australopithecus robustus said:
1). BCS is too close to Houston, Austin
2) The area still lacks other industry than TAMU, which makes for 35 weeks of retail sales, not 52.
3). Per the TAMU Real Estate center, BCS ranks very poorly on per capita retail spending.
THIS
Lafayette is the center of a ( sometimes) vibrant oilfield service region. LOTS of very high paying blue collar jerbs that generate a ton of disposable income. And as many of us know ...
NO ONE spends more on adult toys ( get your minds outa the gutter..I'm talking bout jet skis, trucks,876" TV's...) and high priced entertainment than well paid oilfield trash. Lafayette is also on one of the most travelled interstates in the country.
The BCS demographics will soon turn upwards WRT disposable income as more and more well to do Former Student retirees flock to this area. That trend is just beginning. TAMU really entered the mainstream in the mid 70's attracting more city boys and girls than country boys. Older Ags , like my dad ( 44), after working for 45 years in the big city retired back to the small E Texas town he grew up in. Fast forward to my generation of Ags. We are FROM the big cities and are just now retiring. We look around and really don't want to retire in a big city for a number of reasons. A TON of us see BCS as our " other " hometown and are coming home. As soon as the powers that be figure out how to capitalize on this ( this may be way beyond the overlords of CS to understand, not enough chances to over regulate, tax and
stifle ) I think that BCS will see more and more of the growth and amenities that the OP was referencing.