Houston is the home of the US oil & gas industry and has one of the largest and most advanced medical centers in the world. There's a lot of money in Houston; keeping housing relatively affordable with so many affluent people competing for it is actually an accomplishment.
Houston's a great buy compared to Silicon Valley, but I wouldn't say its cost of living is low on a national scale at all. It's still drastically more expensive than most American cities (it's the 4th largest, after all). Most inner-loop neighborhoods are filled with million dollar homes, most of which are not mansions.
Don't get me wrong, I love Houston. But it's not just a sea of cheap McMansions. There are a lot of very highly paid oil executives, corporate attorneys, and physicians (Texas Medical Center) who can easily afford a $1M+ home so the urban core of the city is really transforming into a much more expensive and exclusive area.
5000 homes a year doesn't sound like much. Houston, one of the most affordable metro areas in the United States, built enough housing for 160000 new residents last year. That's probably at least 50000 homes.
With all respect to your personal preferences, Houston is one of the fastest growing metro in the US, with lower housing costs, a healthy middle class, and a booming economy.
Houston is one of the most economically segregated cities and they are always building new cheap houses and apartments there, especially in the exurban developments where they build tract homes endlessly and sell them for $150k.
Every large city has a desirable neighborhood with million dollar lots. But if you look at # of houses within 15 minutes of downtown that cost less than 200k. Houston is one of few that's still affordable.
It's not just Houston. Austin, San Antonio and DFW are also affordable. Texas has grown remarkably economically and demographically over the past 20 years.
Have a look at the demographia report on housing affordability (p27):
Texas also has fairly high land taxes that help to reduce prices.
Less zoning really does work. Another possibility is setting up a body like the Reserve Bank for a state or city that releases more land for housing and increases height restrictions when housing affordability becomes an issue.
In part because building housing in places like San Francisco and NYC is incredibly expensive. Trying to house people with the least means in the most expensive corners of the planet doesn't make a lot of sense to be frank about it.
Houston may be more of a middle ground in terms of building cost and access to land.
I love Houston. I lived there for several years growing up, having moved their from the SF Bay Area. Yes, it has sprawl like none other. From the westernmost point on I-10 to the easternmost is about 50 miles and growing every year. Yes, you need a car. But it's a fascinating place on a scale few cities can rival.
Houston is home to the world's largest medical center. 20,000 doctors and it was started as a tax dodge! It's the most ethnically diverse city in America, moreso than LA or NYC. It's affordable, the schools are good (in the burbs anyways) and the food is unbeatable, from endless pho shops on Westheimer, Iranian and Turkish in West Houston and creative restaurants like Pass and Provision or Underbelly in Montrose. One of the largest private art collections in the world is smack in the middle of the city.
The people are friendly and welcoming and as tolerant as you'll ever find (Houston has the nation's first openly lesbian mayor). Unless you're on the road in which case everyone is a raging maniac trying to kill you. Houston's drivers are the most balls-to-the-wall crazy I've ever seen and I'm typing this from Penang in Malaysia...
> Sometimes it seems like Houston doesn't so much have an economy as a local oil-money leak.
This stereotypical perception of Houston is false, as it does have a diversified economy. For example, it is home of the Texas Medical Center -- the largest medical center in the world. In addition, is also as industrial center for aerospace, as NASA's Johnson Space Center is also located in Houston.
Regarding Houston, it's among the fastest growing cities in the US. People are moving there in droves from the coasts. It's also not even remotely as cheap as a lot of people think.
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