Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
These ethnic and cultural disparities are reflected in the economic differences
between neighbourhoods. Houston's city area is significantly less prosperous than
its suburbs, despite the fact that one can find some of its wealthiest neighborhoods in
the city's south-west quadrant, south of Interstate I-10W. The city's average per
capita income is 96% of the federal average in 1999. At the same time, its suburbs
have a mean per capita income of 104% of the federal average (see Figure 8.21).
23,000
22,500
22,000
21,500
21,000
20,500
20,000
19,500
USA
MSA
Central City
suburbs
Figure 8.21.
Houston-Galveston-Brazoria CMSA, Texas,
average per capital income, 1999
If we consider the situation at the census tract level, income disparities are
enormous. One person in 10 lives in a neighborhood where the average income is
less than $10,500 per capita, while another 10% reside in neighborhoods where the
average income is above $35,500 per capita; thus, there is an especially high inter-
decile ratio of 3.4.
These large differences are the result of the concentrated wealth in some
neighborhoods, such as the residential enclaves (incorporated areas) of Bunker Hill
Village and Bellaire that resist annexation in Houston city.
As in Atlanta, but less than in Detroit, the poorest populations are concentrated
in the city center. The contrast between the center city and the suburbs, however, is
somewhat mitigated by the exceptional geographic extent of the city (see
Figure 8.23).
