I work commercial construction in Houston and I keep seeing the boom in warehousing, manufacturing and distribution hubs being built. A good channel to watch that helps confirm Peter’s global view is “What the ship”. It covers all shipping and logistics.
Houston has poor infrastructure in regards to inclement weather events. The Texas attitude of "We dont need gov'ment" has allowed for very poor planning of drainage and water removal systems in the city as proven by the last two hurricanes to hit Houston.
@@jonnsmith180 That may be the case overall but there have been improvements since Harvey. Houston was unfortunately poorly planned as a city in the first place but that will hardly effect the manufacturing and shipping. Those aspects happen on the periphery away from the overstrained infrastructure. You wouldn’t believe how much effort it is nowadays to get a permit for warehousing and manufacturing without designing an extensive water mitigation system on site. These areas outside of the beltway have a laser focus on drain management since Harvey.
@@Lucas-hb1uq Yeah, to bad they didn't do squat before Harvey. It took a bunch of rich people having their homes flooded before the politicos we're really willing to do anything.
@@jonnsmith180 you're right man government planned cities are superior. It worked out very well for Russia. Don't say "what about common sense regulations" what abut California buddy.
@@prometheusjackson8787 Not everywhere. Get out of the decayed urban areas and the quality of live is good as is the culture. When you get into "deepest, darkest" Dem cities, yeah it is a sewer because the "deepest, "darkest" citizens of those cities are feral animals, but the Dems pander to them because those animals are allowed to vote.
@@DoubleDogDare54 The quality of life is on a constant decline and any good place left in America will begin to rot within decades. All those decayed cities used to be nice too
I'll move to Houston when they invent the air-conditioned suit. I agree with most of what Peter says. The oil industry will wither somewhat over the next 30 years because the move to EVs. There will still be a big requirement for petrochemicals. I don't expect to see significant demand reduction for oil for the next 10 years after that there will be a slow decline in demand.
Peter - Thank you for this wonderful analysis. I was born in Houston and my family is invested in the Richmond / Rosenberg area of Houston. I totally agree - right now and well into the fantastic future - things are amazing for the Houston, Texas, area. Gooooo Astroooos!
@@bighands69 i agree with why he covered heavy industry. Biotech in Houston is still developing and isn't as important as heavy industry at this moment. It makes sense but I'd like to see him make a full length video of Houston
Greetings from San Antonio. Really love the newsletter updates. Also recently purchased your latest book, The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning and find it fascinating. Thank you very much for the regular content.
As a former resident of Houston from 1980 until 1988 I can tell you it is one of the best cities I ever lived in during my adult life. Because of the career I chose required frequent moves….I’ve lived in Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Atlanta and New York…and…of course…Houston. Houston was the only city I regretted leaving. I LOVE Houston.
Just this week I heard 3 friends who moved from Houston lament their choice. I’ve lived here for 42 years and I can say I love the diversity of its people and its spaciousness.
@@Lb-dj7tc eh, i will give you the flooding but the traffic is not nearly as bad as other major cities I have been to. Also, air pollution is not nearly as bad as many cities like LA, etc.
The traffic is horrendous and the city is utterly car dependent. It may not be terrible in the exurbs but give it time. As far as air pollution I will just inquire as to why the largest medical and cancer center in the world is there.
Peter .... 'Houston, we don't have a problem'! Aside from the standard Chamber of Commerce' endorsement, this analysis rings true ;) As a Canadian mourning the fact we must ship our Alberta crude (Western Canadian Select) for refinement to Houston, it's good to know we have a competent neighbor on our side!
This video actually makes me feel really good about relocating from northern California to the Houston metropolitan area. Besides the horrible weather I guess I moved to the best place possible!
I do have to admit that these bits of raw (hopefully factually based) analysis are a welcome addition to the day. "Raw" meaning without obvious political bias/statement. edit: Even if it is from a guy from an Iowa.
I mean I hear you on this, I just hope we don't see Houston's real estate market turn into what happened in California though. I don't think it will, for one, they actually are pretty OK with new construction and development in Houston (they're not afraid of building houses for people to live in), and secondly, all those economic activities you just said are ones that require a stable (mostly) blue collar workforce. Oil refineries, food processing centers, factories, chemical plants - these can provide a lot of jobs, and hopefully a lot of solid middle class careers, but they're not things that rich people want to live by. I just hope that Houston avoids the pitfalls of certain other places and ensures that developers and builders can continue to accommodate the workforce. After Harvey they probably need a LOT of flood control and management infrastructure too. Like similar what Las Vegas and LA have in place.
I just worry Texas does not have the policy model to deal with that. occasional flooding may just be a cost of doing business there and that may change where some manufacturing ends up. With increasing storm presence due to climate change it may end up being to high a cost to bare. Peter's analysis is on point on Huston's strengths, I just wonder how much he considered its weaknesses.
Houston definitely has been blessed by having a big natural harbor (i.e., Galveston Bay) and lots of available land to expand (just watch out for the many bayou floodplains) for both industry & residential. With Texas having so much oil production, it was inevitable that Dallas or Houston would become the center for fossil-fuel (if refined into actual fuel or as petrochemical feedstock), and with America's decades-long need to import oil, being on the coast was preferable to being along the main rail lines (i.e., of Dallas). Houston's prowess as a port if overlooked as well, as it has the land along navigable waterways connecting to the gulf to install container port infrastructure. As for manufacturing, the Texas Triangle is getting business moving in because of the low cost of living relative to other places, so a pliable labor force can be sourced. Oh, and Tejas being culturally connected with Mexico has allowed it to tap into that huge labor pool, even if a lot of Texans hate those Mexicans. However, the question going forward is whether in the upcoming Jobless Era, whether so many folks will want to stay in Houston rather than decamp to more interesting locales like Austin, or to small towns.
