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There are a lot of us here that are Democrats and liberal. We are just out numbered by the conservative republicans. The conservative republicans tend to live in the outer suburbs. Certain parts of town have more Democrats/hipsters than others. It depends on where you choose to live. You will be happiest living inside the loop. Many other posters have already mentioned the Heights and Montrose as good hipster places. They are also good Democratic areas. There are lots of geeks here because of NASA, the oil and gas industry and medical center. There are some good public schools and some that are not so good. Definitely check out the rating and test scores of your local HISD (Houston Independent School District) school before buying. Travis Elementary in the Heights has a good reputation. West U Elementary, Poe Elementary, Roberts Elementary, Garden Oaks Elementary, Mark Twain elementary are some other close in schools that are good. You will see as many folks going out to brunch on Sunday morning (especially in the Heights and Montrose) as are going to church. The humidity is terrible but every place you go will have the a/c blasting almost year round. Plus it keeps your skin looking young.
I would pick Austin over Houston (more tech companies located in that city as well). But if you pick Houston, I would go with the Heights or Montrose, Wests Gray areas.
I think you would feel at home in the Morningside Place neighborhood, very close to Rice Village and Rice University. Farmers' market within walking distance. Roberts Elementary an excellent public school. Informal count at the last election, Obama signs outnumbered Romney by at least 5 to 1. Not sure if you can get the equivalent level of public school in the Heights or Montrose, might be wrong though!
My best advice if a move here is going to happen for you is check your attitude and your stereotypes.
When my husband told me last May we were very likely moving from California to Houston, a place and state never on our radar for anything more than an airport layover on our way to the Caribbean, I looked at it like an adventure and started doing my research. I found an incredibly large, diverse city with museums, festivals, theater, amazing restaurants, and a huge Rodeo. I found ethnic, political and religious diversity, a Democratic and openly gay Mayor and an almost 50/50 vote split in the 2008 Presidential election.
There are a lot of huge trucks on the freeways, and a lot of hybrids. Talk of God and blessings are more common and casual here, but I take no offense because it is not meant that way.
I was a reusable bag carrying, pro gay marriage, Obama supporting liberal in California...and I am here too with no problems (even in the burbs). I've met people like me and not, but they are all pretty much nice and friendly.
Yes, I miss things from California, but I am also enjoying things here a lot. I didn't find the summer weather that bad and the mellow Winter is nice.
It is what you make it.
Location: Baghdad by the Bay (San Francisco, California)
3,530 posts, read 5,148,547 times
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Honestly, Houston will likely be a big letdown for the OP, in my opinion. There is only really a vague approximation of the kind of lifestyle and social setup she is describing. Houston has a lot to offer to those who are looking to rapidly assimilate to its way of life, but it's a bad candidate as a poor man's Los Angeles, no matter how loudly well-meaning boosters tout its lesbian mayor and count its Obama yard signs. Houston is Houston--like it or not--and crunchy Californians generally don't.
I lived there for more than 20 years, most of it in The Heights and Montrose. Now I live in San Francisco and often work in Los Angeles. The people, social atmosphere, the weather, the politics, and the lifestyle are very different here. Houston is a great city, with a positive work ethic and a throw-back, family-centric vibe that belies its huge size and contemporary appearance. There is a lot of opportunity there and it somehow maintains a kind of blue-collar surety about itself, despite its roaring economy. These are things to admire and love about Houston. They will feel foreign to a self-professed granola Californian, though. Most Texans are very happy about this.
Coastal California is a very different place. Day-to-day interactions with people, how children are raised, attitudes toward politics and social issues, the environment and scenery, work-life balance, etc. are all very different. A person who is accepting of the differences and who is willing to embrace the fact that Houston offers little more than a kind of middle ground in bending to outsiders in these areas will do fine moving to Houston. By the way she phrased her questions, the OP doesn't strike me as that kind of person, though. Houston is a major city, so of course there will be diverse ideas and a variety of amenities available. The OP should go expecting Houston, though, not mini-LA.
I agree that the lifestyle and social vibe in Austin might be more to your liking, OP. Houston is more akin to what a Central Valley city would be if it somehow grew to 6,000,000 in population.
Nobody (virtually) will give one crapola if you are hippie/nerds. If you're a good neighbor, then they will return the favor. Nobody will care if you pop a boob to breastfeed, whether or not you go to church, and you can papoose your child around with nary a glance. Nobody will care.
We go to market in Pearland, Houston and Manvel. We don't go to church and don't thump a bible, and, oh, by the way, you can count on one hand the folks in my neck of the woods that go to church. I don't care where you breastfeed as long as you don't burp your baby on my carpet.
My best advice if a move here is going to happen for you is check your attitude and your stereotypes.
When my husband told me last May we were very likely moving from California to Houston, a place and state never on our radar for anything more than an airport layover on our way to the Caribbean, I looked at it like an adventure and started doing my research. I found an incredibly large, diverse city with museums, festivals, theater, amazing restaurants, and a huge Rodeo. I found ethnic, political and religious diversity, a Democratic and openly gay Mayor and an almost 50/50 vote split in the 2008 Presidential election.
There are a lot of huge trucks on the freeways, and a lot of hybrids. Talk of God and blessings are more common and casual here, but I take no offense because it is not meant that way.
