Houston on Target to Become Nation's Third Largest City

"Hidden in the haze of the petrochemical plants and beyond the seemingly endless traffic jams, a Texas city has grown so large that it is poised to pass Chicago as the third biggest in the United States in the next decade," according to an article by Jon Herskovitz.

That city, of course, is Houston, which has been growing quickly for years as Chicago has shrunk. Yet despite that stereotyped intro, the article describes the new Houston as a surprising departure from cultural signifiers traditionally associated with Texas. According to Herskovitz, "Houston also embodies the new, urban Texas, where political views have been drifting to the left, diversity is being embraced and newer residents are just as likely to drive a hybrid as a pickup truck." Regarding the city's diversity, Herskovits points out that "about one in five Houstonians is foreign born and more than 90 languages are spoken in the city."

The article goes into more detail about some of the political realities of the city, which allowed Mayor Annise Parker to become the "first open lesbian to run a major U.S. city" and the city to buy more renewable energy than any other in the United States. Also noted is the recent proposal to spend $250 million "to put bike and hike trials along the bayous, or small rivers, that run through the city like veins."