[totheskies]

THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE A "VS" THREAD. Just an intelligent discussion about two of the US' most important cities.

Both cities are quite similar-
-In Texas, and comprise the two largest metropolitan areas
-They are similar in size, and to some extent in layout.
-similar in suburb development (The Colony, The Woodlands come to mind)

Important distinctions-
-Dallas has distinguished itself as more of the financial center for Texas, while Houston is the energy industry's home.
-The metro area of Dallas is larger b/c of the "Super Burbs" and its proximity to Fort Worth.
-Dallas is bit more advanced with the rail transportation.
-Houston's position as a port and coastal city lends itself to a sea hub of transportation, while Dallas is the larger air hub.

Any other important similarities/ distinctions you can think of?:cheers:

[Shasta]

Actually, if we are just talking Dallas vs. Houston, then the suburban growth patterns are a little bit different.

The Northern burbs in Dallas are booming and the migration just keeps spreading towards Oklahoma! First it was Plano. Then came McKinney. Now it's Allen and points beyond.

Suburban growth the South and East is much slower. Even suburban growth to the West towards Fort Worth is slower (Grand Prairie).

In Houston, the suburban growth is much more spread out. You have booming areas like The Woodlands (North), Cypress (Northwest), Katy (West), SugarLand (Southwest), Pearland (South), League City (Southeast), and Kingwood (Northeast). The only area that is slow to grow is the Eastside and that's because it is largely not capable to hold sprawl with the Port, Upper Galveston Bay, Trinity River basin, and refinieries limiting land options.

[totheskies]

Yeah, but I was talking about the "style" of the suburbs, whether they be MPCs, or just miles and mile of house areas. All of the richer ones look very similar. Looking at pictures, it would take me several hours to distinguish Katy from Mansfield. But the largest suburb in the Houston area is technically Pasadena, which is atypical with the factory sectors and lower to middle income housing throughout. Does Dallas have anything like that?

[Great_Hizzy]

Mesquite?

[Superstar]

*Houston has a flagship university. Conversely they both have an academic powerhouse (Rice, SMU)

*Dallas has more "visibility," like the TV show and the Cowboys. Houston's industries are more vital to the US' well being.

*They both have two major cities that would exist reagardless of any major growth in each respective area (Houston-Galveston, Dallas-Fort Worth).

*The landscape and urban growth is EXTREMLY similar in both areas (leaving me, a native Californian always wondering why there is SO much debate about which is better when they seem so similar).


The fact is both cities are basically equal, with only minoir differences to pick apart from each other.

[JAM]

- Dallas has cold winters, often gets snow once a year. Houston winters are mild and sometimes non-existent.

- Houston has a bigger international presence about it, including people from countries of the world. Dallas seems to have more people from the Midwest moving in for jobs - less of them make it all the way to Houston. I've lived in Dallas over the years in several year stints. Coming from Houston, I was always amazed at how many more blonde's were in Dallas compared to Houston.

- I can't decide who has more pickup trucks on the freeways :)

[KevinFromTexas]

THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE A "VS" THREAD. Just an intelligent discussion about two of the US' most important cities.

Yes, and let's keep it that way.

Otherwise...:lockd:

[Great_Hizzy]

Galveston isn't a major city at all.

[totheskies]

- Dallas has cold winters, often gets snow once a year. Houston winters are mild and sometimes non-existent.

- Houston has a bigger international presence about it, including people from countries of the world. Dallas seems to have more people from the Midwest moving in for jobs - less of them make it all the way to Houston. I've lived in Dallas over the years in several year stints. Coming from Houston, I was always amazed at how many more blonde's were in Dallas compared to Houston.

- I can't decide who has more pickup trucks on the freeways :)

I would definitely agree with that one. I've been in Houston for two years now, but before moving here from Arkansas, I had barely even heard of the city. When someone mentioned Texas, four places came to mind: Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Fort Worth (in that order). Houston publicity is not as geared towards domestic travel and promotion, but is much more prominent with international countries, especially Central and South America. And yeah, I would bet money that there's fewer blondes, which is an awesome thing!


And yeah Kevin.... power corrupts....:notacrook:

[JAM]

And yeah, I would bet money that there's fewer blondes, which is an awesome thing!

HEY! I'm a blonde.

[ATXboom]

Before moving to Texas and Dallas in the mid 90's my impression as a midwesterner:

Dallas - Ritzy, white collar city, Girls with big hair looking for guys with BMWs. Tumble weeds and 10 gallon hats thanks to the TV show.

