I'm not as familiar with Houston in particular, but I think the important note for most of these places is that while there are expensive "central locations" that isn't the same as saying prices are centered in downtown (which in many cities comes from a legacy of racist policy/actions, though this is rather aside from the point of them being different from what the article linked here describes about a constant outward-migration and abandonment cycle, vs a particular moment in history). In Dallas and Atlanta, those areas are largely north of downtown. In LA, they're largely west. IIRC Austin and San Antonio had hot spots in the northern parts of the city too, but I'm less up to date there.