Houston’s Laissez-faire Housing Policy

This article was published in the June 1987 issue of The Freeman.

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During the 1970s Houston’s population grew by an average of 36,000 per year. This pace accelerated during the early 1980s as oil prices skyrocketed and Houston’s economy boomed. Jobs and opportunities were plentiful, which combined with the subtropical climate to create a virtual paradise for unemployed, winter-weary Northerners.

This huge influx of people created a tremendous need for housing. New home and apartment construction proceeded at an unprecedented rate. Over 25,000 apartment units were built each year from 1977 through 1983. What had been cow pastures and rice paddies only ten years before were transformed into sprawling apartment complexes in a matter of months as developers raced to meet the growing demand for housing. Read more.