Houston - industrial oil city. My impression was Detroit of the south. Urban Cowboy stereotypes


After living in Dallas and spending more than the last decade all over the state my impressions:

Dallas is more regional with hundreds of suburbs creating a conglomerate. Lots of nice looking concrete freeways. Lots of wealth. Telecom jobs. Nice neighborhoods right in the city... more than Houston. It snows!

Houston - much nicer than I expected with Highrises anywhere and everywhere... didn't seem to have any zoning. Lots of wealth in town but not as much as Dallas. Lack of entertainment districts compared to Dallas [greenville, McKinney, Deep Ellum, etc]. Massive museum district compared to anything in Dallas. One big city... much less suburban districts. Seems a little "rougher" than Dallas. More humid and warmer in the winter for sure. Oil jobs. I think the women in Houston are a little more relaxed and capable of having fun in more situations :)

[JAM]

Lots of wealth in town but not as much as Dallas.

I think you forgot the words "on display" in between "as Dallas". The wealth between both cities is probably comparable.

[Superstar]

Galveston isn't a major city at all.

My point was that if the area wasn't as big as it was and Houston had minimal influence in the area, Galveston would still exist pretty much (though not exactly) as it is today. Meanwhile, the largest city in Galveston County, League City, would exist but wouldn't be nearly as big as it is today because of the influence of Houston.

[Texas Tuff]

I think one very important similarity between Dallas and Houston is how much both metro areas have grown in the last 10 years or so (both MSA's gained about a million or so in the last decade). As a result, Dallas AND Houston must be doing something right!!!!

[totheskies]

Galveston isn't a big city, but its past was crucial to the development of Houston. At the end of the nineteenth century, it was on par with New York in terms of development, population and business. Today, we recognize Galvestion as a significant part of the metro, especially for its position on the coast, but it does not hold near the amount of economic or developmental prominence as Houston.

Dallas and Fort Worth on the other hand both developed and grew closer together, but retained their separate identities. Both are large cities with their own satellite communities (Arlington is generally considered a suburb of Fort Worth for those of you who didn't know), services, and individual economic contributions.

[travelinmiles]

Galveston isn't a big city, but its past was crucial to the development of Houston. At the end of the nineteenth century, it was on par with New York in terms of development, population and business. Today, we recognize Galvestion as a significant part of the metro, especially for its position on the coast, but it does not hold near the amount of economic or developmental prominence as Houston.

Dallas and Fort Worth on the other hand both developed and grew closer together, but retained their separate identities. Both are large cities with their own satellite communities (Arlington is generally considered a suburb of Fort Worth for those of you who didn't know), services, and individual economic contributions.

This is true, Dallas and Fort Worth do anchor the east and west side of the metroplex. In fact, there are plans to start express bus service into Downtown Fort Worth from Arlington. Growing up out there, I can attest that it is needed. But Houston does have a more international flair than Dallas but Big D seems to have a bit more attitude and is more of a regional draw (Oklahoma, Arkansas, and parts of Louisiana). Fort Worth serves as a hub for much of west Texas and parts of Oklahoma. There isn't much west of Fort Worth once you leave Weatherford heading west on 20. Nothing really big meaning over 1 million until you hit Denver or Phoniex which are well over 12-16 hours away. ABQ, El Paso, and Tuscon are almost at 1 million and are the first two are about 8-10 hours away. Houston gets a lot of people from Latin America, and all along the Gulf Coast.

[Superstar]

Galveston isn't a big city, but its past was crucial to the development of Houston. At the end of the nineteenth century, it was on par with New York in terms of development, population and business. Today, we recognize Galvestion as a significant part of the metro, especially for its position on the coast, but it does not hold near the amount of economic or developmental prominence as Houston.

Dallas and Fort Worth on the other hand both developed and grew closer together, but retained their separate identities. Both are large cities with their own satellite communities (Arlington is generally considered a suburb of Fort Worth for those of you who didn't know), services, and individual economic contributions.

The paragraph about Dallas and Fort Worth mirrors my point about Houston and Galveston, granted on a much, much smaller scale. The fact is Galveston still does have an identity all it's own while some may say it's now a suburb
of Houston, well give me a huge distinction between Houston and Sugar Land or Houston and Cypress.