Hot, humid, crowded. In my three years there I experienced flooding and many burglaries. Local police suggested I arm myself. My wife experienced an attempted rape while jogging mid day. Then there was the tornado that jumped the house. And hurricanes. And roaches that fly. Great music venues and restaurants and yes, employment opportunities. But like you Peter, I fled to the mountains first chance I got.
Crime and socioeconomics go together, the influx of well paying jobs means less people end up desperate, less people self medicate their desperation and turn to crime to fuel that.
New York City, New York. Population: 8,804,190. ... Los Angeles, California. Population: 3,898,747. ... Chicago, Illinois. Population: 2,746,388. ... Houston, Texas. Population: 2,304,580. ...
:16 Correction: Houston is not the 3rd largest metro by population, NYC: 20mil. --- LA 13mil. --- Chicago: 9.5mil --- Dallas 7.6mil --- Houston 7.1million
Houston desperately needs more light rail that goes everywhere. We should be able to go from Galveston to Katy and beyond. It should be a hub for high-speed Houston to Dallas, Austin and more .
Katy is 29 miles, light rail works for 10. At 20mph counting stops you don't want to ride 1.5 hours to get home .... Light rail works for getting in workers to crowded skycrapered downtowns, not place with roads and parking.. . For $10b, just build another expressway. . . I take train, lots of bums on it. H.
@@mostlyguesses8385 "light rail works for 10" tell that to the plenty of people who use light rail for the 21 miles from Dallas to Parker Station Plano. I do agree Katy is kind of far for it. Start with 15 or 20 miles away from Houston and see if there's demand, then maybe Katy can get it too.
@@dannyhightower911 ... True, Parker in Dallas is far. But it takes 64 minutes at best to go 21, that's 20mph you've proved my point no one takes train that far unless dumb (see below). And spreading stops 1 mile apart so not really serving as many as train w stops each half mile is inefficient, like if you lived half mile away you'd have to walk half mile east and then half mile to nearest station, so it's basically requires a car you parkNride so do we count it as real transit if still blow $10000 a year on car? And you want a 30 mile train to Katy, take 90 minutes. My old town of Minneapolis built Northstar line north and basically proved that far and people don't want to risk being stranded, so it's barely used, but unlike in Dallas they only ran it 10 times a day Dallas runs 50 trains each 20 minutes kudos I admit!!! And we shouldnt use taxes to help those who CHOOSE to live 30 miles from work, that's deeply dumb or admit it's a choice, my secretary drives hour to live on farm but saying govt will build trains for her choice not a poor family in apartments 5 miles from downtown is sorta dumbest use of transit money .... I love the idea, but we re not Dubai, we barely pay to keep buses running 10 miles out from downtown .... Trains are slooooooooow. I haven't looked up how successful is this Red Line train in Dallas..... ###### Appassets mvtdev com """RED light rail Info Direction: Southbound Stops: 25 Trip Duration: 64 min Line Summary:"""" And honestly do many people in Katy work in Houston, daily?? I lived by Galleria on Westheimer and worked downtown... I honestly think 90% of people manage to live within 15 miles of work, so doubt more than 1% of Katy people work in Houston... Katy should spend it's transit money on local buses not a flashy train for 1% are we that obsessed with flashy trains we can't buy more useful local buses. What cost benefit analysis says blowing $1b on train for 1% is better than 1000 buses? Sigh, buses are best, but hipsters want cool trains and F the real poor , F the poor living 10 miles out and past bus range. Joking,
Bah, if it were economically viable to do that, one of the zillians of rich Houstonites, over the century, would have purchased the easements and done it already. Houston-metro lacks the density of NYC or London, so it doesn't makes economic sense.
@@mostlyguesses8385 All of this huge amount of typing yet you're wrong about your first key point. It takes 35 minutes including the stops from Pearl Arts station in downtown Dallas, not 64 minutes like you said. You're doubling the amount of time it actually takes in real life. For the record I agree that Katy might not need or should have a light rail station, that doesn't change the fact that you're drastically wrong in how fast and long it takes DART to get from Downtown Dallas to Parker road station.
For your information Florida plates are a daily sight here in Houston. The two fastest growing large states, both in the south, have a lot of cross-migration obviously
Florida is probably one of the worst places in the world! I have been to numerous 3rd world countries. Ppl are shit, the culture sucks and food is mediocre. Orlando is the worst tampa i eff with.
The wage base is still low and companies don't want to train people in Houston. Many companies hire people out of state that they could find in Houston or elsewhere in Texas. I've lived in Houston for well over thirty years with a BA, the degree rarely helps and people have said no to me _because_ I had a degree, facts. Several people with BBAs told me their degree never helped them get a better job. My best friend, "It's not what you know (or can do) it's who you blow". I'm a native Texan and _that_ hasn't helped, either. If you're going to work and live in the Houston area, you pretty much have to have a car. There's nowhere near enough affordable housing. Commute times keep getting longer, as well. In the inner loop in Houston they're building high rise apartments and condominium complexes in areas that can't handle the traffic. I've stayed _employed_ in Houston, but the jobs have been generally low pay.
A degree is not a professional qualification it is an academic qualification. It can act as a theory base for a profession and allow entrance but it is not the profession it self. What industry where you trying to enter?
@@bighands69 I'm aware of that, but you would think a guy with a degree would get more consideration than someone with a high school diploma. I applied for an entry level machinist job and was told, in essence, not to come back. Just _one_ example.
Well I have an MSEE and lived in L.A. and Austin and ended up in Houston where the market for my skills is better than the other two cities. Texas has been fabulous for engineers of all kinds. Spent 20 years working in the industrial sector here.
I got off an airplane at Houston Hobby airport in August and described it as the feeling of a million panting puppies breathing on you. Food was great, as others have said, but the weather was something I could not get used to.
