My impressions of Houston since I moved here in 08 (Austin: transplants, sales)
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Since I've been a regular on this web-site I've never posted my own experiences of living in Houston. So I decided why not do it now since i'm starting to feel somewhat like a Houstonian being a resident of the city for some time now.
Overall experience since living in Houston has been pretty much a life changing situation that only get's better and better. I moved here from Waco,Texas as I was pretty much finish with college and ready to move out of Waco. Nothing against Waco, I just felt like I've done so much in Waco and my heart really wasn't in a small or mid size city but more wanting to be in a urban jungle. Prior to moving to Houston, I had the option to move to DFW or Atlanta and I felt as though Houston would be the best choice for me. Since moving to Houston I've had way more positive experiences then negative ones. I'll just give pros and cons of the city.
Cons:
1.Traffic- I actually didn't have that much of a problem with traffic when I first moved but I've notice traffic volume has gotten worst due to what I assume is more and more people moving to the city. After spending some time in D.C. and loving public transportation(even though I like driving)coming back to Houston made me hate the traffic even more.
2. The ILLUSION of a lack of scenery- Look,I've been to many beautiful places in this country my favorite good looking city based off of scenery alone would be San Francisco. D.C., I fell in love with the architecture and the whole feel of the city(mostly due to the fact i'm huge on history and the city just embodies that) However, I don't live everyday in Houston wishing and hoping that Houston looks like those cities. I feel that Houston has alot of beautiful looking areas, more then most people realize. It's alot of charm in Houston. The Illusion of a lack of scenery is the fact that the freeways/main roads cut through some of the ugliest blandest parts of Houston. So to me it makes seem as though Houston is full of blandness when it's the total opposite. The area in between Greenspoint and right before you get to 610 on 45 isn't the most attractive. And that cut's right through hoods on the Northside. But I would get lost on purpose through the city and end up in some beautiful charismatic areas even outside the loop that didn't come off as a typical sub-division.
3.Lack of marketing/Tourism- More then likely I probably would avoid tourist traps because most tourist destinations in the U.S. most locals tend to avoid anyway. But it would be nice if Houston markets it's attractions much better. Ex: I just found out about Bayou Bend by accidently browsing the MFAH web-site. I don't hear many people talk about it as well when it comes to attractions. Maybe i'm one of the few people that find this place fascinating. This is one of many places that Houston actually has that should get more recognition to draw more tourist to the city.
4. Not Pedestrian friendly in most areas- I've been taking alot of pictures in the city. Some of the most unique areas are not as pedestrian friendly as other cities I've been to. It would be progressive if they made these area's a little more walk able.
PROS:
1. Food- Like others have said, bar none Houston has some of the best food in the United states. And eating out is pretty much a religion in this city. I think you have to be in cities like Houston or New Orleans to understand what i'm saying. The social atmosphere eating out is on a different experience down here then most cities I've been to. But maybe because i'm around alot of foodies.
2.Social scene-Alot of people on here have said Houston doesn't have much of a night life or social scene. I say otherwise. I've been to alot of cities in this country and Houston is top notch to me and very underrated in this category. Maybe because i'm black and Houston might have more to offer in that sense even though I see tons of other races/ethnicity out all the time in Houston. Trust me there's always something to do in Houston. Monday to Sunday. I've lived or been in cities where you wait till Friday for the party to get started. And that's only on a Friday and Saturday. I've made alot of progressive connections living in Houston. I've rubbed shoulders with people I never thought I would be in a position to meet since I've been here. I've also put together events and had a good turn out to add to the social atmosphere of the city. I seriously don't see how people can say it's dead when I always see people out having a good time. Not to mention most people don't think about party scenes in other cities while there out having fun.
3. Neighborhoods in the inner loop- I like the fact that it's so many different vibes within the inner loop. Alot of people say that Houston is bland with no charm but I beg to differ. Hoods like the Heights, Midtown, Upper Kirby,Montrose, 3rd Ward, River Oaks, 5th Ward have there own vibes and all have activity going on daily. I mean all those areas I named you could not compare them at all. 3rd Ward and 5th ward are worlds apart and I know most people on this forum are not even aware of the vibes of those areas.
4. People- Houstonians have alot of character. I've meet alot of cool people both natives and transplants. Meet people from all over the globe and have been exposed to many different cultures thanks to Houston's diverse population.
5.Proximity to unique areas- Alot of people might not like the beaches on Galveston. But Galveston in itself is a nice getaway and it's no other city quite like Galveston in Texas. It has a vibe somewhat like New Orleans,Savannah,Charleston. And the fact it does have beaches and nice hotels,great food,culture and theme parks. I also like the Woodlands area and see it as an up and coming area in the Houston metropolitan area.
