What does he know?
Famous author calls Houston a great city but disses Dallas as second rate
In the February 2013 issue of Texas Monthly, noted author and infamous curmudgeon Larry McMurtry takes on a touchy topic — the ranking of Texas cities.
"If I were to anatomize the six major cities more or less in order of urban merit, I would now put Houston first by a large margin: It's a great city," writes McMurtry, who was born and still lives in the hardly metropolitan Archer City.
"Next would come Austin and Fort Worth," he continues. "Dallas I haven't enjoyed since the '60s, when I could still scout books at the Harper's big bookshop in Deep Ellum, where my son now often performs. Dallas is a second-rate city that wishes it were first-rate."
We have to admit that the cities are all too distinctly dynamic to accurately rank — no matter the metrics.
Even as Houstonians pat their backs over the accolade, we have to admit that the cities are all too distinctly dynamic to accurately rank — no matter the metrics.
Although personally I am guilty of looking at Dallas with some disdain in the past, a recent visit proved that the city isn't so bad. [Editor's note: Thanks, Whit! Remind me to take you to Klyde Warren Park next time you're in town.] The downtown area was bustling with activity well after dusk — a success that Houston, for all its efforts, can't quite grasp.
Despite being a complete change from the city that I loved to visit as a kid, and one that I called home in my early adulthood, Austin remains one of my favorite cities in the world. Beyond the city's amazing culinary offerings, the natural surroundings are breathtaking, the weirdness thankfully overt and the aesthetic comforting in its consistency.
Fort Worth has its perks too. The Modern? The Kimbell? The Stockyards?
So, with all due respect, Mr. McMurtry, we'll defer to The Texanist on this one.