Same thing. I've been to 48 States, lived in 8 across different regions of the US, and the humidity in Houston hit us like a brick wall. Traffic was really crazy too. Just to get around, you had to get on these toll roads even for short distances. The layout of the city was planned by the mentally-deficient. Actually, if they let mongoloids run that, I bet it would be much better.
Nobody can deal with August. Start in January, with some tutelage, and you adjust. I’m a lifer in that weather and when I came home from Britain in August I couldn’t handle it either. Parachuting into the worst of humidity hell isn’t doable for anybody. We have air conditioning. Why would you even go outside in August? That’s a very yankee way to think.
Very interesting facts. For those that care, Stephen Klineberg at the Kinder Institute has some really fascinating stats to show why Htown is the big American city of the future. However, if we do not get our infrastructure, health care and education systems sorted, we can just as easily go the way of other cities that lost their way. This also assumes that mother nature will be kind to us, which is not looking too promising.
Got the hell out of Houston in 2005. Strip malls, strip clubs, and people that commute an hour each way from their McMansions in suburbia. No thanks. Great restaurant scene, though.
@@Bladeoceanic Chicago has its issues and the democratic party there are not doing the city any good. Maybe a new class of democrat will come along and be more about freedom and prosperity.
Two of my favorite "motivational" women live in Houston-Mina Irfan and Dominique Sachse. Dominique just collaborated with Jentry Kelley on a new lipstick line. Looks like she is in the right place for that sort of thing. Love to see these women prosper.
Hi Peter! What do you think about the recent Shell Pennsylvania Chemicals ethane cracker facility in the Pittsburgh region, it's effect on industry there, and shale gas outlook for the future? Love the channel and the insight.
Lived in Houston for 10 years, if you want to live in a big city, Houston is the place. Traffic is terrible, that was my number on complaint. Cost of living is very reasonable, no income tax, but school property taxes and MUD taxes are a little high. I worked in home manufacturing and built many home in the suburbs. Retired back to my home town.
As a person who lives in Arizona, how does one invest in Houston's bullish growth? Are there stocks or companies based in Houston that is recommended? Just wondering...
What we see is lots of foreign capital (and some domestic) investing in private funds for real estate development. The inflow of capital from Latin America (headed by Mexico) is enormous.
Kolache, you mean? What are the other two corners? A million places have started selling them, for sure, but it's gotten legit tough to find one with Real central texas sausage in it. Pretty soon you won't be able to tell them from pigs-in-a-blanket, which is sad.
@@bozimmerman yes, that’s a typo. I mean the original fruit and cheese kolaches. Also, the Kolache triangle is Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. The same cities Ziehan calls the Texas triangle.
Flooding does ruin work for month, but Houston I guess only gets drenched once a decade. I was here, it flooded main intersections for week enough you couldn't tell if could get places, so week of no work and month of living worried .... Dallas is safer and cooler, rich people prefer it.
Peter, Probably not your area, however I’m curious how new geopolitical climate will affect the beer industry. Especially import and exporting of hops? Could you research this and do a vid? I think that could be interesting.
Houston has been a great city to have my career in and steady lucrative work for three decades, but I'm leaving the first chance I get, never truly considered it home. The thing thats always struck me, is Houston is a Working city and not a tourist destination AT ALL. So, for finding a place to lauch yourself, YES, but for enjoying life not so much... That's why I'll be happy to leave for somewhere less populated, cooler, and with lower property taxes.
So one of the big agricultural exporter in the world is now off line. Brazilian truck drivers protesting findings of electoral fraud, the irresponsiveness of their electoral court regarding the matter, coupled with censorship and persecution of those who dared calling it, have now blocked main roads and ports. In solidarity the farmers, logistical and grains storage facilities have also started a countrywide strike. The military is still in their barracks, for the moment.
Ssshhh! Houston is the best city in the best state in the best country in the world. If you are in business, there is no more welcoming place in my opinion. Yes, it is humid in the worse part of summer but we have about 7-8 months of really good weather. But, let's not tell anyone else!
Texas has an almost magical brew of advantages. Long border with a huge trading and supply chain partner. Long coast on the (more often than not) calm waters of the Gulf and protected Intracoastal Waterways. Excellent highway and rail system. Oil and natural gas to provide financial resources. Skilled yet relatively affordable labor. Pretty good, reasonably affordable higher education. Low taxes and regulation. There's just that one little issue of it also being something of a real-life western outlaw movie.
Update: The University of Houston did a poll and released it last week (7/2024) that said that 57% of the residents of Houston are considering leaving the city. Why? Crime and severe weather were the top two reasons. (I'd link to the poll but TH-cam doesn't allow links.)
When he said Houston was ranked #3 on population I had to do a double-take. “Houston passed Chicago??” Most sources I’ve found online say Houston is #5. Narrowly behind Dallas-Fw at #4.
I like prophetic videos that pick cities/states/countries like a fantasy football draft. Speaking of, one thing I wouldn't bet on is the Houston Texans 😜, better luck next year.
Thank you for the videos. My feedback: the fountain is drowning your voice and it has been harder to hear you with this fountain than the airplanes in DC. Thanks again
I was all ready to hate on Houston, but I liked it when I lived there. It's a place that is always a first mover to come to grips with the changing world - racially, economically, gender etc, despite stupid things that also happen there like voting restrictions and failing to keep the lights on sometimes. Also, it's cheap and jobs are plentiful. Great place to go if you're just starting out too.
Peter is there a way the United States could address the water level issue on the Mississippi River basin to keep shipping going? A combination of flow dams and canals? You address in your books how our waterways are an asset but, at present there are issues with water level.
Can California compete with Texas as far as energy and energy exports if say, the entire political leadership were changed overnight and government regulation evaporated? I'm looking for some hope here...
