It grew because people wanted to move there, jobs were good, and housing was (relatively) cheap. It's what people wanted. How could you possibly indict this?
Correction. It grew because lots of people did move there. People move despite their personal feelings all the time.
Anecdotally, I spent two decades in Houston and have a pretty good feel for it. It has many redeeming qualities and will always have a place in my heart, but most people I talk to find the flatness, lack of seasons, and oppressive heat to be too much of downsides to "want" to live there. I don't think I have ever met anyone ever who moved to Houston because they wanted to move to Houston in the same way people move to Florida or San Diego or Denver because they want to move to those places.
Same with Houston, just that it's also accessible to people who aren't making tons of money as software engineers.