http://nmindependent.mypublicsquare.com/person/18819 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:30:00 GMT Stories by Joel Kotkin http://nmindependent.mypublicsquare.com/view/the-new-boom-towns http://nmindependent.mypublicsquare.com/view/the-new-boom-towns <b>From the Washington Independent</b><br><br>The steep hike in gas and energy prices has created a national debate about the future of American metropolitan areas. But in many of the nation&rsquo;s strongest regional economies, $5 a gallon gas is less a threat than a boon. From Houston and Midland in Texas, to a score of cities across the Great Plains, today&rsquo;s energy crisis is creating new wealth and new jobs in a way not seen since, well, the energy crisis of the 1970s.<br /> <br /> Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:30:00 GMT Joel Kotkin Culture Economics Growth