CA can't compete because it is far more desirable place for folks to live (i.e., the weather), and so folks are willing to pay a lot more for housing, and the employers there need to pay more. A cheap place to live is a very important consideration, and housing in the Houston fringes is about as dirt cheap as can be.
New Orleans's problem has always been not enough (dry) land, requiring a long drive to get to the fringes (like across Lake Pontchartrain). However, the Mississippi River has some advantages.
Something about ports in Texas from a certain guy named Zeihan... 3 ports developed in Texas. 13 UN developed. Texas has more harborage available to develop than ALL of Africa. Nope, nothing to see there. Water transport is so last century (and all the others before it)
Houston has been rising, and people have known about it widely, for more than 10 years now. I’ll take my chances on St. Louis. We may not even need to scrap the Jones act in the future.
On labor - Houston has little public transportation and is not really bikeable. You need to pay well enough so people can keep a car if you want them at work, and not screw your lowest wage employees with parking fees. Business never considers such realities. Then management whines as it cannibalizes.
Furthermore, Houston is the largest city in the United States to lack zoning ordinances, contributing to lower initial startup costs for small startups, allowing them the opportunity to compete against the big boys.
Yes I met a young guy maybe in his late thirties or forties, probably a trust fund beneficiary, living in River Oaks, and working at home developed a low cost mass spectrometer that companies around here were beta testing. I met him at one of those companies.
I work commercial construction in Houston and I keep seeing the boom in warehousing, manufacturing and distribution hubs being built. A good channel to watch that helps confirm Peter’s global view is “What the ship”. It covers all shipping and logistics.
Houston has poor infrastructure in regards to inclement weather events. The Texas attitude of "We dont need gov'ment" has allowed for very poor planning of drainage and water removal systems in the city as proven by the last two hurricanes to hit Houston.
@@jonnsmith180 That may be the case overall but there have been improvements since Harvey. Houston was unfortunately poorly planned as a city in the first place but that will hardly effect the manufacturing and shipping. Those aspects happen on the periphery away from the overstrained infrastructure. You wouldn’t believe how much effort it is nowadays to get a permit for warehousing and manufacturing without designing an extensive water mitigation system on site. These areas outside of the beltway have a laser focus on drain management since Harvey.
@@Lucas-hb1uq Yeah, to bad they didn't do squat before Harvey. It took a bunch of rich people having their homes flooded before the politicos we're really willing to do anything.
@@jonnsmith180 you're right man government planned cities are superior. It worked out very well for Russia. Don't say "what about common sense regulations" what abut California buddy.
So nice to hear someone on the web saying good things about America for a change. Very uplifting.
You'll like it here, because Zeihan is generally very positive about America's future
@@Alpostpone Zeihan only cares about his niche set of priorities. America is still a sewer culturally and in terms of quality of life
@@prometheusjackson8787 Not everywhere. Get out of the decayed urban areas and the quality of live is good as is the culture. When you get into "deepest, darkest" Dem cities, yeah it is a sewer because the "deepest, "darkest" citizens of those cities are feral animals, but the Dems pander to them because those animals are allowed to vote.
@@DoubleDogDare54 The quality of life is on a constant decline and any good place left in America will begin to rot within decades. All those decayed cities used to be nice too
@@DoubleDogDare54 And you act like Republicans do anything. Trump championed criminal justice reform
I love these daily updates!! BTW your airline miles are insane!!
I'll move to Houston when they invent the air-conditioned suit. I agree with most of what Peter says. The oil industry will wither somewhat over the next 30 years because the move to EVs. There will still be a big requirement for petrochemicals. I don't expect to see significant demand reduction for oil for the next 10 years after that there will be a slow decline in demand.
Peter - Thank you for this wonderful analysis. I was born in Houston and my family is invested in the Richmond / Rosenberg area of Houston. I totally agree - right now and well into the fantastic future - things are amazing for the Houston, Texas, area. Gooooo Astroooos!
As a former resident, you didn’t mention the Tx Medical Center group of hospitals.
He should have mentioned the mega Huge bio tech hub being created south of the Med Center
It's a two and a half minute video. You were expecting War and Peace?
@@UHLatino
He cannot cover everything. The amount of industry in texas is beyond a simple video.
@@bighands69 i agree with why he covered heavy industry. Biotech in Houston is still developing and isn't as important as heavy industry at this moment. It makes sense but I'd like to see him make a full length video of Houston
They need this to cure all the cancer that gets produced in Houston from our massive waste of petroleum production
Greetings from San Antonio. Really love the newsletter updates. Also recently purchased your latest book, The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning and find it fascinating. Thank you very much for the regular content.
As a former resident of Houston from 1980 until 1988 I can tell you it is one of the best cities I ever lived in during my adult life. Because of the career I chose required frequent moves….I’ve lived in Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Atlanta and New York…and…of course…Houston. Houston was the only city I regretted leaving. I LOVE Houston.
I suppose... if you don't mind melting all year round in the pavement or getting hit by an invariably insane driver for the crime of walking!
Just this week I heard 3 friends who moved from Houston lament their choice. I’ve lived here for 42 years and I can say I love the diversity of its people and its spaciousness.
@@HSQadri This is completely false.
@@HSQadri …someone drank the kook-aid that was produced by NotJustBikes…
The humidity in Houston is brutal. I don't remember NC, GA, or even Panama being that bad.
Good to hear you talking about my city today! Sounds like I am right where I need to be to withstand what is coming down the pike.
Except the flooding, terrible traffic and air pollution
@@Lb-dj7tc eh, i will give you the flooding but the traffic is not nearly as bad as other major cities I have been to. Also, air pollution is not nearly as bad as many cities like LA, etc.
The traffic is horrendous and the city is utterly car dependent. It may not be terrible in the exurbs but give it time.
