This statement is made in the lead paragraph: “It’s possible to run out of gas crisscrossing Houston. The same could be said for Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.” On the back page of today’s NYT sports section the headline reads: “In Some Texas Cities The Sprawl Is Vertical” (byline Kate Murphy).

The feature goes on to say that traffic congestion has caused more Austinites to want to leave their car in the garage and live near their workplace. It reports that downtown high-rise units scheduled for completion in 2006 number 832, versus 20 in the preceding year, with at least 10 more high-rise projects in the wings. Can this be correct? It certainly cannot be true that people run out of gas driving crosstown in Austin, although they may driving from South Waco to North San Marcos or vice versa.

At least in one way Austin is growing to be just like Dallas and Houston: you can meet a Texan on your travels, ask where he or she lives, hear the answer “Austin,” wonder which part of town, and be told “San Marcos,” “Round Rock,” “Cedar Park,” or “West Lake Hills.” Just substitute “Dallas” for one answer and “Plano,” “Garland,” or “Highland Park” or the equivalent for Houston or San Antonio.