Oil dollars help Houston dodge economic woes

By Chris Baltimore HOUSTON (Reuters) - Even after Hurricane Ike smashed thousands of windows in Houston's skyscrapers last month, times could not be much better in the Petro Metro. While the ill wind of economic turmoil sweeps across America, Houston has been shielded by a combination of low housing prices, a sagging U.S. dollar and surging profits for energy companies based here. Houston, the fourth-largest city in the United States, is on track to register one of fastest-growth rates of any U.S. city this year, as the number of jobs grows and housing prices -- falling almost everywhere else -- hold steady. A big driver has been the rise in crude prices to a peak of $147 a barrel... [read full story]