[monkeyshine]

Yeah, it’s the expansive use of water resources, imo.

That said, I think it’s a good think you don’t live in Houston ;-p

[Nachoman]

That said, I think it’s a good think you don’t live in Houston ;-p

These days, I can hardly tell the difference.

[HotHunt]

Years ago when I was in the mortgage banking business, I would read the Wall Street Journal everyday. The middle column on the front page was always a human interest story tied to finances but not necessary about finances.

I remember reading an article about Houston, Texas and how it would never have developed into a major metropolitan city if it were not for the invention of refrigeration or air conditioning systems.

The combination of heat, and especially the humidity, was so unbearable that no one wanted, or even could, live there. It was insufferable.

But with the invention of central air conditioning systems, entire office buildings could be cooled to make it comfortable to work in during the heat and humidity of the summer. Window units made smaller spaces bearable. As time went on, A/C systems for homes became affordable.

So the article credited the invention of commercial air conditioning with the successful development of Houston as a major city that was comfortable to live and work in, in the summer.

Without it, Houston would have been a swampy, humid backwater town that would never go anywhere.