Houston named 'America's next great Global city'

Forbes made the prediction in its article “A Map of America’s Future: Where Growth Will Be Over the Next Decade,” part of its “Reinventing America” series.

The article breaks the country into seven major regions, including the Third Coast — of which Houston is named the capital.

“Once a sleepy, semitropical backwater, the Third Coast, which stretches along the Gulf of Mexico from south Texas to western Florida, has come out of the recession stronger than virtually any other region,” Forbes writes. “Since 2001, its job base has expanded 7 percent, and it is projected to grow another 18 percent in the coming decade.”

Forbes notes two of Houston’s major economic powerhouses — energy and trade — as two of the driving forces behind the area’s success.

In addition to Houston’s energy prominence, Forbes also notes the racially and ethnically diverse metro has the world’s largest medical center and recently surpassed New York City as the No. 1 exporter nationwide. The diversification of the region’s economy will continue to increase as the area’s wealth grows, according to Forbes.

Last year, Forbes named Houston the coolest city in which to live, and the Bayou City has racked up numerous superlatives since then