I was a reusable bag carrying, pro gay marriage, Obama supporting liberal in California...and I am here too with no problems (even in the burbs). I've met people like me and not, but they are all pretty much nice and friendly.
Yes, I miss things from California, but I am also enjoying things here a lot. I didn't find the summer weather that bad and the mellow Winter is nice.
It is what you make it.
Best post of the thread so far. I concur completely.
Nobody (virtually) will give one crapola if you are hippie/nerds. If you're a good neighbor, then they will return the favor. Nobody will care if you pop a boob to breastfeed, whether or not you go to church, and you can papoose your child around with nary a glance. Nobody will care.
We go to market in Pearland, Houston and Manvel. We don't go to church and don't thump a bible, and, oh, by the way, you can count on one hand the folks in my neck of the woods that go to church. I don't care where you breastfeed as long as you don't burp your baby on my carpet.
Just sayin'...
Ronnie
NOBODY? Not so sure about that. And you make church sound so irrelevant. Church is very important to a lot of people here, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Honestly, Houston will likely be a big letdown for the OP, in my opinion. There is only really a vague approximation of the kind of lifestyle and social setup she is describing. Houston has a lot to offer to those who are looking to rapidly assimilate to its way of life, but it's a bad candidate as a poor man's Los Angeles, no matter how loudly well-meaning boosters tout its lesbian mayor and count its Obama yard signs. Houston is Houston--like it or not--and crunchy Californians generally don't.
I lived there for more than 20 years, most of it in The Heights and Montrose. Now I live in San Francisco and often work in Los Angeles. The people, social atmosphere, the weather, the politics, and the lifestyle are very different here. Houston is a great city, with a positive work ethic and a throw-back, family-centric vibe that belies its huge size and contemporary appearance. There is a lot of opportunity there and it somehow maintains a kind of blue-collar surety about itself, despite its roaring economy. These are things to admire and love about Houston. They will feel foreign to a self-professed granola Californian, though. Most Texans are very happy about this.
Coastal California is a very different place. Day-to-day interactions with people, how children are raised, attitudes toward politics and social issues, the environment and scenery, work-life balance, etc. are all very different. A person who is accepting of the differences and who is willing to embrace the fact that Houston offers little more than a kind of middle ground in bending to outsiders in these areas will do fine moving to Houston. By the way she phrased her questions, the OP doesn't strike me as that kind of person, though.
Houston is a major city, so of course there will be diverse ideas and a variety of amenities available. The OP
should go expecting Houston, though, not mini-LA.
I agree that the lifestyle and social vibe in Austin might be more to your liking, OP. Houston is more akin to
what a Central Valley city would be if it somehow grew to 6,000,000 in population.
I agree with Dal. I think the OP would likely hate it here. For many of the reasons why I love it. Dal nailed it....it is a different way of life, different values, etc. that are very noticeable moving here from the left coast.
Wow 3 pages! Didn't expect that. And no, I'm not a fan of anyone who has "binders" of women. But I can handle uber conservatism, Orange County is just that and I know many people who hated Obama and voted republican 100%. I don't claim to be a democrate however, I try and stay out of politics. I have no issues with christianity or any religions and find that people who are of the faith are usually the nicest people I've ever met, so I wouldn't have a problem with that-- but wouldn't like being pushed to any particular religious group either. I am not a *hipster* per-say I just like to be around people who have the same things in common, mostly mom groups that practice natural living. My diet is all whole foods so having ample supply of fresh (good and local) produce is a MUST. I see that a Spouts Farmers Market is opening in Houston soon and this is where I shop. Not at Whole Foods, or Whole Paycheck as I like to call it.
I had heard the restaurants in Houston are amazing. My husband is a BBQ freak. And by geek I don't mean WOW players, I mean I'm a web developer and my husband is in IT. Another plus is I would also have the chance to rent a HOUSE with a yard in Houston which is something we could NEVER afford living in LA. Funny enough, I've always dreamed of owning a farm (like I could even get my brain around that kind of work however) so I can cowboy up just fine. I'd love to even have a chicken coup! Maybe homesteading-wannabe is the correct term?
The weather in the summer does scare me-- in CA it's a dry heat and even that I really dislike, where I live now it hits around 90+ from June to even late November. That's a drag too. I see that rainfall is really high in Houston? And what about tornados? Do they happen every year or only around big storms?
I'll check out schools in the areas you all suggested AND we are not making a huge income by any means, so affording the "hip" areas might be out for us.
Last edited by tillymonster; 02-10-2013 at 06:18 PM..
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But I can handle uber conservatism, Orange County is just that and I know many people who hated Obama and voted republican 100%. I don't claim to be a democrate however, I try and stay out of politics. I have no issues with christianity or any religions and find that people who are of the faith are usually the nicest people I've ever met, so I wouldn't have a problem with that-- but wouldn't like being pushed to any particular religious group either. I am not a *hipster* per-say I just like to be around people who have the same things in common, mostly mom groups that practice natural living. My diet is all whole foods so having ample supply of fresh (good and local) produce is a MUST. I see that a Spouts Farmers Market is opening in Houston soon and this is where I shop. Not at Whole Foods, or Whole Paycheck as I like to call it. 
