Austin or Houston? Or Elsewhere??? Any Advice is Appreciated (Dallas: appointed, apartment)

[YankeesJerseyGirl]

Hey everybody. I'm going to post this in the Austin section too and see what kind of repsonses I get. I'm very conflicted and anxious. I am young and trying to get my life started. I'm native to New Jersey. I lived 10 minutes outside of NY. I love New York and New Jersey with all the culture, diversity, food, shopping, accessablity, and yes...even the people (some are rude, but i'm used to it).

Unfortuately I fell on some hard times and had to leave my apartment in New Jersey and move back in with my parents (who moved to Delaware in 2005). Since I moved in with them in 2006 (when I graduated college), I've been trying to get the hell out of here. I hate Delaware. It's not cultured enough, shopping is scarce, the food sux, and I'm not a fan of the people. It seems that many of them are "sheltered". Its the only way I can describe it. Furthermore, the closest city is Philly and I find that city a complete dump. I can't stand it. Not to mention it is pretty expensive for having nothing around it unless you want to drive an hour :/ Its good because it's close to DC, Philly, Baltimore, and NYC. But your talking a couple plus hours to get to most of those places. And you already know my opinion of Philly and Baltimore isn't that far behind them.

With that being said, I'm looking to change careers toward something I find self fullfilling. In order to do that, I'm afraid Ill have to look into other states besides New York and New Jersey. I would give anything to move back, but unfortunately the job market is horrible at best and the cost of living "just makes it" and I'd live in a shoebox.

I've been in several cities nationwide and worldwide. Ive traveled nationally for my current job and it's taken me to cities I wouldn't otherwise visit. Austin being one of them. I found Austin very charming and interesting. I remember thinking I could live there...especially how cheap going out was My short stay in Austin didn't give me enough of an indication how life would be living there. I am researching Austin and Houston as being a place to start out and see if I can start applying for jobs before I make a move.

So basically, I want to know how these two cities compare to eachother. Also, if anyone has sugggestions as to other cities or states that may interest me, that would be great. My main criteria is culture, food, shopping, jobs, and conveincence. I don't care about schools since I'm a single female. I do care about safety. I'm over the college towns, being that I lived by Rutgers and currently leave near University of Delaware. I understand cities come with crime...i'm realistic. I dont mind suburbs either. As long as I can get to work in a reasonable time, I'm good. Basically, I'd like a home away from home

Thanks in advance for your help

[EasilyAmused]

At this point, if you want to be in Texas take either city that offers you a job.

That said, I think you will be vastly disappointed by the "culture" that will be provided to you in either place. I say this due to the reactions of transfers from the NE.but most of them land in the burbs then wonder why they are so bored.

That said, Austin IS a college town. That is the majority of it's personality. It has a small town feel but it's the most liberal of all the cities in Texas.

Houston is a nutty,international mishmash.Enormous. Nothing college about it. The food scene is rather incredible if you stay within or near the 610 Loop/West side.

The burbs in both places would be almost identical except for the flora.

[YankeesJerseyGirl]

Originally Posted by EasilyAmused

At this point, if you want to be in Texas take either city that offers you a job.

That said, I think you will be vastly disappointed by the "culture" that will be provided to you in either place. I say this due to the reactions of transfers from the NE.but most of them land in the burbs then wonder why they are so bored.

That said, Austin IS a college town. That is the majority of it's personality. It has a small town feel but it's the most liberal of all the cities in Texas.

Houston is a nutty,international mishmash.Enormous. Nothing college about it. The food scene is rather incredible if you stay within or near the 610 Loop/West side.

The burbs in both places would be almost identical except for the flora.

How is the city of Houston structured? Are there areas in the city...like neighborhoods I should look into. Ideally I would want to be in the city rather than the suburbs. I'd like to walk to places and be relatively safe. Are there boroughs like NYC? If so, what streets should I or should I not look into?

[TwelfthAG]

Neighborhoods of Houston:



Midtown is the most walkable.

[EasilyAmused]

Midtown is most walkable as said above. But Uptown (aka Galleria) is also walkable,and becoming more so monthly, with many things to offer. Upper Kirby attracts many yuppies as well.

