Houston

[HangryHippo]

That would be my plan. I lived in Charlotte which is much more humid than OKC so I think I can handle the humidity. As far as traffic, I'll be renting a room from my friend until I find a job and then I'll get an apartment near wherever I'm working. Dallas traffic can be bad but it's typically manageable. Is Houston that much worse?

Yes.

[rte66man]

That would be my plan. I lived in Charlotte which is much more humid than OKC so I think I can handle the humidity. As far as traffic, I'll be renting a room from my friend until I find a job and then I'll get an apartment near wherever I'm working. Dallas traffic can be bad but it's typically manageable. Is Houston that much worse?

It depends on the area. IMO, the traffic is worse the farther out you get from downtown.

[Bellaboo]

That would be my plan. I lived in Charlotte which is much more humid than OKC so I think I can handle the humidity. As far as traffic, I'll be renting a room from my friend until I find a job and then I'll get an apartment near wherever I'm working. Dallas traffic can be bad but it's typically manageable. Is Houston that much worse?

Houston traffic is WAY worse than Dallas. But if you can afford to live close to your work it could be manageable. And the Hurricanes are only part of the problem. It's the 50 inches of rain that comes along with it that is devastating. Houston is at least 45 miles from the coast so not as much wind effect as Galveston gets.

[bchris02]

It depends on the area. IMO, the traffic is worse the farther out you get from downtown.

Good to know. Yeah, if I move there I'm going to try to live inside the 610 loop, unless my job is out somewhere like the Woodlands or Katy.

[Plutonic Panda]

Speaking of Houston: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/a...ign=news-local

Knowing Houston and it’s joke of a rail network this will likely be a semi quasi streetcar. Hopefully I’m proved wrong and a fully grade separated option is chosen. Houston desperately needs to expand its rail network.

[bchris02]

Speaking of Houston: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/a...ign=news-local

Knowing Houston and it’s joke of a rail network this will likely be a semi quasi streetcar. Hopefully I’m proved wrong and a fully grade separated option is chosen. Houston desperately needs to expand its rail network.

I agree. I just recently looked into it and I'm surprised how basic it is compared to DART. It's still better than Phoenix's though.

If I move to Phoenix it's more for the climate, scenery, and the outdoor recreation that Arizona offers and also the easy access to Vegas and California. The desert southwest also has a special place in my heart and always has. Phoenix traffic also flows much smoother than Houston. The metro area isn't that much smaller either. It will just be more expensive and more difficult for me to go there. I might still do it though.

There's a lot to like about Houston though despite its negatives, in my opinion. City alone (not considering geography or climate), Houston wins over Phoenix.

[Plutonic Panda]

^^^^Phoenix is a cool city and has lots of amazing nearby destinations that Houston lacks. Phoenix has an incredible freeway system with many more freeways being planned. Tucson is a bit anti freeway but the two metros are growing as close as they can and are limited due to the preservation between them. Phoenix is a great city though you are correct as a city Houston has them beat in terms of amenities offered. Believe it or not, IIRC, Phoenix has taken a sharp anti-rail turn and have talked about possible drastic service reductions. They are hardly the only city to do this though it stings more in Phoenix as they have a wimpy mass transit system. Their bus network is not bad though. I’d say Phoenix best in recreation and weather to add.

You really can’t go wrong with either city. I am not too familiar with Houston, TBH. I think Dallas as a city is more advanced and ahead in many ways but Houston is more authentic whereas Dallas is more cookie cutter. Phoenix certainly has its fair share of cookie cutter but you will find areas that have tons of character there as well as many small towns. Phoenix is booming with population growth showing no signs of stopping so I can only imagine the city will continue to get better.

Connections to Las Vegas should become much better when the I-11 corridor is built between the two cities but when that is becomes anyone’s guess. Right now they are caught up with finding a route through Kingman and then moving south of I-40. Good news for relief of summer heat becomes driving to Las Vegas and going to Mt. Charleston, heading to Flagstaff, or a trip down I-10 to the beach. Mexico is at your doorstep and though I’m not familiar with the Texas border-towns(Mexico side) I can tell you that Tijuana is pretty safe city. I’ve been so many times and my recommendation is to take red line trolley to the border and walk over. It will save so much time coming back into US.

Houston is a likely contender to become a next mega city if they play their cards right. I think the only major issues with Houston are the seemingly constant floods which will likely only get worse with climate change.

[JoninATX]

Margaritaville resorts opens in Lake Conroe

June 29th 2020

Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe - Houston has officially opened its first Texas location and is welcoming visitors and, of course, Jimmy Buffett fans.

Set on 186 waterfront acres on the shores of Lake Conroe, the 20-story resort features 303 luxury suites, as well as 32 lakefront cottages with available boat slips. Five signature Margaritaville-inspired restaurants and bars dot the complex, anchored by LandShark Bar & Grill, offering panoramic views of Lake Conroe.

The three-acre Jolly Mon Water Park boasts a lazy river, an all-ages pool, waterslides, a splash zone, plus a year-round heated pool. Active guests can also look for a family-friendly 18-hole golf course, miniature golf course, pickleball and tennis courts, and a 10,000-square-foot Fins Up Fitness Center.

https://houston.culturemap.com/news/...-pool/#slide=4

[mugofbeer]

I wish they could do something like that at the old Lake Texoma State Park. It would be a gold mine.