As far as air pollution I will just inquire as to why the largest medical and cancer center in the world is there.
@@Lb-dj7tc LOL, because we are the medical capital of the world.
Pedro! Thanks for the update on my home city of Houston!
I was born in Houston and have lived here all 59 years of my life. Very proud Houstonian! And the Astros won the World Series too.
🗑️
@@everythingisfine9988 …*bang! bang!*
I lived in Houston for years. Loved it. Might go back sometime.
Stockholm syndrome?😜
how bout dem stros baybeee! Hellyaahh
Peter .... 'Houston, we don't have a problem'! Aside from the standard Chamber of Commerce' endorsement, this analysis rings true ;) As a Canadian mourning the fact we must ship our Alberta crude (Western Canadian Select) for refinement to Houston, it's good to know we have a competent neighbor on our side!
This video actually makes me feel really good about relocating from northern California to the Houston metropolitan area.
Besides the horrible weather I guess I moved to the best place possible!
I do have to admit that these bits of raw (hopefully factually based) analysis are a welcome addition to the day. "Raw" meaning without obvious political bias/statement.
edit: Even if it is from a guy from an Iowa.
If you read this dude's books, he knows what hes talking about, very unbiased
depends which Iowa...
Welcome to Houston. I live here and it's amazing! Love your videos!
Thank you for giving a great positive shout out for H-Town!!!
Got family just on the outside.
Thinking of moving down there.
I've been to JSC. Really cool place.
thanks again.
I mean I hear you on this, I just hope we don't see Houston's real estate market turn into what happened in California though. I don't think it will, for one, they actually are pretty OK with new construction and development in Houston (they're not afraid of building houses for people to live in), and secondly, all those economic activities you just said are ones that require a stable (mostly) blue collar workforce. Oil refineries, food processing centers, factories, chemical plants - these can provide a lot of jobs, and hopefully a lot of solid middle class careers, but they're not things that rich people want to live by. I just hope that Houston avoids the pitfalls of certain other places and ensures that developers and builders can continue to accommodate the workforce. After Harvey they probably need a LOT of flood control and management infrastructure too. Like similar what Las Vegas and LA have in place.
I just worry Texas does not have the policy model to deal with that. occasional flooding may just be a cost of doing business there and that may change where some manufacturing ends up. With increasing storm presence due to climate change it may end up being to high a cost to bare. Peter's analysis is on point on Huston's strengths, I just wonder how much he considered its weaknesses.
One frequently runs into trades who just picked up and moved to Houston for opportunity. My last 2 HVAC techs were from Orange County and Baltimore.
Houston definitely has been blessed by having a big natural harbor (i.e., Galveston Bay) and lots of available land to expand (just watch out for the many bayou floodplains) for both industry & residential. With Texas having so much oil production, it was inevitable that Dallas or Houston would become the center for fossil-fuel (if refined into actual fuel or as petrochemical feedstock), and with America's decades-long need to import oil, being on the coast was preferable to being along the main rail lines (i.e., of Dallas). Houston's prowess as a port if overlooked as well, as it has the land along navigable waterways connecting to the gulf to install container port infrastructure.
As for manufacturing, the Texas Triangle is getting business moving in because of the low cost of living relative to other places, so a pliable labor force can be sourced. Oh, and Tejas being culturally connected with Mexico has allowed it to tap into that huge labor pool, even if a lot of Texans hate those Mexicans.
However, the question going forward is whether in the upcoming Jobless Era, whether so many folks will want to stay in Houston rather than decamp to more interesting locales like Austin, or to small towns.
Hot, humid, crowded. In my three years there I experienced flooding and many burglaries. Local police suggested I arm myself. My wife experienced an attempted rape while jogging mid day. Then there was the tornado that jumped the house. And hurricanes. And roaches that fly. Great music venues and restaurants and yes, employment opportunities. But like you Peter, I fled to the mountains first chance I got.
Where's that that isn't riddled with human zombies who vote in self-defeating policies though? And not snowy.
New Orleans thanks Houston for flushing a lot of bad elements that relocated to Houston, because of Katrina.
You are overlooking Houston's downsides with all those good points
Crime and socioeconomics go together, the influx of well paying jobs means less people end up desperate, less people self medicate their desperation and turn to crime to fuel that.
@@mrbonanza2606 So a positive for both cities!
New York City, New York. Population: 8,804,190. ...
Los Angeles, California. Population: 3,898,747. ...
Chicago, Illinois. Population: 2,746,388. ...
Houston, Texas. Population: 2,304,580. ...
On top of all this. They’re also World Series champions
:16 Correction: Houston is not the 3rd largest metro by population, NYC: 20mil. --- LA 13mil. --- Chicago: 9.5mil --- Dallas 7.6mil --- Houston 7.1million
Exactly
The fountain is a pretty background, but it messes up the sound really bad. Excellent info though
I love background white noise fountain almost as much echo-y bathroom home studio
Could you make comments about the future of other big cities in Texas, e.g. Austin, Dallas and San Antonio? Thanks Peter!
Houston desperately needs more light rail that goes everywhere. We should be able to go from Galveston to Katy and beyond. It should be a hub for high-speed Houston to Dallas, Austin and more .
Katy is 29 miles, light rail works for 10. At 20mph counting stops you don't want to ride 1.5 hours to get home .... Light rail works for getting in workers to crowded skycrapered downtowns, not place with roads and parking.. . For $10b, just build another expressway. . . I take train, lots of bums on it. H.
@@mostlyguesses8385 "light rail works for 10" tell that to the plenty of people who use light rail for the 21 miles from Dallas to Parker Station Plano.
I do agree Katy is kind of far for it. Start with 15 or 20 miles away from Houston and see if there's demand, then maybe Katy can get it too.