Once you leave the mainland you do get that sense of being somewhere different while you are crossing the Causeway. The arcitecture, beaches (including the seawall), and the isolation all play a role in this. The culture there is different from even the nearby communities toi the north. Galveston has it's own satelite communities too, granted on a much smaller scale. Everywhere south of League City in Galveston County gravitates more toward the Island than it does to Houston and it has been that way historically.

I'm not saying it's anywhere close to being on par with Fort Worth, but it' still unique.

[KevinFromTexas]

I would never consider Galveston to be a suburb of Houston, or a suburb at all. It's strange to think that Galveston might actually have been the bigger city, (or at least much bigger than it is now), had things happened differently. Kind of sad. Although Galveston has still really kept its charm and mystique.

The similarities and differences of all of Texas' cities was something that I was always interested in when I was growing up. It's one of the things that got me interested in cities at all, the fact that we have so many different places all in a relative location.

[tennreb]

Which city has the better nightlife?

[Shasta]

Which city has the better nightlife?

Nacogdoches.

[totheskies]

LOL on the nightlife. This is where Houston is hurt severely by a lack of centralization. The main club districts are the Richmond corridor, Downtown, and Montrose. Then there are major clubs spread out all over town.

Dallas has Deep Ellum, which is nice b/c everything is confined to one area. Anything from under 18 clubs to swing dancing to jazz lounges are in the same place.

[JAM]

LOL on the nightlife. This is where Houston is hurt severely by a lack of centralization. The main club districts are the Richmond corridor, Downtown, and Montrose. Then there are major clubs spread out all over town.

don't forget: Uptown, Rice Village, Midtown. Most everything "Inside the Loop" is about a 10-15 dollar cab fare away.

[Austin55]

Looking at pictures, it would take me several hours to distinguish Katy from Mansfield.
quote, Mansfield houston area or mansfield dallas area?

[travelinmiles]

Looking at pictures, it would take me several hours to distinguish Katy from Mansfield.
quote, Mansfield houston area or mansfield dallas area?

Mansfield is a suburb of Fort Worth 20 miles southeast of downtown along 287. Katy is a suburb of Houston 30 miles west of downtown on I-10.

[Austin55]

:previous: :haha: Thanks I live in mansfield TX so I know where it is.. but I wasnt sure if there was one near Houston

[Metro Matt]

LOL on the nightlife. This is where Houston is hurt severely by a lack of centralization. The main club districts are the Richmond corridor, Downtown, and Montrose. Then there are major clubs spread out all over town.

Dallas has Deep Ellum, which is nice b/c everything is confined to one area. Anything from under 18 clubs to swing dancing to jazz lounges are in the same place.

Deep Ellum for the most part is dead & is NOTHING like it was 7 years ago, Downtown Houston is becoming the same way from what I hear with the city trying to shut down all the night clubs & make it more "liveable" all the night life that once was in Downtown Houston has moved to Midtown.

[Metro Matt]

Which city has the better nightlife?

IMO Dallas has an edge on nightlife with a better club scene. Theres also more afterhours to choose from to keep you dancing till the sun comes up if you're into Electronic Dance Music like me.

[Metro Matt]

Similarities:

Freeways, Freeways, & more Freeways.

Revitalizing their downtowns

Both growing fast enough to make your head spin

Both are very important to Texas & the US economically

Both are majority conservative with Houston being a little less so

Churches everywhere

Differences:

Houston is more of an international city with culture & diversity everywhere you look

Houston has larger freeways & taller buildings

Dallas seems to have more "old" money & more 30K a year millionaire "hipsters" driving their 3 Series Beemers like they're hot stuff

Different music scenes, you're more likely to catch your favorite band, artist, or global DJ in Dallas. Houston doesn't seem to offer much beyond its thriving Southern Hip Hop scene.

Houston is much greener with trees & forested land in & near the city, Dallas is more sparse with shorter vegetation & less of it

Houston is semi-tropical with its humid weather & palm trees as a reminder you're not far away from the Gulf, Dallas gets the dry arid summers & cold snowy winters.

Dallas is built on rolling prairie land with many surrounding lakes & a river running through the city, Houston is built on pancake flat coastal land with bayous, swamps, & the ocean near by.

Houston is more of a blue collar industrial city & medical institution, Dallas is a big business, financial, & IT city with more white collar office jobs

Dallas looks better maintained & cleaner over all with less "In your face" billboards & signs plastered everywhere thanks to a few zoning laws. The power lines & stop lights strung all over the place make Houston ugly with the exception of the Galleria area with its sleek, futuristic looking stainless steel street signs & stop lights.

