's praise seems more than a little glossy, we can't disagree.
Do you think Houston is the city of the future?