@@dannyhightower911 ... True, Parker in Dallas is far. But it takes 64 minutes at best to go 21, that's 20mph you've proved my point no one takes train that far unless dumb (see below). And spreading stops 1 mile apart so not really serving as many as train w stops each half mile is inefficient, like if you lived half mile away you'd have to walk half mile east and then half mile to nearest station, so it's basically requires a car you parkNride so do we count it as real transit if still blow $10000 a year on car? And you want a 30 mile train to Katy, take 90 minutes. My old town of Minneapolis built Northstar line north and basically proved that far and people don't want to risk being stranded, so it's barely used, but unlike in Dallas they only ran it 10 times a day Dallas runs 50 trains each 20 minutes kudos I admit!!! And we shouldnt use taxes to help those who CHOOSE to live 30 miles from work, that's deeply dumb or admit it's a choice, my secretary drives hour to live on farm but saying govt will build trains for her choice not a poor family in apartments 5 miles from downtown is sorta dumbest use of transit money .... I love the idea, but we re not Dubai, we barely pay to keep buses running 10 miles out from downtown .... Trains are slooooooooow. I haven't looked up how successful is this Red Line train in Dallas..... ######
Appassets mvtdev com
"""RED light rail Info
Direction: Southbound
Stops: 25
Trip Duration: 64 min
Line Summary:""""
And honestly do many people in Katy work in Houston, daily?? I lived by Galleria on Westheimer and worked downtown... I honestly think 90% of people manage to live within 15 miles of work, so doubt more than 1% of Katy people work in Houston... Katy should spend it's transit money on local buses not a flashy train for 1% are we that obsessed with flashy trains we can't buy more useful local buses. What cost benefit analysis says blowing $1b on train for 1% is better than 1000 buses? Sigh, buses are best, but hipsters want cool trains and F the real poor , F the poor living 10 miles out and past bus range. Joking,
Bah, if it were economically viable to do that, one of the zillians of rich Houstonites, over the century, would have purchased the easements and done it already. Houston-metro lacks the density of NYC or London, so it doesn't makes economic sense.
@@mostlyguesses8385 All of this huge amount of typing yet you're wrong about your first key point. It takes 35 minutes including the stops from Pearl Arts station in downtown Dallas, not 64 minutes like you said. You're doubling the amount of time it actually takes in real life.
For the record I agree that Katy might not need or should have a light rail station, that doesn't change the fact that you're drastically wrong in how fast and long it takes DART to get from Downtown Dallas to Parker road station.
Great! I'm glad to hear Houston is so fabulous. I hope all the city-lovers that have moved to Florida over the past 5 years decide to move to Houston!
Calling Houston a City is gratuitous. Is is a massive suburb that wastes more resources then any other place in the US.
For your information Florida plates are a daily sight here in Houston. The two fastest growing large states, both in the south, have a lot of cross-migration obviously
Florida is probably one of the worst places in the world! I have been to numerous 3rd world countries. Ppl are shit, the culture sucks and food is mediocre. Orlando is the worst tampa i eff with.
The wage base is still low and companies don't want to train people in Houston. Many companies hire people out of state that they could find in Houston or elsewhere in Texas. I've lived in Houston for well over thirty years with a BA, the degree rarely helps and people have said no to me _because_ I had a degree, facts. Several people with BBAs told me their degree never helped them get a better job. My best friend, "It's not what you know (or can do) it's who you blow". I'm a native Texan and _that_ hasn't helped, either. If you're going to work and live in the Houston area, you pretty much have to have a car. There's nowhere near enough affordable housing. Commute times keep getting longer, as well. In the inner loop in Houston they're building high rise apartments and condominium complexes in areas that can't handle the traffic. I've stayed _employed_ in Houston, but the jobs have been generally low pay.
A degree is not a professional qualification it is an academic qualification. It can act as a theory base for a profession and allow entrance but it is not the profession it self.
What industry where you trying to enter?
@@bighands69 I'm aware of that, but you would think a guy with a degree would get more consideration than someone with a high school diploma. I applied for an entry level machinist job and was told, in essence, not to come back. Just _one_ example.
@@jerryrichardson2799
Your problem is that it sounds like you have no work experience. What age are you if you do not mind me asking?
@@bighands69 60, I have around 40 years of work experience.
Well I have an MSEE and lived in L.A. and Austin and ended up in Houston where the market for my skills is better than the other two cities. Texas has been fabulous for engineers of all kinds. Spent 20 years working in the industrial sector here.
I got off an airplane at Houston Hobby airport in August and described it as the feeling of a million panting puppies breathing on you. Food was great, as others have said, but the weather was something I could not get used to.
Yeah, August is utter hell on Earth. You should be here during the winter months.....it is amazing right now.
Same thing. I've been to 48 States, lived in 8 across different regions of the US, and the humidity in Houston hit us like a brick wall. Traffic was really crazy too. Just to get around, you had to get on these toll roads even for short distances.
The layout of the city was planned by the mentally-deficient. Actually, if they let mongoloids run that, I bet it would be much better.
Nobody can deal with August. Start in January, with some tutelage, and you adjust. I’m a lifer in that weather and when I came home from Britain in August I couldn’t handle it either. Parachuting into the worst of humidity hell isn’t doable for anybody.
We have air conditioning. Why would you even go outside in August? That’s a very yankee way to think.
From May through September it sucks.
You can get used to it but it takes time.
Me and my wife are finishing our respective trade apprenticeships here in Indiana. and heading down to Texas. May have just sold us on Huston.
As a Houstonian for 27 year's all I have to say is "Houdy Pilgrim" live and let live, and I say that cuz I am packing.
I moved to Houston from Indiana decades ago and never regretted it, even though I still like Indiana. So much more opportunity here.