Houston has a seaport & intercontinental airport, Dallas has a major airport & is a hub for international air travel

[Shasta]

Houston has a seaport & intercontinental airport, Dallas has a major airport & is a hub for international air travel[/QUOTE]

Houston's IAH is a busier internationl airport than DFW. DFW carries a lot more passengers but the large majority of people traveling through are connecting to domestic destinations.

On average, IAH offers about 6,300 more DAILY seats than DFW on international flights.

Continental (based at IAH) serves many more international destinations non-stop than American (based at DFW). Countries served from IAH but not DFW include The Netherdlands, Taiwan, El Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador, Trinidad, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Bonaire, Nicaragua, Angola, and Jamaica.

IAH also has more interntional carriers than DFW. Here's each airport's list of Int'l Carriers;

DFW- Air Canada (3 daily flights), British Air (1 daily flight), Lufthansa (1 daily flight), Korean (1 daily flight), and Mexicana (2 daily flights)

IAH- Taca (1 daily flight), Lufthansa (1 daily flight), KLM (2 daily flights), China Airlines (1 daily flight), British Air (3 daily flights), Cayman (3 weekly flights), Aviacsa (1 daily flight), Air France (2 daily flights), AeroMexico (3 daily flights), and Air Canada (6 daily flights). Emirates will start new non-stop service to Dubai in December too.

[totheskies]

Similarities:

Freeways, Freeways, & more Freeways.

Revitalizing their downtowns

Both growing fast enough to make your head spin

Both are very important to Texas & the US economically

Both are majority conservative with Houston being a little less so

Churches everywhere

Differences:



Houston is more of an international city with culture & diversity everywhere you look

Houston has larger freeways & taller buildings

Dallas seems to have more "old" money & more 30K a year millionaire "hipsters" driving their 3 Series Beemers like they're hot stuff

Different music scenes, you're more likely to catch your favorite band, artist, or global DJ in Dallas. Houston doesn't seem to offer much beyond its thriving Southern Hip Hop scene.

Houston is much greener with trees & forested land in & near the city, Dallas is more sparse with shorter vegetation & less of it

Houston is semi-tropical with its humid weather & palm trees as a reminder you're not far away from the Gulf, Dallas gets the dry arid summers & cold snowy winters.

Dallas is built on rolling prairie land with many surrounding lakes & a river running through the city, Houston is built on pancake flat coastal land with bayous, swamps, & the ocean near by.

Houston is more of a blue collar industrial city & medical institution, Dallas is a big business, financial, & IT city with more white collar office jobs

Dallas looks better maintained & cleaner over all with less "In your face" billboards & signs plastered everywhere thanks to a few zoning laws. The power lines & stop lights strung all over the place make Houston ugly with the exception of the Galleria area with its sleek, futuristic looking stainless steel street signs & stop lights.

Houston has a seaport & intercontinental airport, Dallas has a major airport & is a hub for international air travel


Much of that is true, yes.... but the summers can get pretty damn hot and sticky in Dallas too, but Houston's sticky weather lasts much longer. Also the music secenes are both pretty diverse. While Houston certainly has the urban music scene for Texas, there's also a wealth of classical music and performing arts with HGO (Houston Grand Opera), the Houston Symphony, and the Houston Ballet. Dallas has the better symphony, while Houston is more of an opera town. I think I have a place in my heart for Meyerson as the "nicest" hall among the two, but then Houston has a lot more performance venues.

LOL when you look at it, this thread is a lot like comparing oranges and tangerines :cheers:

[Sky Candy]

H and D are a lot more similar than different. Whatever fault or attribution you can find in one you can find in the other.

There are very few things that you can do in one city that you can't do in the other that have much significance.

Dallas has just as much ugliness as Houston. Billboards, powerlines, freeway blight ect. It all depends on what and where you want to compare. Houston has some beautiful areas such as Hermann Park, the Museum District, the Theatre District, Allen Parkway, Memorial Park, Uptown and Downtown skylines ect. Dallas has some nice areas too, Uptown, Arts District, White Rock Lake ect., but let's not pretend that Dallas doesn't have more than its fair share of ugliness. Anyone who says one city is significantly prettier or uglier is just showing home town bias or has some sort of agenda.

