Considering moving from New York - any suggestions? (Houston, Sugar Land: rent, get credit)

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by Marlin84

Officials: NYC High School Students Entering CUNY Need Remedial Help « CBS New York

New York Universities blow away Texas Universities, so that may have something to do with it.

I could also point out that the need for remedial education is worse in Texas, and the schools in this state are easier than the ones in New York.

[Marlin84]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

New York Universities blow away Texas Universities, so that may have something to do with it.

I could also point out that the need for remedial education is worse in Texas, and the schools in this state are easier than the ones in New York.

Did you even read the article? It says COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

Were you educated in NY? lol.

[srobins1]

I have only been to New York City once so I can't give expert opinions but I hope I can shed some insight into Houston. I was born and raised here so I might come across as biased.

First the differences...
The most noticeable one is the weather. This is probably the number one complaint I here from out-of-state people. Winters are pretty mild while summers are scorching and humid so they feel hotter. Temperatures will be in the 90s to 100s for months; usually starting around May all the way to September. Also mosquitos are bad so prepare to use bug spray. Keep in mind that we are in the middle of a drought so rain is a good thing (this is the opposite up north).
Second big difference is that YES we all drive cars. There are no taxis or subways to rely on. We do have a bus line but it's not very reliable. There is also a rail car system but it only goes two directions (from downtown to the medical center and back). Also don't expect to ride your bike very far, there are not that many bike lanes.
Lastly be prepared for a large amount of latino/hispanic culture as well as a lot of pride in our fair and livestock shows. Additionally, oil is king here. Many oil companies have moved there headquarters here due to our energy corridor and port. This is also how many people make their living so keep this in mind for touchy subjects (such as climate change). But don't worry Houston does it's part for the environment (check out Discovery Green park). Football is also very big. I believe Reliant Stadium holds the largest tailgating party in the country on game days.

Other than that, Houston operates like all other cities. You have the hip places to live such as Montrose area and West University as well as where the ultra elite stay (River Oaks). There are also what I call super-bergs - suburbs that have crossed the line from suburb to a super amount of growth out of control on the West to Southwest side of town. Houston also has great food (especially mexican) as well as fine art institutions. There are well-known museums representing almost every kind of art as well as live theaters. This is why many actors out of Texas come out of Houston. The zoo is ranked one of the highest in the nation and Memorial Park is one of the largest urban parks in the US. The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world and looks like a city center of it's own with over 15 hospitals and 50 medical institutions.

So as you can see there is still a lot to look forward to than our whether. And I do believe we are friendlier than what people expect.

[theSUBlime]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

New York Universities blow away Texas Universities, so that may have something to do with it.

I could also point out that the need for remedial education is worse in Texas, and the schools in this state are easier than the ones in New York.

Schools are, for the most part, better in NYC. Obviously, the worst ones are worse and the best ones are better in NYC. A lot of my friends from New York tested out of courses at the private university I went to in Boston and many of them went to the city schools. Most of the classes I've taken at HCC are remedial in nature for sure. I'm literally taking a language course where all you have to do is copy and paste the answer to get credit for the homework. The community colleges are more rigorous in NYC requiring much higher different requirements before entering.

[JaqueCosto]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

-cost of living is much cheaper HOWEVER, it is no cheaper to live the middle/upper-class lifestyle here as it is in the NYC area (with the obvious exception of Manhattan and so forth). Things such as utilities, car insurance, the fact you MUST own a car add up, and if you are a "Keep up with the Joneses" type of person, your Lexus SUV is going to cost you the same as it did in NYC.

Yeah right my brother pays $4,500/mo to rent a small 1-br apartment, would run at $1000 in Houston.

Property taxes in NYC are around 10-17%, not 3% like Houston. You forgot both NY and NYC have income taxes stealing ~8% of your income. There really should be a tax in Texas where liberals have to pay NY and Cali rates since they obviously want to turn Texas into those states.

State gasoline rates
AAA Fuel Gauge Report

State electricity rates
Annual Electricity Price Comparison by State

State car insurance costs
The most and least expensive states for car insurance in 2013 | Insure.com

Electricity in NY is 0.20/kwh double what Houstonians pay. From my experience groceries are at least 33% more expensive. Natural is more expensive, gasoline more expensive, car insurance, etc. And FYI it costs significantly more to live in NYC than NY.

[theSUBlime]

Originally Posted by JaqueCosto

Yeah right my brother pays $4,500/mo to rent a small 1-br apartment, would run at $1000 in Houston.

Property taxes in NYC are around 10-17%, not 3% like Houston. You forgot both NY and NYC have income taxes stealing ~8% of your income. There really should be a tax in Texas where liberals have to pay NY and Cali rates since they obviously want to turn Texas into those states.

State gasoline rates
AAA Fuel Gauge Report

State electricity rates
Annual Electricity Price Comparison by State

State car insurance costs
The most and least expensive states for car insurance in 2013 | Insure.com

Electricity in NY is 0.20/kwh double what Houstonians pay. From my experience groceries are at least 33% more expensive. Natural is more expensive, gasoline more expensive, car insurance, etc. And FYI it costs significantly more to live in NYC than NY.

