HOUSTON, TX – Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was upset on Tuesday, lashing out at Harris County (and the media) for their opposition to Senate Bill 7, which would limit early voting hours, eliminate drive-thru voting and largely limit mail-in voting.
“I have news for Harris County: You’re not the capital of Texas,” Patrick said, seemingly replying directly to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.
While his statement may be factual, there was a time from April 19, 1837 until Jan. 19, 1839, where Houston was the capital of Texas — and it should have stayed that way.
Sure, at the time, no one could have predicted how important Houston would become to not only the Bayou City but the rest of the world, but still.
In 2012, Houston literally topped Forbes’ list of America’s Coolest Cities. The list was based on a number of factors, including cost of living, unemployment rates, net migration and recreational opportunities.
Austin didn’t even rank in the top 10, instead coming in at No. 19. Dallas, San Antonio and Fort Worth also ranked fourth, 11th and 13th, respectively.
Houston is the largest city in the southern U.S. and Texas, and the fourth-most populous city in the nation, estimated in July 2018 to have a population of 2,325,502 residents, coming in only behind New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. And in the next eight-to-10 years, it’s predicted to out-populate Chicago for the No. 3 spot, per KPRC2’s Ana Gonzalez.
From Southern comfort food to Gulf Coast seafood to Vietnamese and Latin cuisine and even vegan delicacies, Houston has one of the most diverse food scenes in the country. In fact, its been labeled by Culture Trip as the next culinary capital of the world. We’re also home to popular chefs like Justin Yu, Chris Shepherd, Hugo Ortega and Dawn Burrell — all James Beard Award nominees and recipients.
Houston also boasts six professional major league teams — the Houston Rockets, Houston Texans, Houston Astros, Houston Dynamo, Houston Dash and Houston SaberCats. True enough, we’ve been deemed “America’s saddest sports city” and have even been called “frail and absurdly fractured” by some of our own, but still: The teams are ours. Dallas also has six major teams, but how many does Austin have? Exactly.
Houston is also the original stomping grounds of some of the coolest musicians ever who never miss out on an opportunity to represent for the community who helped get them where they are.
Trae the Truth, Travis Scott and Megan Thee Stallion are all known to give back in times of need, most recently stepping in to provide relief for those affected by February’s historic Winter Storm Uri. When the beloved River Oaks Theater needed saving, Bun B stepped in to join the fight.
Let’s not forget Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers and Robert Earl Keen, whose names hold enough weight all on their own. We also get to brag about being the birthplace of Beyoncé. And it doesn’t matter if you think she’s overrated, she is still arguably the greatest entertainer of our generation.
Aside from all of these wonderful things that set Houston a part from every other city in Texas: We have a booming arts scene, two four-star-rated airports and the Texas Medical Center, which is the largest life sciences destination in the world.
So we beg to differ, Mr. Lieutenant Governor: We may not be the capital on the books, but in reality, we’re everything a capital city should be. Try to keep up.