One of the most notable differences is that Houston has more landscape diversity. There are prairies to the west, pine forests and little hills to the north, rivers and wetlands to the east, and beaches to the south. In Dallas, there is nothing but rolling prairies in every direction.

Houston is greener all year. Better chance of seeing some snow in Dallas which is a nice change of pace for a few days. It has been known to snow in Houston (especially in the northern burbs, but it's rare). Snow in H and D is fun, unlike the north where it is an ordeal. In metro Texas, it's a holiday.

As far as blue collar/white collar population, again it all depends on what you want to compare. I don't think you get a real sense that the people from Dallas are THAT much different than people from Houston on a general level. Both cities have a relatively friendly population compared to places like San Francisco, Chicago, and New York.

I have heard all the old stereotypes of Dallas folk being more pretentious than Houston folk but my actual life experiences of living in both cities have never convinced me that it was true. Dallas people are just as nice as Houston people. They are also just as sophisitated or unsophisticated. It varies from person to person, and it might depend on what parts of each town you want to compare, but I don't see a lot of differences in overall attitude in general.

The biggest similarity of all is that people from both cities love to fight about which city is the greatest in Texas.

Truth is, everyone knows deep down that it's pretty much a tie, whether they will admit it or not. As far as quality of life, H and D are like two different houses in a row of cookie cutter homes. They are pretty much the same except that the furniture is arranged a little differently inside. Oh - and one has a sea port in the basement.

[JAM]

While Houston certainly has the urban music scene for Texas, there's also a wealth of classical music and performing arts with HGO (Houston Grand Opera), the Houston Symphony, and the Houston Ballet.

Houston has been said to be only 2nd to Chicago in the Blues music scene.

[FloodedChevy]

I lived in Waco for 5 years and moved out in 2005. I got to visit both cities many times.

Every time I went to Dallas I got the felling that it, along with Fort Worth were very Texas.

While visiting Houston I always felt like it was more southernish and not so much Texasish.

I love them both and realized how much you get energy from your suroundings after living in Waco for what ended up being way to long.

[KevinFromTexas]

Houston has been said to be only 2nd to Chicago in the Blues music scene.

I don't know. Dallas has spawned some Texas greats. Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, T-Bone Walker. There's more of course.

Although Houston does and did have some greats. Lightin' Hopkins, ZZ Top, Johnny Winter, (Beaumont actually).

Austin actually was the birthplace of few Texas blues musicians, but is home to most of them or at least has great ties to them helping start their careers. As a HUGE blues fan myself, (my favorite genre), I can attest to that. So although few of these were actually born here, these folks are regulars in Austin. Just off the top of my head, some of our greats include, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Johnson, Doyle Bramhall II, Marcia Ball, Bonnie Raitt, Malford Milligan, Los Lonely Boys, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, The Arc Angles, Double Trouble, Storyville, Janis Joplin and Ian Moore.

Music of Texas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Texas

Texas Blues
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Blues

[LouisianaRush]

I don't think you get a real sense that the people from Dallas are THAT much different than people from Houston on a general level. Both cities have a relatively friendly population compared to places like San Francisco, Chicago, and New York.



To me the people of Chicago and NYC were friendlier than the people in Dallas. From my experiences the people in Dallas and Miami are the rudest people in the country.

[KevinFromTexas]

I recall one trip to Dallas not giving me the best impression of it.

A forumer here and myself were up there for personal business of his. The appointment was on the 65th floor of Bank of America Plaza. So we park in downtown, walk the 2 blocks around the corner to the building. Enter the building, cross the very public lobby and head for the elevator bank. This 5 foot nothing security guard hollers, "Excuse me, sirs!" We just keep walking because the place had a lot of people in there so we had no idea the guy was talking to us. So he says again louder, "Hey you guys, hey you two!" I look back to see what the commotion is and he's trying to get our attention. So I mention that he's calling for us. Well, the braver of the two SSP forum members in the building that day, (not I), said: "Just ignore him and keep walking." :haha: So we go on to the elevators. Anyway, he catches up with us wanting to know where we're headed. We give him the name of the company, he replies that they're not a tenant in the building anymore. My friend says, that they actually are and he had indeed called them before we left Austin that morning. Anyway, he says very well and lets us go on up. So we get up to the office, and while we're waiting sitting in the office, another security guard strolls past the office and glares in. We mention all this to the secretary that their security guards are bit anal. Anyway, we get done in less than 30 minutes and of course being respectable skyscraper geeks, we head for higher floors hoping for an available window for some views. None were found, except one through a locked office. Not much to see, except snaking highways 850 feet below. So we head back down to the lobby to leave. As we walk across the lobby the short security guard gives us another look like, "How dare you!" and we keep going. As we walk out the main entrance into the plaza there are two Dallas police cars sitting infront of the building that were not there when we got there. :rolleyes: We left downtown and hit up a barbecue joint, (Sonny Bryant's). So yeah, that was my first encounter of downtown Dallas.

