Yah, we get along fine without zoning laws. We have this wonderful urban sprawl and no hope for useful public transit. Oh and the surprises! Buy a nice house in

Yah, we get along fine without zoning laws. We have this wonderful urban sprawl and no hope for useful public transit. Oh and the surprises! Buy a nice house in a new neighborhood and just wait to see what pops up nearby! It could be anything, like a drill pipe manufacturing plant! But if you don't like your neighborhood, just wait for the next dip in oil prices, you'll have all new neighbors when the price goes back up and people buy up the foreclosed homes in your neighborhood and turn them into rental homes. Constant new people to meet! Sometimes they even cut their grass! Want to protect your investment in your home? Don't worry developers will be quick to build low cost apartments around your house the moment enough retail exists. Who needs equity! Look, I lived in San Francisco, Chicago, and elsewhere. It is definitely easier to exist here in Houston because it's damn cheap, but it sure as hell ain't pretty.