Relocation to Houston from California (Spring, West: transplants, apartments, appliances)
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So, it's looking like this summer I might be relocating from Los Angeles to Houston depending on whether or not my partner gets this job, and since I'm a bit of a planner and a worry-wort I thought I'd start scoping things out prematurely to ease into the idea that I might be uprooting my life soon.
A little history about me first: I've always lived here in California, first starting off in Central California and have been here in Los Angeles for a couple of years. I adore it here in Los Angeles and California as I love the weather. I have a bit of SAD (seasonal affective disorder), so if I go a few days without sunshine due to overcast skies and rainy weather my depression and anxiety get a bit amped up. I'm also not keen on mosquitoes and other bugs, since they all seem to love chomping on my arms and legs. I like how there are so many things to do here in Los Angeles, that there's good food, that people are very open-minded, liberal, LGBQT friendly, etc. I'm not a party person, nor do I drink or do drugs, so not having that side of LA doesn't bother me at all. Also, the weather here is FANTASTIC as there are barely any seasons (which I dig), and it doesn't get too hot.
I currently work in gaming, and realize that there is no industry out there in Houston, so I want to see if I can take what skills I have in Community Management/Event Planning and hope I can apply it to *something* out there in Houston - but I'm just not sure what.
To be perfectly honest/blunt, I'm rather nervous about the whole idea of relocating because I'll have no common industry there, no social network, no family... nothing.
For those of you who are natives, what's it like? What's the weather like? Not having to worry about earthquakes will be super rad, but are there other things to know about like hurricanes, monsoons, flash flooding, etc? Where are some good areas to live in where I'd be able to have my cat, that are safe, and have lots of things within walking distance?
Basically any and all advice, input, suggestions, etc. is greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance!
Houston of course is large and diverse like L.A.. parts of houston are now officially the most diverse parts of the US. Problems with daily living being lgbt or liberal are non existent especially if you live in the actual city of houston. Macro issues are governed by the state and state reps whom are not liberal or lgbt.
I think the weather is superb but its not so temperate like LA area. I think LA can be downright cold when im wanting heat and vice versa. Houston has hotter longer summers with more humidity and cooler winters but to say "cold" is laughable. Mosquitos and bugs are here just like the whole gulf coast. Eh you get used to it? Never bothered me.
I pay almost zero attention to flash flooding or hurricane issues. Been here since 1992 and while bad floods have happened (the three or four) in that time never affected me or anyone I know. Its not catastrophic like people away from the gulf coast think it is. Monsoons? This is texas not Indonesia
Where you describe you want to live sounds best fitted for inside the city of houston. This is also the most expensive area to live. You can compromise by living as close as possible to work site and the city. You didnt say a budget. The city is not super cheap. To live inside the loop - central - id budget 700k+ for a small ready to move in home. 1200+ a month for modest apartment
No idea what your career would be like here. Gaming industry like tech? Some outfit is located in sugar land - a south west suburb of houston.
Texas is super pet friendly. Ive never seen so many dog and cat owners in my life overseas or when traveling. Most apartments dont have a problem with a cat if you pay a typical pet deposit
Ah, yes, you're right. I forgot to mention a budget. Sorry about that! Currently for around 700 sq ft in LA we are paying $1,200 a month (including utilities) - but that gives us street parking, no dishwasher, a ridiculously small kitchen, and no laundry facilities in-unit or on the premises. Ideally we would want a 2 bedroom so that he can have an office, and we'd love to have a dishwasher inside an actual kitchen with counter space as well as either washer/dryer hook-ups or the appliances already in the place. There are a few things I'd love to have, such as a tub and a fireplace, but I'd be willing to give that up for the main things like office space, kitchen, etc.
In terms of heat and humidity, is there anything you'd be able to compare it to that's similar to anything I might've come across living in California? I'm trying to imagine it. Are the mosquitoes bad in the city area or are they mostly confined to where the water is? (I'd hate to make a poor selection of living near a place that has a lot of water nearby, despite the fact that I love the water and the scenery it provides.
I also forgot to ask about traffic. My partner is potentially getting a job at University of Houston, so ideally we'd like for his commute to be easy. We know, for example, that when heading north on the 405 into the Valley that's not so bad versus coming out of the valley south on the 405, and how certain times of the day on the 405 are kinder than others. Would you happen to have any freeway pro-tips?
Of the 2,500+ mosquito species throughout the world, 80 of the most aggressive live in Texas. Houston, therefore, is affected by many mosquito-borne illnesses that affect both humans and pets, including:
West Nile Virus
Encephalitis
Malaria
Yellow Fever
Filariasis
Dengue Fever
Elephantiasis
Dog Heartworm
You will also have to deal with Tree Roaches (flying cockroaches)
So, it's looking like this summer I might be relocating from Los Angeles to Houston depending on whether or not my partner gets this job, and since I'm a bit of a planner and a worry-wort I thought I'd start scoping things out prematurely to ease into the idea that I might be uprooting my life soon.
A little history about me first: I've always lived here in California, first starting off in Central California and have been here in Los Angeles for a couple of years. I adore it here in Los Angeles and California as I love the weather. I have a bit of SAD (seasonal affective disorder), so if I go a few days without sunshine due to overcast skies and rainy weather my depression and anxiety get a bit amped up. I'm also not keen on mosquitoes and other bugs, since they all seem to love chomping on my arms and legs. I like how there are so many things to do here in Los Angeles, that there's good food, that people are very open-minded, liberal, LGBQT friendly, etc. I'm not a party person, nor do I drink or do drugs, so not having that side of LA doesn't bother me at all. Also, the weather here is FANTASTIC as there are barely any seasons (which I dig), and it doesn't get too hot.
