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Old 06-27-2010, 12:46 PM
 
17,183 posts, read 22,949,999 times
Reputation: 17479

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Malvie View Post
As Oildog points out, you really are asking the impossible.

If you are in the "middle of it all" in the 4th largest city in the nation, you are in a very "urban" area, not a "small town".

If you don't want to "drive to get to any venue", you can't live in a small-town atmosphere anywhere in the US.

You can either live in a small town an hour or so from the city (any city), and understand that, in order to have that "small town atmosphere", you must drive to everything else, or you can live in the center of the city and have everything at your fingertips---in an urban environment.

Or, as someone points out, you can live in a family-friendly suburb (like Kingwood), but understand that you'll have to drive an hour or two to get to, for example, the beach; or an hour to get to the museums, or to any of the other city amenities (theater, opera, symphony, pro sports, zoo).

I don't know of any city anywhere where you can "have it both ways".

Also, if you think you have to drive a long way in Tampa---Houston is not for you. The city is several orders of magnitude larger than Tampa. I mean, I love it here, and I don't want to give up all the amenities (top-notch arts, pro sports, top-of-the-line medical facilities, two major airports, one of which features daily nonstops to the world), but that means (a) I understand that driving to any of these things will take time, money, and effort, (b) I have a security system, lock my doors at all times, and don't trust strangers, and (c) am surrounded by people who look, speak, and act differently from me. Those are some of the prices you pay to be "in the center of it all".
Actually, you can in the suburbs of Chicago. Evanston is 20 minutes by train from downtown Chicago. If she works in the medical field there are at least two hospitals in Evanston (I could walk to Evanston Hospital from my house there). I could walk to get groceries, take the train or walk to restaurants, walk to the beach - 5 blocks. Since Northwestern was there, concerts and theater and other entertainment was also easy to access. The parks department had Shakespeare in the Park which I could also walk to though some people probably took the bus or train or drove. Evanston doesn't have a *small town* feel, but it does have a *middle sized* town feel similar to Pearland.

The weather is not good in the winter time, but my kids like sledding when there was snow (and it doesn't happen every winter either, though it does get a lot colder than Houston or Tampa)

Definitely, though, she is not going to find what she wants in Houston any more than she did in the Tampa area. I do think Houston is more livable than Tampa. I used to live there and found it boring where at least here there are lots of museums and activities even if you have to drive to get to them.

Dorothy
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Old 06-28-2010, 08:02 AM
 
12,735 posts, read 21,807,698 times
Reputation: 3774
Houston, of course!
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Old 06-28-2010, 10:43 AM
 
Location: Surfside Beach, Texas
217 posts, read 640,829 times
Reputation: 196
OP could move to Brazoria County (Alvin, Angleton) and get all the "small town feel" she could possibly stomach, and still only be 30 minutes away from Houston where there are jobs and things to do (which, in the "small town" there's not!) - I did it, I would rather be in Houston but I wasn't lookng for the "small town" feel, I wanted the beach, which, if you were in Alvin or Angleton, would NOT be too far away....
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Old 06-29-2010, 08:20 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX
4,678 posts, read 9,906,029 times
Reputation: 1960
Quote:
Originally Posted by kixette View Post
OP could move to Brazoria County (Alvin, Angleton) and get all the "small town feel" she could possibly stomach, and still only be 30 minutes away from Houston where there are jobs and things to do (which, in the "small town" there's not!) - I did it, I would rather be in Houston but I wasn't lookng for the "small town" feel, I wanted the beach, which, if you were in Alvin or Angleton, would NOT be too far away....
OP said they wanted to "be in the middle of it all" too, Alvin is pretty far away from the "middle of it all" lol.
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Old 06-29-2010, 08:27 PM
 
Location: The Greater Houston Metro Area
9,053 posts, read 17,215,272 times
Reputation: 15226
Quote:
Originally Posted by TNRyan23 View Post
OP said they wanted to "be in the middle of it all" too, Alvin is pretty far away from the "middle of it all" lol.
That's pretty much the point several people have made - you can't be in the middle of it all in Houston and have a small-town atmosphere. Like was mentioned before, Houston is larger than our 3 smallest states combined - kinda hard to find that small-town feeling near the hub of the city.
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Old 06-30-2010, 11:58 AM
 
Location: Houston Inner Loop
659 posts, read 1,378,096 times
Reputation: 758
Quote:
Originally Posted by cheryjohns View Post
That's pretty much the point several people have made - you can't be in the middle of it all in Houston and have a small-town atmosphere. Like was mentioned before, Houston is larger than our 3 smallest states combined - kinda hard to find that small-town feeling near the hub of the city.

Sure you can-West U., Bellaire, Memorial Villages! Those are great neighborhoods, although Memorial Villages might be a bit too far from the city's core. But you would have access to City Centre, etc.
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Old 08-08-2010, 02:44 PM
 
Location: Katy, Texas (via Clearwater, Florida)
156 posts, read 493,993 times
Reputation: 67
Quote:
Originally Posted by TXRyan23 View Post
I've lived in both Tampa and Houston...

Houston has Tampa beat in quality of life, schools, affordability, jobs, and income..

Tampa has Houston beat in beaches and that's about it, Honestly...

Houston is too spread out to be in the center of everything.. I assume you maybe mean the center CBD ?

In that case you could possibly look at Montrose... personally, I prefer West Houston/Bear Creek/Katy areas...

It'll def. be more affordable for you to live.
TXRyan's post is spot on. I lived in Clearwater, Florida for 10 years. We moved to Katy, Texas (suburb of Houston) in Feb 2009 for better jobs. Even though our hearts still lie in Florida, Houston is hard to beat in everything TXRyan mentioned. The schools are excellent, especially here in Katy. The housing is dirt cheap compared to the Tampa Bay area. There is just more of everything here.

In contrast, the overall aesthetics of Tampa is much nicer than Houston's; and of course, the beaches are second to none. Tampa has that "fun in the sun" vacationey feel. Houston is more of your traditional suburban city. I guess the quality of life is one's personal preference.
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Old 08-09-2010, 10:40 PM
 
12,735 posts, read 21,807,698 times
Reputation: 3774
Quote:
Originally Posted by ltampa View Post
I have a family of 4 and really want a change. I work in the medical field and my husband is a senior IT. Where is a good place to raise a family in Houston Tx or outside of Houston, tx.. It just semms like we have to drive to get to any venue in florida. I would like to be in the center of it all w/a small town atmosphere.. is that possible...also good schools for the young ones is the most important factor... any input would be great.... thanks
Houston, of course. You have the Texas Medical Center which is the largest medical complex in the world with more than 72,000 workers. I'm not sure about the IT field.
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Old 08-10-2010, 07:48 AM
 
Location: Houston Inner Loop
659 posts, read 1,378,096 times
Reputation: 758
Tampa cf. Houston? Really? Really, really? They're not even in the same league. Tampa=small (forgotten) city with no future other than "tourism." Houston=anything you want it to be and are willing to put into it.
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Old 08-18-2010, 10:51 AM
 
34 posts, read 103,072 times
Reputation: 28
If you can afford it Houston (Memorial area...Piney point Villages) There are schools, mall, movie theatres and excellent schools. I grew up there. I live in tampa now...YUCK, YUCK, YUCK!!!
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