Changing neighborhoods illustrate shifts in Houston property market

Large-scale shifts in the demographic information reported in the last census are an indicator of the almost dizzying rate at which the societal and ethnic makeup of Houston is changing, according to a report in the Chronicle.

Some changes brought negative consequences, the paper said. Census tract 5501 saw the sharpest decrease in the number of white residents - 70 percent since the last measurement - and the Chronicle describes large numbers of vacant storefronts and housing subdivisions getting more run-down.

By contrast, tract 4553's 80-fold increase in the number of Hispanic residents - the largest in the area - has brought a seeming boom to the area, the paper says, pointing out the area's rapid development and numerous new housing developments. As well, tract 6731 - which saw the biggest influx of Asian residents - now includes many luxury apartments and an upscale shopping center, La Centerra.

One thing Houston's suburbs have in common is the pace at which growth and decline occur, experts say, as rapid population shifts cause property values to fluctuate wildly.