I currently work in gaming, and realize that there is no industry out there in Houston, so I want to see if I can take what skills I have in Community Management/Event Planning and hope I can apply it to *something* out there in Houston - but I'm just not sure what.
To be perfectly honest/blunt, I'm rather nervous about the whole idea of relocating because I'll have no common industry there, no social network, no family... nothing.
For those of you who are natives, what's it like? What's the weather like? Not having to worry about earthquakes will be super rad, but are there other things to know about like hurricanes, monsoons, flash flooding, etc? Where are some good areas to live in where I'd be able to have my cat, that are safe, and have lots of things within walking distance?
Basically any and all advice, input, suggestions, etc. is greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance!
Yeah it would probably be better if you stayed in LA. After the summer you'll be on here whining and moaning how "it's not like California blah blah blah...I want to go home blah blah blah..." We don't need any more of that.
So, it's looking like this summer I might be relocating from Los Angeles to Houston depending on whether or not my partner gets this job, and since I'm a bit of a planner and a worry-wort I thought I'd start scoping things out prematurely to ease into the idea that I might be uprooting my life soon.
A little history about me first: I've always lived here in California, first starting off in Central California and have been here in Los Angeles for a couple of years. I adore it here in Los Angeles and California as I love the weather. I have a bit of SAD (seasonal affective disorder), so if I go a few days without sunshine due to overcast skies and rainy weather my depression and anxiety get a bit amped up. I'm also not keen on mosquitoes and other bugs, since they all seem to love chomping on my arms and legs. I like how there are so many things to do here in Los Angeles, that there's good food, that people are very open-minded, liberal, LGBQT friendly, etc. I'm not a party person, nor do I drink or do drugs, so not having that side of LA doesn't bother me at all. Also, the weather here is FANTASTIC as there are barely any seasons (which I dig), and it doesn't get too hot.
I currently work in gaming, and realize that there is no industry out there in Houston, so I want to see if I can take what skills I have in Community Management/Event Planning and hope I can apply it to *something* out there in Houston - but I'm just not sure what.
To be perfectly honest/blunt, I'm rather nervous about the whole idea of relocating because I'll have no common industry there, no social network, no family... nothing.
For those of you who are natives, what's it like? What's the weather like? Not having to worry about earthquakes will be super rad, but are there other things to know about like hurricanes, monsoons, flash flooding, etc? Where are some good areas to live in where I'd be able to have my cat, that are safe, and have lots of things within walking distance?
Basically any and all advice, input, suggestions, etc. is greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance!
We have lots of sunshine here so I don't think you'd have to worry about SAD. Although I do have to say, if you adore the weather in California then I'm not sure how you'd find Texas weather. It's a lot more humid here (my lips got way too dry when I visited LA, not something that ever happens to me here in Houston) and the summers can be uncomfortable if you're not acclimated to it.
I have a friend who's a community manager for a small indie game company here, but you're right in that that there's not much a gaming industry around.
Most people here are friendly, and in fact you'll probably run into a lot of California transplants. Native Houstonians are actually pretty rare, and most everyone you'll meet will have come from somewhere else. Most of the urban core is open-minded and very live-and-let-live (in Texas, open-minded means they'll leave you to your business, not that they think kale is a food group). We do have a lesbian mayor after all, and a large LGBT community though it's a tad spread out all over the city. I've been out of the closet everywhere I've worked, even at retail in one of the northern suburbs (Spring) during college and never had any problems, though your mileage may vary.
For what you're paying now in LA, you'd be able to get the same square footage but probably more amenities like dishwashers, washers, and dryers. Housing in Houston tends to be newer in general compared to LA or Chicago.
Last edited by crono_clone; 02-09-2015 at 09:34 PM..
I also forgot to ask about traffic. My partner is potentially getting a job at University of Houston, so ideally we'd like for his commute to be easy. We know, for example, that when heading north on the 405 into the Valley that's not so bad versus coming out of the valley south on the 405, and how certain times of the day on the 405 are kinder than others. Would you happen to have any freeway pro-tips?
You really only have to watch out for rush hour here (between 6-9 in the mornings and 4-7 in the afternoons). Most of the traffic is concentrated on the west side of town where most people live, and you'll just have to remember when rush hour is inbound (people heading to work) versus outbound (people leaving work) radiating outwards from our downtown in the very middle of the map below. Since our freeways generally follow cardinal and intercardinal directions (north, southeast, etc) it should be easy to figure out which way traffic is flowing as long as you know which direction you're heading in relation to downtown.
We have lots of sunshine here so I don't think you'd have to worry about SAD. Although I do have to say, if you adore the weather in California then I'm not sure how you'd find Texas weather. It's a lot more humid here (my lips got way too dry when I visited LA, not something that ever happens to me here in Houston) and the summers can be uncomfortable if you're not acclimated to it.
I have a friend who's a community manager for a small indie game company here, but you're right in that that there's not much a gaming industry around.
Most people here are friendly, and in fact you'll probably run into a lot of California transplants. Native Houstonians are actually pretty rare, and most everyone you'll meet will have come from somewhere else. Most of the urban core is open-minded and very live-and-let-live (in Texas, open-minded means they'll leave you to your business, not that they think kale is a food group). We do have a lesbian mayor after all, and a large LGBT community though it's a tad spread out all over the city. I've been out of the closet everywhere I've worked, even at retail in one of the northern suburbs (Spring) during college and never had any problems, though your mileage may vary.
For what you're paying now in LA, you'd be able to get the same square footage but probably more amenities like dishwashers, washers, and dryers. Housing in Houston tends to be newer in general compared to LA or Chicago.
We do have a ton of Sunshine in Summer......but, in Dec, Jan and Feb we have lots of drab dreary days where the sky is grey.
I guess I am rare......all of my Family is. We have been here for generations.
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