Very interesting facts. For those that care, Stephen Klineberg at the Kinder Institute has some really fascinating stats to show why Htown is the big American city of the future. However, if we do not get our infrastructure, health care and education systems sorted, we can just as easily go the way of other cities that lost their way. This also assumes that mother nature will be kind to us, which is not looking too promising.
You picked a good month to visit Houston. No humidity: No floods: No Hurricanes.
Less humidity. We think it’s dry, other people feel it.
I lived in Houston One summer. I’m still sweating 😓
Yep, I can relate.
Just add more lanes.. that'll help the traffic.
Got the hell out of Houston in 2005. Strip malls, strip clubs, and people that commute an hour each way from their McMansions in suburbia. No thanks. Great restaurant scene, though.
What do you see in the future of other US cities? Hopefully we get more input, I liked the video on Detroit.
Seems like he forgets about Chicago a lot for some reason.
@@Bladeoceanic
Chicago has its issues and the democratic party there are not doing the city any good. Maybe a new class of democrat will come along and be more about freedom and prosperity.
@@Bladeoceanic IL has too many issues
A few hours in and the comments are already filtering in about “bad urban planning”, “car-centric”, and “lack of walkability”…
Two of my favorite "motivational" women live in Houston-Mina Irfan and Dominique Sachse. Dominique just collaborated with Jentry Kelley on a new lipstick line. Looks like she is in the right place for that sort of thing. Love to see these women prosper.
Hi Peter!
What do you think about the recent Shell Pennsylvania Chemicals ethane cracker facility in the Pittsburgh region, it's effect on industry there, and shale gas outlook for the future?
Love the channel and the insight.
Also say something about Utica NY while balancing a full wine glass on your head so we know it's really you
I'm hoping we get a cracker in Belmont County here in Ohio.
ARE YOU HAVING ANY EVENTS!!!! I would love to meet you.
Lived in Houston for 10 years, if you want to live in a big city, Houston is the place. Traffic is terrible, that was my number on complaint. Cost of living is very reasonable, no income tax, but school property taxes and MUD taxes are a little high. I worked in home manufacturing and built many home in the suburbs.
Retired back to my home town.
Houston is not a place one falls in love with.
Thank you!
Hey Peter, can you do an episode on BRICS, and where you see it going?
Fascinating!!!
As a person who lives in Arizona, how does one invest in Houston's bullish growth? Are there stocks or companies based in Houston that is recommended? Just wondering...
What we see is lots of foreign capital (and some domestic) investing in private funds for real estate development. The inflow of capital from Latin America (headed by Mexico) is enormous.
There are companies in texas but you need to analyse them as well financial such as having lower debts, good cash flow etc etc etc.
Invest in local banks. For example, Third Coast Bank. They provide commercial loans to Houston area businesses
It’s also part of the Koloche triangle.
Kolache, you mean? What are the other two corners?
A million places have started selling them, for sure, but it's gotten legit tough to find one with Real central texas sausage in it. Pretty soon you won't be able to tell them from pigs-in-a-blanket, which is sad.
@@bozimmerman yes, that’s a typo.
I mean the original fruit and cheese kolaches. Also, the Kolache triangle is Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. The same cities Ziehan calls the Texas triangle.
Come for the info, stay for the Zeihan hair journey
Nice video. Short and sweet.
Cypress TX, Katy and the Woodlands are great places to live
Sounds like Houston is and will be thriving more in the coming years. Any concerns for their flooding issues they've had?
Flooding does ruin work for month, but Houston I guess only gets drenched once a decade. I was here, it flooded main intersections for week enough you couldn't tell if could get places, so week of no work and month of living worried .... Dallas is safer and cooler, rich people prefer it.
Peter,
Probably not your area, however I’m curious how new geopolitical climate will affect the beer industry. Especially import and exporting of hops? Could you research this and do a vid? I think that could be interesting.
So good to hear that
Houston has been a great city to have my career in and steady lucrative work for three decades, but I'm leaving the first chance I get, never truly considered it home. The thing thats always struck me, is Houston is a Working city and not a tourist destination AT ALL. So, for finding a place to lauch yourself, YES, but for enjoying life not so much... That's why I'll be happy to leave for somewhere less populated, cooler, and with lower property taxes.
That's what Colorado is for. Make your money in Houston and vacation elsewhere.
So one of the big agricultural exporter in the world is now off line. Brazilian truck drivers protesting findings of electoral fraud, the irresponsiveness of their electoral court regarding the matter, coupled with censorship and persecution of those who dared calling it, have now blocked main roads and ports. In solidarity the farmers, logistical and grains storage facilities have also started a countrywide strike. The military is still in their barracks, for the moment.
Ssshhh! Houston is the best city in the best state in the best country in the world. If you are in business, there is no more welcoming place in my opinion. Yes, it is humid in the worse part of summer but we have about 7-8 months of really good weather. But, let's not tell anyone else!
#
Peter, what about Hurricane hits on Houston? Put the two videos together?
Texas has an almost magical brew of advantages. Long border with a huge trading and supply chain partner. Long coast on the (more often than not) calm waters of the Gulf and protected Intracoastal Waterways. Excellent highway and rail system. Oil and natural gas to provide financial resources. Skilled yet relatively affordable labor. Pretty good, reasonably affordable higher education. Low taxes and regulation. There's just that one little issue of it also being something of a real-life western outlaw movie.
Stark raving lunatics running state government and that dysfunctional power grid thing.
@@elizabethclaiborne6461 we call that "law'n ordah" round hyah. And a little freezin' now and then toughens you up, if it don't kill you.
Local communities should be taking care of law and order.
@@bighands69 it was meant facetiously. Beto might have had a chance if he wasn't pro gun-control.
@@crawkn
You are kidding your self. Beta is the very thing that repulses Texans at a political level.
