Houston is No. 1 city to live work and play, says Kiplinger

Play what? Walk-around-the-block-without-sweating-through-your-shirt? Is that a game?

I suspect Houston's on here because it's not feeling the effects of the housing bubble bursting or the recession, at least to the same extent. Oil towns tend to thrive when gas is $4 a gallon. In that regard, I would be very sad to see the Chronicle join the massive layoffs trend (could still happen if Hearst is feeling a pinch elsewhere in the chain).

In Houston you can still A) buy a house at a reasonable price (I'm sorry, but those 2 bedroom/1 bath cottages that I see people buying on HDTV for $700 k on the west coast were NEVER worth $700k), B) get a job at a wage that allows you to afford said houses and C) Go find something to do. Don't have a mountain? I'm sure they have rock climbing walls somewhere.

I agree with the general consensus here that Houston ain't all that. But with the rest of the country teetering economically, Houston wins almost by default.

 

Des Moines is #9.

Take that Omaha! ;D

 

I just want to know who told them Fayetteville has 400k people...

 

Just about everywhere I've ever lived has been as hot or hotter than Houston, but that's not an issue with me. What is an issue about Houston is having to drive a half-hour to do just about anything. I can live without that ...

 

No way. They're using the four-county metro numbers, but I believe Springdale is on the cusp of passing Fayetteville, and Rogers is catching up fast. Fayetteville is kind of land-locked by smaller towns on three sides and Springdale to the north.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers_Metropolitan_Area

But at least Fayetteville has some character. The rest of NWA has kind of a suburban blandness.

 

I rank Houston somewhere below Blythe.

 

but above denver.

 

Even since Gilley's closed???

 

touche, dude. touche.

 

Sorry to the Houston backers, but I find the city has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

 

damn. and that's coming from the smartest republican i know.



(sorry, old tony. lyman has some good stuff. politically wrong? yes. but still good.)

 

What they forgot to say was "Top 10 cities to live, work and play in if you're a hard-core religious conservative." Between two Mormon strongholds, the well-represented Bible Belt cities and the kooks in the Springs, that list doesn't leave a lot of room for the rest of us.