[nana053]

This map spreads out and gives more neighborhoods, though I suspect the one above is where she should consider

Houston Texas Neighborhoods

[dv1033]

Originally Posted by YankeesJerseyGirl

How is the city of Houston structured? Are there areas in the city...like neighborhoods I should look into. Ideally I would want to be in the city rather than the suburbs. I'd like to walk to places and be relatively safe. Are there boroughs like NYC? If so, what streets should I or should I not look into?

I would seriously worry more about finding a job than deciding on which Texas city to move to.

If you decide on Houston, I would look into Montrose or Midtown. I live in Montrose and walk/ride my bike to local stores, bars, etc. The area is very unique and home to Houston's art scene, as well as having several colleges nearby. The urban amenities and culture won't be on par with NYC or most major NE cities, but Houston's "urban" scene is pretty unique.

[YankeesJerseyGirl]

I appreciate all of your information and guidance. I DO NOT intend on moving without a job lined up. I just don't want to focus on a job search in a city or state that wouldn't fit my needs. I'm not just out of college where I can be bold enough to do something like that.

The main reason I'm putting this post out there is to see what I can do in this job market and what geographic location will allow me to save money. Where I'm at right now wont' allow me to do that effectively. To be honest, I'm not making much right now. I'm noticing that I can make the same amount, if not more in other cities and states where the cost of living is much cheaper.

I'm trying to keep an open mind while keeping options open. This is the worst time but with a little help and information, I can make it work...i hope.

[testmo]

Austin is cool for being Austin but definitely does not have a big city feel to it. it also isn't very "urban" or diverse. food scene is almost to the level of being horrible. cool place to visit, but i decided to put my roots back in houston.

food, diversity, art scene, college scene, etc basically anything you want. there are more unique restaurants in houston than there are in NYC.

the areas you would want to live in (previously posted) are not cheap for houston. house and townhome prices typically $280,000 at the dirt cheapest unless its an investment property. whats the average price now about $340,000? feels like it! plenty of places to rent though. expect your rent to be at least $1000, unless you are looking to go cheaper which can be done.

in my experience, Austin is generally more expensive for close to the city living

[Malvie]

I recommend that, if you're going to undergo the culture shock you seem willing to undergo (I lived in the City, Upper West Side), you need to expand your search to include the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex.

It's different here. I'm from here and LOVE it here, but if you're looking to replicate NYC, let me assure you the only places on the planet that come close are London, Paris, and Rome. Since you're confining yourself to the US...it's different).

Really, between Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Austin and to some extent San Antonio, if you're leaving NYC, you need to go to whichever of these cities offers you a job. They're all cheaper than what you're used to. They're all exceedingly "suburban" and "car-centric" compared to what you're used to (a lot closer in feel to Long Island, even in the heart of the cities, than to NYC).

NONE of these cities (Houston, Austin, Dallas, Atlanta, Denver, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego) offer anything close to the "metropolitan" feel of Manhattan. The "skyscraper districts" of these cities (uniformly called "downtown") are almost totally business districts, with tiny---by NYC standards---pockets of "urban living". You will HAVE to have a car in any of these places---and yes, there are those on here who will scream, "No you don't!" but trust me, you do---unless you want to limit yourself to the areas where our -extremely limited- public transportation goes. There is no public transportation in any of those cities I listed that even remotely compares to NYC, none. Yes, Atlanta has MARTA and Dallas has DART---you can't use them to get everywhere like you can the MTA.

I'm not trying to discourage you; I think you're on the right track. What I saw in your post is that you don't like Philadelphia and Baltimore because they're too "backwater" (my term, but you tell me if you disagree). If that is the case, I fear you'll find any of the cities on my list to be "backwater" as well.

There is only one NYC. The two closest cities---and they are not close, just closer than everywhere else---are Chicago and San Francisco.

My advice: look upon your relocation as an ADVENTURE! You're going to learn something new, try something you've not done before; you're going to challenge your norms and your beliefs. You're going to shift your paradigms. So DON'T try to re-create the Manhattan lifestyle somewhere else. Embrace the lifestyle wherever you wind up.

And honestly, while I love Houston, any of the cities on that list would work for the things you've said you wanted, and I'd try very hard to find a job in one of them (any of them, unless you've just got a preference). Times are tough, jobs are scarce---if you find a good one in any of those cities, you'll be fine.

Good luck!