Last year liberal eyebrows were raised when Gavin Newsom, the Democratic lieutenant-governor, journeyed to deeply Republican Texas, along with several Republicans, to uncover the secret of the Lone Star state's job-creation record.

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Dell ( DELL - news - people ) Computer, the University of Texas and the Lone Star state's government has an annual GMP growth prospect of more than 6%.

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Yet if you want to see successful 21st-century urbanism, hop on down to Houston and Texas, the Lone Star State.

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