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Exactly. This is making Dallas County look expensive, when in fact it is one of the most affordable major metro areas in the US. The "elite Texas counties" th
by vonmoltke 11y ago
Exactly. This is making Dallas County look expensive, when in fact it is one of the most affordable major metro areas in the US.
The "elite Texas counties" the article refers to are really a figment of data representation. Sure, those counties have neighborhoods or small towns that are stupid expensive, but they are the exception. All of them are highly populous, though; all five dark red counties (Dallas, Tarrant, Harris, Travis, Bexar) are in the top-20 most populous counties in the US.
- JoeAltmaier 11y agoThat doesn't jibe with the map data - land prices in that county are anything but affordable, regardless of how many people live there, right?
- dragonwriter 11y agoThe map shows total land price in the county. It doesn't measure anything like affordability of land (which would be measured by something like price / unit area of land) or residential affordability (which would be measured by something like price / unit area of home.)
- JoeAltmaier 11y agoGot it, thanks!
- vonmoltke 11y agoThe data is purporting to show total property value, not land value. Thus, a residential tower with 400 units at $100,000 each and occupying five acres adds $40 million to the valuation. In contrast, a five-acre spread with a single mansion might only be worth $5 million. Thus, a county with more residential towers will have a higher aggregate value than a county with more luxury mansions, even though the former is much more affordable.