6. Shopping- For the wardrobe I like I think Houston is on top 5 or 10 list.
There you have it, the pros outweigh the cons for me. I plan on living here for a long time and raising a family here. I only would consider living in 2 other places in this country over Houston. And even then that's if I had enough money to have residence in 2 places, that one place being Houston.
I still don't get it. Another Pro/Con post that completely ignores the competitive cost of living in Houston. People and businesses move here in great numbers because it's cheaper to live here.
Since I've been a regular on this web-site I've never posted my own experiences of living in Houston. So I decided why not do it now since i'm starting to feel somewhat like a Houstonian being a resident of the city for some time now.
Overall experience since living in Houston has been pretty much a life changing situation that only get's better and better. I moved here from Waco,Texas as I was pretty much finish with college and ready to move out of Waco. Nothing against Waco, I just felt like I've done so much in Waco and my heart really wasn't in a small or mid size city but more wanting to be in a urban jungle. Prior to moving to Houston, I had the option to move to DFW or Atlanta and I felt as though Houston would be the best choice for me. Since moving to Houston I've had way more positive experiences then negative ones. I'll just give pros and cons of the city.
Cons:
1.Traffic- I actually didn't have that much of a problem with traffic when I first moved but I've notice traffic volume has gotten worst due to what I assume is more and more people moving to the city. After spending some time in D.C. and loving public transportation(even though I like driving)coming back to Houston made me hate the traffic even more.
2. The ILLUSION of a lack of scenery- Look,I've been to many beautiful places in this country my favorite good looking city based off of scenery alone would be San Francisco. D.C., I fell in love with the architecture and the whole feel of the city(mostly due to the fact i'm huge on history and the city just embodies that) However, I don't live everyday in Houston wishing and hoping that Houston looks like those cities. I feel that Houston has alot of beautiful looking areas, more then most people realize. It's alot of charm in Houston. The Illusion of a lack of scenery is the fact that the freeways/main roads cut through some of the ugliest blandest parts of Houston. So to me it makes seem as though Houston is full of blandness when it's the total opposite. The area in between Greenspoint and right before you get to 610 on 45 isn't the most attractive. And that cut's right through hoods on the Northside. But I would get lost on purpose through the city and end up in some beautiful charismatic areas even outside the loop that didn't come off as a typical sub-division.
3.Lack of marketing/Tourism- More then likely I probably would avoid tourist traps because most tourist destinations in the U.S. most locals tend to avoid anyway. But it would be nice if Houston markets it's attractions much better. Ex: I just found out about Bayou Bend by accidently browsing the MFAH web-site. I don't hear many people talk about it as well when it comes to attractions. Maybe i'm one of the few people that find this place fascinating. This is one of many places that Houston actually has that should get more recognition to draw more tourist to the city.
4. Not Pedestrian friendly in most areas- I've been taking alot of pictures in the city. Some of the most unique areas are not as pedestrian friendly as other cities I've been to. It would be progressive if they made these area's a little more walk able.
PROS:
1. Food- Like others have said, bar none Houston has some of the best food in the United states. And eating out is pretty much a religion in this city. I think you have to be in cities like Houston or New Orleans to understand what i'm saying. The social atmosphere eating out is on a different experience down here then most cities I've been to. But maybe because i'm around alot of foodies.
2.Social scene-Alot of people on here have said Houston doesn't have much of a night life or social scene. I say otherwise. I've been to alot of cities in this country and Houston is top notch to me and very underrated in this category. Maybe because i'm black and Houston might have more to offer in that sense even though I see tons of other races/ethnicity out all the time in Houston. Trust me there's always something to do in Houston. Monday to Sunday. I've lived or been in cities where you wait till Friday for the party to get started. And that's only on a Friday and Saturday. I've made alot of progressive connections living in Houston. I've rubbed shoulders with people I never thought I would be in a position to meet since I've been here. I've also put together events and had a good turn out to add to the social atmosphere of the city. I seriously don't see how people can say it's dead when I always see people out having a good time. Not to mention most people don't think about party scenes in other cities while there out having fun.
3. Neighborhoods in the inner loop- I like the fact that it's so many different vibes within the inner loop. Alot of people say that Houston is bland with no charm but I beg to differ. Hoods like the Heights, Midtown, Upper Kirby,Montrose, 3rd Ward, River Oaks, 5th Ward have there own vibes and all have activity going on daily. I mean all those areas I named you could not compare them at all. 3rd Ward and 5th ward are worlds apart and I know most people on this forum are not even aware of the vibes of those areas.
4. People- Houstonians have alot of character. I've meet alot of cool people both natives and transplants. Meet people from all over the globe and have been exposed to many different cultures thanks to Houston's diverse population.
