Houston Strategies

Brain drain, oil booms, and Houston's message to you

A few minor odds and ends today.

• A mildly interesting article on the SF Bay Area's "brain drain" from the high cost of living. It's worth noting that there's no such thing as an urban paradise: even widely-acknowledged "great and wonderful world-class cities" like SF have major weaknesses/risks they worry about - it's not just a Houston phenomena with our ever-present "world class" and "quality of life" insecurities.
• Another mildly interesting article on the oil-driven economic boom in Calgary, Canada. Sounds a lot like what I've heard Houston was like in the late 70's/early 80's - might make for nice nostalgia-trip reading for all you old-timers out there ;-)
  
• Finally, a writer/blogger I highly respect, Paul Graham, who usually writes on technology topics, has some interesting musings on the culture of Boston vs. California. I find his last paragraph thought-provoking:

"I find every ambitious town sends you a message. New York tells you "you should make more money." LA tells you "you should be better looking." Rome tells you "you should dress better." London tells you "you should be hipper." The Bay Area tells you "you should live better." And Cambridge tells you "you should read some of those books you've been meaning to."

So what does Houston tell you to do? These are a little tongue-in-cheek, but here's what comes to mind:

• "You should drive faster"
• "You should eat out more"

...and, most clearly...

• "You should own a bigger/newer truck/SUV"

Votes/suggestions are welcome and comments are open.

posted by Tory Gattis @ 10:13 PM