[Jersey Boss]

I wish a deserving city in Oklahoma could be getting this kind of federal funding.

Bike lanes coming to Houston's Shepherd-Durham with $40 million boost from federal funds
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.hou...n-15377889.php

[JoninATX]

steven holl-designed 'kinder building' for the museum of fine arts, houston prepares to open

the museum of fine arts, houston (MFAH) has announced that its new building — the ‘nancy and rich kinder building’ — will open to the public on november 21, 2020. designed by steven holl architects, the latest addition to the institution’s ‘sarofim campus’ is dedicated to presenting works from the museum’s international collections of modern and contemporary art. it will open with the first comprehensive installation of these works, drawn from the collections of latin american and latino art; photography; prints and drawings; decorative arts, craft, and design; and modern and contemporary art.

designed by steven holl architects, the trapezoidal concrete ‘kinder building’ is clad with vertical glass tubes that emit a soft glow at night in a pattern across its façades. five rectangular courtyard pools are inset along the perimeter, emphasizing the building’s openness to its surroundings. ‘light enters the kinder building through the ‘luminous canopy’ of its roof, modeled on the billowing clouds of the texas sky, and light emerges from the cladding of soft-etched translucent glass tubes, whose glowing presence at night will add to the impact of the campus as a civic experience for all of houston,’ explains steven holl.

https://www.designboom.com/architect...on-09-15-2020/

[JoninATX]

https://flic.kr/p/2jzKnuE by Michael Soukup, on Flickr

[Plutonic Panda]

Beautiful beautiful city

[JoninATX]

Indeed it is.

[JoninATX]

Financing has been approved for TMC3 Collaborative Building and Helix Gardens.



https://www.instagram.com/thetexasmedicalcenter/

[JoninATX]

AEROSPACE COMPANY TO MAKE 14-ACRE HEADQUARTERS AT HOUSTON SPACEPORT

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston's Spaceport will be the place where the world's first commercial space station will be built, according to Mayor Sylvester Turner.

The announcement was made during Tuesday's briefing, where Turner announced the partnership between the Houston Spaceport and Axiom Space.

According to Turner Axiom Space will construct a 14-acre headquarters. The headquarters "will be the world's first free-flying internationally available private space station that will serve as humanity's central hub for research, manufacturing, and commerce," Turner said.

The partnership is expected to bring more than 1,000 high-paying jobs, from engineers to scientists, mathematicians, and machinists.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/abc13.c...tation/8982663

[JoninATX]

Hewlett Packard Enterprise moving its headquarters from California to Houston area

HOUSTON – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that Hewlett Packard Enterprise is moving its headquarters from San Jose, California, to Spring, Texas.

The headquarters will be located at a new campus that will open in early 2022.

HPE is already established across Texas, with locations in Austin, Plano and Houston. The technology company has employed more than 2,600 Texans. HPE operates major product development, services, manufacturing and lab facilities in Houston and Austin, according to a release.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cli...outputType=amp

[JoninATX]

Congress Approves Houston Ship Channel Dredging Project

Expansion bringing more jobs to the Houston port area.

https://www.maritime-executive.com/a...edging-project

[JoninATX]

Some great shots of the Houston skyline

[Plutonic Panda]

What a beautiful city. I can’t wait until the I-45 downtown rebuild/expansion is complete. That will completely transform the area. I just wish Houston would build elevated heavy rail line Chicago.

[JoninATX]

What a beautiful city. I can’t wait until the I-45 downtown rebuild/expansion is complete. That will completely transform the area. I just wish Houston would build elevated heavy rail line Chicago.

Mass transit in Houston would be nice. What I would like the see for Houston light rail to extend to Hobby and or Bush International Airport.

[Plutonic Panda]

Mass transit in Houston would be nice. What I would like the see for Houston light rail to extend to Hobby and or Bush International Airport.

I just hope they don’t cheap out and build at grade rail basically being a glorified streetcar.

Are there any updates your way on the recently passed transit package? Proposed project timelines? I can’t wait until ground break for some real transit in Austin. That and the I-35 tunnels will change the city I think.

[JoninATX]

I just hope they don’t cheap out and build at grade rail basically being a glorified streetcar.

Are there any updates your way on the recently passed transit package? Proposed project timelines? I can’t wait until ground break for some real transit in Austin. That and the I-35 tunnels will change the city I think.

I don't think Houston has any transit (rail) projects at this time. I could be wrong though.

As for Austin, Proposition A & B did pass back in November. Some work is being done, mostly drilling for soil samples. I think later this year is when construction will happen. There hasn't been a definite timeline.

[Plutonic Panda]

I swore they planning for an extension of a rail line but maybe I’m wrong. I know as part of the I-45 project they plan on removing an at grade crossing and converting it to grade separation.

[JoninATX]

I swore they planning for an extension of a rail line but maybe I’m wrong. I know as part of the I-45 project they plan on removing an at grade crossing and converting it to grade separation.

The project looks like its in jeopardy.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.hou...ues-txdot/amp/