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For anyone thinking the pronouncement that Houston will never be the same is mere hyperbole and hand-wringing: At one time, Galveston was a prominent, prosperou

by Mz 9y ago

For anyone thinking the pronouncement that Houston will never be the same is mere hyperbole and hand-wringing: At one time, Galveston was a prominent, prosperous city. Then it was hit by a hurricane and was never the same: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galveston,_Texas https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galveston,_Texas On September 8, 1900, the island was struck by a devastating hurricane. This event holds the record as the United States' deadliest natural disaster. The city was devastated, and an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 people on the island were killed. Despite attempts to draw investment to the city after the hurricane, Galveston never returned to its levels of national importance or prosperity.

dreamcompiler 9y ago
Okay, reality check time. Houston is the ninth busiest port in the US [0], it's the epicenter of the biggest petroleum refining region in the US [1], it has a huge banking and white-collar infrastructure, it contains a bunch of world-class universities [2], and has the largest medical center in the world [3]. None of this was true for Galveston in 1900 except the bit about being a port. Houston has taken a big hit, but it's not leaving the global stage. [0] http://www.nglog.com/about-us/the_usas_busiest_ports http://www.nglog.com/about-us/the_usas_busiest_ports [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_refining_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_refining_in_the_Unit... [2] https://www.visithoustontexas.com/about-houston/colleges-and-universities/ https://www.visithoustontexas.com/about-houston/colleges-and... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Medical_Center https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Medical_Center
- Mz 9y ago
  Saying it will never be the same is not the same as saying it will leave the global stage. I can't fathom where that leap of logic comes from. The only point I was making is that cities can be permanently significantly altered by a single disaster. It has happened before. Galveston is not the only example, it just readily came to mind because it is close to Houston. If you want another example: London was permanently altered by the Great Fire of London, which is credited with helping make it one of the most modern and powerful cities on the planet. But, in most cases, disasters don't dramatically improve a city and most people find my Shirley Temple-esque tendency to look on the bright side pretty offensive when they are having a crisis. So, I try to keep that in mind.
  - dreamcompiler 9y ago
    > I can't fathom where that leap of logic comes from. I came from your comparison with Galveston, which was quite prominent on the world stage before 1900 but never was afterward. Of course Houston will be changed by Harvey, but the kind of change that happened to Galveston is wholly inapplicable to Houston.
    - Mz 9y ago
      We don't really know what the future of Houston will look like post Harvey. Only time will tell how applicable the comparison to Galveston is in various metrics. Humans are notoriously bad at predicting the future.

by Mz 9y ago

dreamcompiler 9y ago

Okay, reality check time. Houston is the ninth busiest port in the US [0], it's the epicenter of the biggest petroleum refining region in the US [1], it has a huge banking and white-collar infrastructure, it contains a bunch of world-class universities [2], and has the largest medical center in the world [3]. None of this was true for Galveston in 1900 except the bit about being a port. Houston has taken a big hit, but it's not leaving the global stage. [0] http://www.nglog.com/about-us/the_usas_busiest_ports http://www.nglog.com/about-us/the_usas_busiest_ports [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_refining_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_refining_in_the_Unit... [2] https://www.visithoustontexas.com/about-houston/colleges-and-universities/ https://www.visithoustontexas.com/about-houston/colleges-and... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Medical_Center https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Medical_Center

Mz 9y ago
Saying it will never be the same is not the same as saying it will leave the global stage. I can't fathom where that leap of logic comes from. The only point I was making is that cities can be permanently significantly altered by a single disaster. It has happened before. Galveston is not the only example, it just readily came to mind because it is close to Houston. If you want another example: London was permanently altered by the Great Fire of London, which is credited with helping make it one of the most modern and powerful cities on the planet. But, in most cases, disasters don't dramatically improve a city and most people find my Shirley Temple-esque tendency to look on the bright side pretty offensive when they are having a crisis. So, I try to keep that in mind.
- dreamcompiler 9y ago
  > I can't fathom where that leap of logic comes from. I came from your comparison with Galveston, which was quite prominent on the world stage before 1900 but never was afterward. Of course Houston will be changed by Harvey, but the kind of change that happened to Galveston is wholly inapplicable to Houston.
  - Mz 9y ago
    We don't really know what the future of Houston will look like post Harvey. Only time will tell how applicable the comparison to Galveston is in various metrics. Humans are notoriously bad at predicting the future.