Sister Cities

Ever heard the phrase "sister city"? I've always taken that to refer to two cities that are alike even though they're not geographically close (unlike the twin cities in Minnesota).

Living in Houston I've found several cities that could be sister cities to it. There are a couple obvious ones like San Antonio, Dallas, or Corpus Christi, but they are also in Texas. Going out of state, two come to mind from my travels.

Atlanta, Georgia

I went to Atlanta back in the late 1990's for one of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) shows before it moved back to Los Angeles. 

Similarities

• I was immediately struck by the similar sprawl of a green and concrete mix. 
• Downtown surrounded by flat suburbs
• HEAT and HUMIDITY
• Pro football team
• Southern cuisine

Differences

• Public transportation: Houston doesn't have anything like Atlanta's Metra Rail. I used it to get from the airport to downtown and thought it was a great lower cost alternative to a taxi, though the locals I spoke with didn't sound as pleased with it as I was.
• Somewhat different vibe in downtown. I was constantly being approached by cab drivers as opposed to me hailing them. 

I'm sure there's more to write here, but on a short trip that's what I got.  

Calgary, Alberta

Been to Calgary twice. Once back around 2004 or 2005 and again just recently in Nov 2024. Both times I was staying in downtown and really found the city to be like Houston.

Similarities

• Small to moderate sized downtown surrounded by mostly flat suburbs
• Oil and gas business
• Good and often underrated food scene
• Cowboys and rodeos
• Steak
• Cosmopolitan population (both cities have a lot of different cultures, and you can find food of all cuisines)
• Classic sports stadiums (Astrodome and Saddledome)

Differences

• Calgary's downtown is more walkable. You can find all kinds of stores (grocery, books, malls) in walking distance. From my hotel I could get to their small Chinatown (5 minutes), the Saddledome (15 minutes), Prince Park (15 minutes), and pretty much everything on foot.
• Calgary has a tremendous public Central Library. They built it in 2018 and it's wonderful. The architecture is a stark contrast to the boring squares and rectangles that are so typical of modern American and Canadian architecture. But beyond that, the facility is designed as a giant human space. There are books but they almost seem secondary to the library's use as a vessel for community engagement with a coffee shop, numerous meeting rooms and activities, and programs for all ages. Calgary's library kicks Houston's in the ass, hard. The downtown Houston library has become a haven for homeless and my daughter was harassed when she visited. The CCL has security and attendants at the entrance to deal with visitors, of good faith or otherwise. Anyone wanting to call me a 1940's German for that last sentiment can GTFO, you should not have to worry about your safety when visiting an institution of learning (you shouldn't have to worry about it at all in a civilization). Like the High Line in New York, the CCL is a great example of how cities can do it right. I will offer one caveat: I don't know if the CCL as is would work in Houston due to the nature of demographics in Houston's downtown; it might be better in a suburban space where there are more residents.
• Colder winters, duh 
• Not a difference, but when I spoke to Calgarians about the sister city concept, they didn't disagree that Houston was a good match, but a few offered that they consider Denver a closer fit. I can see that, especially given the snow and the mountains within an hour's drive.