First came the Karankawa, the Indigenous peoples who lived on Texas’s Gulf Coast for hundreds of years. Then the Allen brothers, who bought a swath of land in 1836 for a mere $5,000. With a misleading brochure that made the terrain look hilly and picturesque, they set out to convince speculators of this fantastic idea to build a city on a muddy swamp. Even with these grand ambitions, they probably didn’t realize they were creating what would become the United States’ fourth-largest city.
Somehow, the Houston of today is still growing. More than 20,000 townhouses have been built in the past 20 years, dividing lots formerly occupied by single-family homes to make room for denser housing. Residential high-rises are getting higher and more luxurious by the floor. Whole crops of meticulously manicured master-planned communities have sprouted from prairie in newly formed suburbs around the Houston area, contributing to the city’s infamous sprawl. Down in those floodplains—you know, the ones that Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen thought were sound enough to plonk a city on—many residents who’ve been impacted by hurricanes decided not to move out, but to build up. The I-45 expansion will add lanes to the already gargantuan freeway while bulldozing more than 1,500 homes, businesses, and places of worship. Our parks and green spaces are growing, though, thanks to well-funded beautification projects.
What’s not growing in Houston? Our public transit system, for one. And opportunities for low-income families, who are often left out of Houston’s growth, pushed out by development that claimed to be for them. Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly in Boomtown.
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Published in the Welcome to Boomtown! issue of Houstonia Magazine.
How the Philanthropy of Nancy and Rich Kinder Has Shaped Houston
The couple is worth an estimated $8.1 billion, and they’re giving almost all of it back to their adopted city.
The Suburban Utopia Promise of Bridgeland
With master-planned communities, developers have created entire cities out of nothing on the outskirts of Houston.
Can the New East River and Houston’s Historic Fifth Ward Coexist?
The developer Midway and longtime residents are trying to come up with solutions.
The Houston High-Rise Apartments That May Be Worth $2,000 (Maybe)
From offering amazing downtown views to smart home technology, the city’s newest luxury properties are competing for high-earning residents.
How Detached Townhouses Took Over Houston
A rare find in other US cities, they’ve become the de facto style built in Houston thanks to our construction-friendly ethos.
What It’s Actually like to Use Public Transit in Houston
Although Houston is growing, its public transit system hasn’t become any more efficient.
Houstonians Are Spending Top Dollar to Lift Their Homes
Faced with the threat of more floods and changing city codes, many residents are choosing to build up.
Is an Affordable Home within the 610 Loop Still a Thing in Houston?
With the help of a local real estate agent, we go on a wild-goose chase to find a $350,000 home in the city.
A Guide to Surviving Houston’s Growth
Experts weigh in on what to do if you’re facing a tough situation, from navigating eviction and eminent domain to cleaning up after a flood.
Houston’s Growth by the Numbers
We look at the stats that define the city's relentless expansion.
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