I totally agree with your statement, but you have to remember that most people don't own in NYC. I have never understood why crbcrbrgv says that. It's the city income tax that's the real clincher and even NJ is affected -- somewhere like 20-35% of your income gone. I have friends with MBA's in finance and they live in a new building in Queens because it's what they can afford for the space and fixtures they want. To be honest though, I think my liberal friends from Mass would need to be paid to live here but that's OK they don't need to be here just saying, more likely a tax credit. Most people vomited in their mouths when I said I was from Texas. Different strokes.

[David Dollar]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

There are many differences, some major, others trivial. Many have been mentioned, so I apologize for duplicates in advance.

-cost of living is much cheaper HOWEVER, it is no cheaper to live the middle/upper-class lifestyle here as it is in the NYC area (with the obvious exception of Manhattan and so forth). Things such as utilities, car insurance, the fact you MUST own a car add up, and if you are a "Keep up with the Joneses" type of person, your Lexus SUV is going to cost you the same as it did in NYC.

-Everyone here says it's so diverse. Diversity in Houston means Pakistanis and Indians in suburbs such as Sugar Land, blacks mostly in two suburbs and the south side, Mexicans on the east side and a 4 mile long "Chinatown" stretch that, oddly, is mostly Vietnamese. As for European diversity (Italian neighborhood, Polish neighborhood, etc.), non-existent.

-Weather, obviously. In my opinion, it's not as bad as everyone says and the winters are just absolutely great.

-Houston is significantly less conservative than Texas overall, however Texas still calls the shots. It's not like Illinois or New York where the major cities mute the gun-toters and the bible-thumpers (I'm a gun toter myself, by the way but Jewish). The gun-toters and bible-thumpers run this state, and quite frankly I always find this to be the biggest shock to outsiders from up north or the east coast. It's not as if you didn't know this, just that it's quite a different thing to live it.

-People will jump down my throat for the ^ comment, but keep in mind they will be natives. We are outsiders.

-Schools aren't as good. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Be prepared to be underwhelmed by the public schools. Also be prepared to read that they may try to sneak a little religion and a lot of fabrication into curriculum.

-If you are a union type person, stay in NYC. You will not like it here at all. If not, no worries

-There are tons of things to do here, but you might have to hunt. I highly suggest you befriend a native.

-There are perhaps 6 neighborhoods worth buying in where you won't get hosed in the long run. With the outrageous tax rates coupled by HOA fees sprinkled with often times stagnant returns, it is in your best interest to get a realtor. There are some great ones who frequent this forum.

-If you are a city person, you won't like Sugar Land or Katy. At least the chances are very slim. Stick to ITL (In The Loop).

-If you are Jewish like me, shuls are few and far between compared to NYC. If you are a part of the goyim, you will have lots of options.

A user who I will refer to as, "I forgot the "R" in my username" will likely come by, tell me I'm stupid and refute everything I say. So, take what we all say with a grain of salt, I suppose.

I think he got banned.

[jek74]

Don't listen to some of the posters about the schools here compared to NYC. The good schools in NY are all private and cost a fortune. The high schools down here in the middle class burbs are outstanding and are of course....free. NYC, like Chicago, has two of the highest high school drop out rates in the entire country and one of the lowest literacy rates. Basically NYC is two different places. One part for the super rich and the other part for everyone else. If you are rich in NY, you will have it much better then here or anywhere for that matter. And by rich, you better have a 7 figure net worth and make at least 750k a year. There is NO middle class in NY. NONE. Whereas down here, due to the cheap cost of living, the middle class is much more developed. And btw, I found far more racists in NY then in TX. I'm not speaking about the rural parts of TX, but Houston proper.

[jerbear30]

I moved to Houston from Buffalo last August and I would second many of the things crbcrbrgv said. I'll just add a few things:

--Living in the loop is best if you want not only ethnic diversity but also ideological diversity.

--If you want a good public school education for children, that is very possible in the Loop but you have to do a lot of research first. Moreover, you will pay a premium in rent or home cost if you live in an urban area zoned to good schools I recommend schooldigger.com as a resource to start looking.

--The suburbs are the suburbs, for the most part. They offer better a better quality public education on the whole (but not always) and they offer less ideological and cultural diversity. One possible exception is Sugar Land, which is quite culturally diverse.

--The biggest shock for me personally was the zoning. There is a beautiful city skyline and the city streets downtown are fun to walk on, but there is rarely a crowd. Shopping and activities other than sports also rarely occur downtown. This is a huge city, but it sprawls out in a way you may not expect.

--The second biggest shock for me was probably the gun culture. It actually seemed a bit absurd to me, the way that many people center their lives around their gun ownership. That for the most part has passed, and I've made my peace with it. Really, it is the zoning that still confuses me.

Hope this helps.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by Marlin84

Did you even read the article? It says COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

Were you educated in NY? lol.

You are new. Nobody comes to city-data with the intention of buying a house so they can send their kids to the finest community colleges.

I'm trying to go above and beyond the column.