Of course this isn't really reflective of Dallas, just one a-hole with a flashlight and keys.

[jwt86]

*Houston has a flagship university. Conversely they both have an academic powerhouse (Rice, SMU)

Just an aside, but I would hardly call SMU, or even Rice for that matter an "academic powerhouse." Aside from Rice having a stronger undergrad by virtue of being a small selective private, the real academic powerhouse of Texas is actually in Austin. Whenever academic rankings come up from sources like the National Research Council, or London Times, or USNWR graduate rankings, UT-Austin is #1 in Texas almost 100% of the time.

<rant off>

[Shasta]

Just an aside, but I would hardly call SMU, or even Rice for that matter an "academic powerhouse." Aside from Rice having a stronger undergrad by virtue of being a small selective private, the real academic powerhouse of Texas is actually in Austin. Whenever academic rankings come up from sources like the National Research Council, or London Times, or USNWR graduate rankings, UT-Austin is #1 in Texas almost 100% of the time.

<rant off>

Got rejected by Rice, eh? :)

Rice isn't only a stellar school because it is small and private. It is also stellar because it draws really bright students and allows them to be big fish in a small pond.

Watch out for Rice in the coming years too. With plans to double the number of students (putting Rice in the company size-wise of Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, Vandy, etc...) as well as increasing collaboration with the numerous institutions in the Texas Medical Center adjacent to the campus, the Owls are getting ready to take flight.

It also doesn't hurt that the Houston economy is booming.

[BSofA04]

H and D are a lot more similar than different. Whatever fault or attribution you can find in one you can find in the other.

There are very few things that you can do in one city that you can't do in the other that have much significance.

Dallas has just as much ugliness as Houston. Billboards, powerlines, freeway blight ect. It all depends on what and where you want to compare. Houston has some beautiful areas such as Hermann Park, the Museum District, the Theatre District, Allen Parkway, Memorial Park, Uptown and Downtown skylines ect. Dallas has some nice areas too, Uptown, Arts District, White Rock Lake ect., but let's not pretend that Dallas doesn't have more than its fair share of ugliness. Anyone who says one city is significantly prettier or uglier is just showing home town bias or has some sort of agenda.

One of the most notable differences is that Houston has more landscape diversity. There are prairies to the west, pine forests and little hills to the north, rivers and wetlands to the east, and beaches to the south. In Dallas, there is nothing but rolling prairies in every direction.

Houston is greener all year. Better chance of seeing some snow in Dallas which is a nice change of pace for a few days. It has been known to snow in Houston (especially in the northern burbs, but it's rare). Snow in H and D is fun, unlike the north where it is an ordeal. In metro Texas, it's a holiday.

As far as blue collar/white collar population, again it all depends on what you want to compare. I don't think you get a real sense that the people from Dallas are THAT much different than people from Houston on a general level. Both cities have a relatively friendly population compared to places like San Francisco, Chicago, and New York.

I have heard all the old stereotypes of Dallas folk being more pretentious than Houston folk but my actual life experiences of living in both cities have never convinced me that it was true. Dallas people are just as nice as Houston people. They are also just as sophisitated or unsophisticated. It varies from person to person, and it might depend on what parts of each town you want to compare, but I don't see a lot of differences in overall attitude in general.

The biggest similarity of all is that people from both cities love to fight about which city is the greatest in Texas.

Truth is, everyone knows deep down that it's pretty much a tie, whether they will admit it or not. As far as quality of life, H and D are like two different houses in a row of cookie cutter homes. They are pretty much the same except that the furniture is arranged a little differently inside. Oh - and one has a sea port in the basement.

Thank you. You pretty much summed up my feelings about the two major cities. Both are great in their own respect and Texas wouldn't be the same without them.

[Great_Hizzy]

Just an aside, but I would hardly call SMU, or even Rice for that matter an "academic powerhouse.

Gee, no point in reading much after that. There's not even the standby entertainment factor that's associated with other interesting little "points" made about what's in and what's not that you often come across here.