Question about the Texas Triangle- water - it’s a pressing issue. How are we going to sustain all this growth without it?
Great insight. Will this lead to improved and increased infrastructure between Texas and the Boston-to-DC region?
Update: The University of Houston did a poll and released it last week (7/2024) that said that 57% of the residents of Houston are considering leaving the city. Why? Crime and severe weather were the top two reasons. (I'd link to the poll but TH-cam doesn't allow links.)
Peter, how will power shift/economy shift when UAE, Bangladesh, Uruguay join BRICS??????????????
When he said Houston was ranked #3 on population I had to do a double-take. “Houston passed Chicago??” Most sources I’ve found online say Houston is #5. Narrowly behind Dallas-Fw at #4.
Chicago is #3 metro, Dallas metroplex #4, Houston #5. City proper Chicago #3 Houston #4.
You are correct. Such bad data doesn’t help the rest of his argument which I find extremely flawed.
Funny how he talks about Houston with a flooded depression in the background. Hurricane Irwin reminder.
You mean a pond? 🙂
Also known as a golf course.
It's called a retention basin, for flood control.
There are tens of thousands of them around.
Dude, you left medical. The TMC is the worlds largest medical center and will start manufacturing medical on a large scale with TMCx
I like prophetic videos that pick cities/states/countries like a fantasy football draft. Speaking of, one thing I wouldn't bet on is the Houston Texans 😜, better luck next year.
Houston is what’s up. I’m in far west side. ✌🏼
Thank you for the videos.
My feedback: the fountain is drowning your voice and it has been harder to hear you with this fountain than the airplanes in DC.
Thanks again
Is that in katy Texas?
How can a developer benefit in Houston? Im trying to tie this information together with my field
I was all ready to hate on Houston, but I liked it when I lived there. It's a place that is always a first mover to come to grips with the changing world - racially, economically, gender etc, despite stupid things that also happen there like voting restrictions and failing to keep the lights on sometimes. Also, it's cheap and jobs are plentiful. Great place to go if you're just starting out too.
what abouit Electronics?
Just build the gd Ike Dike already & you nailed it
Peter is there a way the United States could address the water level issue on the Mississippi River basin to keep shipping going? A combination of flow dams and canals? You address in your books how our waterways are an asset but, at present there are issues with water level.
There has always been challenges with the water levels.
Nope. Governments can manage the water that exists, but they cannot make the water exist.
@@bighands69 Mark Twain
Route Lake Superior through the canal in Chicago
Hi Peter For selfish reasons I'd like to hear your current take on Canada, being American adjacent...?
Houston BABY!!
30 years and then comes fusion
Isn't Chicago still the 3rd largest metro in the US?
Noooo! No more people, PLEASE!
Hm, last time I checked Houston was the 5th largest metro in the US after DFW, Chicago and ofc LA and NYC.
Can California compete with Texas as far as energy and energy exports if say, the entire political leadership were changed overnight and government regulation evaporated?
I'm looking for some hope here...
CA can't compete because it is far more desirable place for folks to live (i.e., the weather), and so folks are willing to pay a lot more for housing, and the employers there need to pay more. A cheap place to live is a very important consideration, and housing in the Houston fringes is about as dirt cheap as can be.
I spent a summer in Houston when I was a little kid and all I can remember was how humid it was.
I got into Peter Zeihan , but every Video from him gets reuploaded many many times. This is the official channel where I don't miss something?
Hey Peter, what do you think the future holds for New Orleans ?
New Orleans's problem has always been not enough (dry) land, requiring a long drive to get to the fringes (like across Lake Pontchartrain). However, the Mississippi River has some advantages.
"Houston we have a problem, Where flippin rich"!
-Travis Scott
Something about ports in Texas from a certain guy named Zeihan... 3 ports developed in Texas. 13 UN developed. Texas has more harborage available to develop than ALL of Africa. Nope, nothing to see there. Water transport is so last century (and all the others before it)
Hey Peter is Houston still going to dome itself?
That. Would. Be. Awesome.
No place needs it more than Houston.
Isaac Asimov: call your office.
Houston has been rising, and people have known about it widely, for more than 10 years now. I’ll take my chances on St. Louis. We may not even need to scrap the Jones act in the future.
In 22 years in Texas, I’ve only been to Houston once 🤣
On labor - Houston has little public transportation and is not really bikeable. You need to pay well enough so people can keep a car if you want them at work, and not screw your lowest wage employees with parking fees.
Business never considers such realities. Then management whines as it cannibalizes.
As a 30+ year resident of Htown, It still sucks.
Furthermore, Houston is the largest city in the United States to lack zoning ordinances, contributing to lower initial startup costs for small startups, allowing them the opportunity to compete against the big boys.
Planning is fine providing it is sensible but too much of planning to day is over regulation.
Yes I met a young guy maybe in his late thirties or forties, probably a trust fund beneficiary, living in River Oaks, and working at home developed a low cost mass spectrometer that companies around here were beta testing. I met him at one of those companies.
I love my city, we need a more business friendly mayor and city council but,.........
Clicked on this video to see if you were going to pronounce Houston like “Yoooostun.” Good job! You called it Houston.
Word.
Chicago and Northwest Indiana seems like they have the same type of set up. What do you think about that?
Easier to navigate ships to the Sea from Galveston Bay than Lake Michigan.
@@swampwiz But Chicago still have a lot of pipelines and refineries As well as a very extensive rail and waterway network.
Energy capital of the world baby!
Wild cooking
Urban Sprawl and Hurricanes were unmentioned in this video.
I feel fairly certain at this point that Houston will be America's second largest city in the near future.
It could very well be the new Los Angeles, but without the good weather and Hollywood, etc., but WITH the traffic.
What's Greg Abbott going to do to screw it up?
No need to do anything. But he'll think of something.