5.Proximity to unique areas- Alot of people might not like the beaches on Galveston. But Galveston in itself is a nice getaway and it's no other city quite like Galveston in Texas. It has a vibe somewhat like New Orleans,Savannah,Charleston. And the fact it does have beaches and nice hotels,great food,culture and theme parks. I also like the Woodlands area and see it as an up and coming area in the Houston metropolitan area.
6. Shopping- For the wardrobe I like I think Houston is on top 5 or 10 list.
There you have it, the pros outweigh the cons for me. I plan on living here for a long time and raising a family here. I only would consider living in 2 other places in this country over Houston. And even then that's if I had enough money to have residence in 2 places, that one place being Houston.
Pretty soon we will need to trade in our cars for either helicopters or bulldozers!
I still don't get it. Another Pro/Con post that completely ignores the competitive cost of living in Houston. People and businesses move here in great numbers because it's cheaper to live here.
Ronnie
The cost of living is probably not that much different than it was in Waco, TX. That could be why it was ignored in this post as the OP was not moving from a different state.
The cost of living is probably not that much different than it was in Waco, TX. That could be why it was ignored in this post as the OP was not moving from a different state.
Exactly it wasn't that huge of a difference for me. So I can't relate to transplants from other states. Texas (aside from Austin) is pretty cheap all together compared to alot of different states. But I can say the cost of living in a MAJOR city was a big plus for me moving to Houston. I just forgot to add that in my PROS. The Pros outweigh the negatives. Trust, every city has pros and cons. Some have more cons then you can think of.
Exactly it wasn't that huge of a difference for me. So I can't relate to transplants from other states. Texas (aside from Austin) is pretty cheap all together compared to alot of different states. But I can say the cost of living in a MAJOR city was a big plus for me moving to Houston. I just forgot to add that in my PROS. The Pros outweigh the negatives. Trust, every city has pros and cons. Some have more cons then you can think of.
I stand corrected. I didn't pay attention to that.
I still don't get it. Another Pro/Con post that completely ignores the competitive cost of living in Houston. People and businesses move here in great numbers because it's cheaper to live here.
Ronnie
Why do people keep on pulling out the "Cost of Living" card out of theor back pocket?
I've actually started paying atention to this and while homes in certain parts of the far suburbs are cheaper than compprable cites, homes inside the loop are costly and apartments in trendy parts of the city are not as expensive as premiere cities but they are in the top 25% most expensive.
Additionally, the state of Texas has HIGHER property taxes, sales taxes, and utility fees (water, electricity, etc. ) comparaitively speaking. Also, we have a weak public transportation system so personal transportation costs are typicall more expensive.
Also, we get what we pay for. We have a weakened infrastructure because 'those perceived lower cost of living' mentaility does not pay to upkeep the city, as much.
Anyone who has driven on a city road knows this...the city patches a pothole as inexpensively as possible to avoid fixing it for good.
Again,
Lower base rent/mortgage (in some parts of the city) but
-Higher property taxes
-Higher Sales tax (these make up for the lack of state tax)
-Higher Utilities cost
-Higher transportation cost bc you MUST have a car and have to drive miles to get anywhere
-Not sure about gasoline taxes (maybe someone else knows where we rank)
Why do people keep on pulling out the "Cost of Living" card out of theor back pocket?
I've actually started paying atention to this and while homes in certain parts of the far suburbs are cheaper than compprable cites, homes inside the loop are costly and apartments in trendy parts of the city are not as expensive as premiere cities but they are in the top 25% most expensive.
Additionally, the state of Texas has HIGHER property taxes, sales taxes, and utility fees (water, electricity, etc. ) comparaitively speaking. Also, we have a weak public transportation system so personal transportation costs are typicall more expensive.
Also, we get what we pay for. We have a weakened infrastructure because 'those perceived lower cost of living' mentaility does not pay to upkeep the city, as much.
Anyone who has driven on a city road knows this...the city patches a pothole as inexpensively as possible to avoid fixing it for good.
Again,
Lower base rent/mortgage (in some parts of the city) but
-Higher property taxes
-Higher Sales tax (these make up for the lack of state tax)
-Higher Utilities cost
-Not sure about gasoline taxes (maybe someone else knows where we rank)
.....but we get what we pay for in return.
I see your argument there. I agree that Houston is not as cheap as some people make it out to be, which I'm finding in the process of moving back, but pound for pound it actually IS a lot cheaper than most cities with similar levels of amenities.
In most cities, I could never afford to live 10 minutes from Downtown by any mode of transportation, (see Boston's central neighborhoods: Back Bay/South End, Beacon Hill: all upwards of $1500 for nasty studios) but in Houston I can. I like that.
Houston definitely does need to work on the potholes though. I'm remembering being a kid driving down the street with my mom and sister, and it was almost a game to try to guess where they were.
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