Relocating from Germany to Houston (Spring, Katy: lease, credit, motel)

[Historian/Traveler]

Look into Spring/Klein in north northwest Houston. This area of Houston was settled by Germans back in the 1820s before the Texas Revolution. This area retains its heritage and history in schools and by naming its streets, schools, and businesses after the families that came to live here. Klein ISD is (or at least recently used to be) a highly regarded school district that retained a lot of the German education system brought over by these original settlers.

(Klein, Kleb, Krahn, Theiss, Stuebner, Mittelstadt, Doerre, Brill, Kuehnle, Hassler, Kuykendahl, Wunderlich, Schindewolf, Strack, Krimmel, Haude, Klenk, Hildebrandt, Benfer, Metzler, Kaiser, Kohrville, Schultz, Kreinhop, Ehrhardt, Wunsche... these are just a few of the names found on street signs and establishments in this slightly Bohemian suburban area.)

You will find similar places such as these though inside The Loop in inner Houston, as well as inside Loop 410 in inner San Antonio as well as its north side too from the Boerne area to New Braunfels.

Try Shiner, and St. Arnolds beers as well as Ziegenbock when you arrive. Welcome to Texas, Prosit!

[jfre81]

Do/did the Germans pronounce it "Kirk-en-dahl" too?

[pat33]

Hello everybody

Thanks alot for all of the reasuring answers. We are not to concerned with were all the Germans live in Texas. What matters the most is that we can make a nice living in Houston and our children have more future opportunities. I konw we are making the right decision but I still get scared at times.

Thanks

Cindy

[texasdiver]

Pat,

You are right not to worry about the so-called Germans living in Texas. There aren't really any actual Germans living in Texas anyway. What there are is lots of Texans such as myself who's ancestors came from Germany 150 years ago and for whom Germany and anything more German than strudel is completely foreign.

If you have young kids, Katy is a good choice as the schools are excellent.

My advice if you are moving to Houston without employment already established is to rent and get to know the place. Houston is more massive than you can possibly imagine. And traffic can be horrendous. Wait until your husband finds work he is happy with then get to know the area, the commuting routes, the schools, etc. and then think about what neighborhoods are logical places to live. There are nice neighborhoods in most directions surrounding Houston. It would be beyond insane to contemplate working on one side of Houston and living on the other side unless you want to spend all your waking free time in stop-and-go traffic.

[jfre81]

Well, there are German ex-pats in Houston just as there are from most other countries...things are pretty mixed together. There aren't any real foreign-nationality districts like you would hear about in NYC, other than the "Chinatowns" which are really just areas highly concentrated with people of Asian ancestry, not necessarily Chinese. You can look at city-data for any ZIP and see the ethnic mix in your area if you are interested, and it will list census information as available regarding foreign nationals in your area.

I do not recall whether Germany has a consulate in Houston....

[Historian/Traveler]

The progeny of Germany is alive and well here in Texas. It's one of the main reasons why Texans are laid back, yet maintain a strong work ethic in their day-to-day lives. You will come across names, places, and things that will make your transition from Deutschland easier than you think. There are reasons why your/our German ancestors came, particulary to 'this land', to settle over 160 years ago (mostly during The Prussian Wars). Please do not be afraid for there will be people here who will embrace you as newcomers.

jfre81: Our German ancestors pronounced it '****'-en-dahl, like it should correctly be called today. It changed in pronunciation due to Anglicization and the fact that part of it 'sounded' derogatory towards the surprisingly large Judeo population that coincided with the immigration of Europeans into this area.

[Historian/Traveler]

I must have spelled it right... sorry for any offenses on that one anyways. :/

[Historian/Traveler]

Ooh, and we do have a consulate present here.

[mjewell]

My husband's a machinist and says there are tons of new start ups and more established companies that are so busy they can't hire enough people. With his experience he should be selective, don't accept night shift or a non air-conditioned shop or no medical and 401K benefits. Many of the jobs seem to be on the northwest part of town if that helps with the apartment search, but there are plenty all over town. Good luck and welcome to Houston!

[mjewell]

Almost forgot - a few years ago my son did a Christmas choir performance at some German lodge or club, it was north of 610 on Antoine or TC Jester I think. If you're interested in that sort of thing look into it, seemed like a real nice bunch of people the one afternoon I was there. Also, if you and the kids get lonely for company look into the Mom's Club. There are playgroups and organized activities that may really help you settle in and get to know the city.