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Grew up in Houston, went to college here, had my first real job here. Then I moved around a couple times, first to NY, then to Dallas. I can't really say I regret leaving Houston; I was young and foolish and wanted to do more than just be in Houston. Loved every minute of those years in NY. Back then, I was probably weary of being in Houston my whole life.
Then I took a new gig in Dallas. That's when my love of Houston came rushing back. It didn't take long for me to completely and utterly hate Dallas - the food (wow, especially coming from Houston and NY!), the snobbery and fakeness, and how small it was (I don't count Fort Worth into the mix). It took a good couple of years to make new friends and find the places I really enjoyed there. But if it takes two years to like a place... it's two years too long.
I made up my mind to find a new job in Houston, and my move back was just spectacular. Now I'm older, wiser, and don't mind not living in a big city like NY. Houston is plenty big and plenty comfortable. And boy did I miss Galveston! Dallas is completely land locked and boring. I missed fishing and feeding the gulls. There's nothing quite like the proximity Houston is to the shore.
You can say many things about Dallas. Yes it can be fake and its ridiculously image conscious. Boring is not a word that belongs in the same sentence as Dallas (or Houston) at all. I lived there many years before moving here and while I think Houston suits my tastes better, youre selling Dallas way short.
People always ask which is better and I tell them neither. It depends on what you like. Both cities have things they are superior at to the other.
I was born in NJ but moved to Houston (Alief) when I was 2 years old in 1974. Alief was the good part of town back then. In spite of the economic woes, it was still a golden era to live in. Kids played in the street without them or their parents worried about anything until the late hours of the night. You were the best of friends with every neighbor on your street and those friends stayed with you for the rest of your life. Those days are pretty much gone. But, man, did I love my city back then.
As Houston decayed, people who wanted to maintain that life got pushed further out into the suburbs. My Dad relocated us from Alief to Sugar Land in 1988. I've been in Sugar Land ever since. I currently live in a newer development that I won't name as to not offend my fellow residents in the neighborhood. The houses are palatial and priced high. But it's a neighborhood where no one talks to each other, you smile and wave at people and, if they even acknowledge your presence, they just grunt, people drive 60mph through the neighborhood blazing through stop signs not caring who they run over. My own neighbor called the cops on me as I stood in front of my own house because I was allegedly a "suspicious looking Mexican hanging around on the street". For the record, I'm not Mexican, nor even Latino. And even if I was, so what?! And, in case anyone thinks this, none of the offenders I've referred to are white.
I've often moved out of Houston but not for very long. It's like Michael Corleone says, "Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in". So I've pretty much lived here for the past 43 years. If I were to time travel from Houston 1987 to Houston 2017, I'd think I was teleported to another city not even in Texas. I feel that Houston tanked in 2005. That's just my personal assessment. Houston's exponential growth and its low cost of living bode for an unavoidable outcome. It was a well kept secret for a long time. But I think 2005, the cat was let out of the bag and that was the end.
So, I do regret not leaving Houston earlier, particularly when my kids were younger. I would have liked them to grow up elsewhere and I would have liked my memories of Houston to be of its good times.
The real title of this thread should have really been "Do you native Houstonians feel like you're wasting your life away here when there's so many more exerrating places in the world?"
My answer was always yes. Born and raised half a mile within the Galleria Area, as a child growing up the childern never were prideful of Texas as whole. The only "cool" thing to brag about was being a major populated metropolitan area in Texas, but whats the point of being the biggest city in the lamest state? The Gulf region would still never have mountains, clear white beaches, nor ultra dense neighborhoods with unique architecture.
Back in my high school days (Lee High School), if you didn't spend your Spring Break or summer vacation outside Texas, you were considered lame. The first day back to school was all the cool kids bragging about going to London, Cancun, Manhattan, etc...
The generation of kids these days don't seem to eager about living in Houston ether. Just Twiiter "Houston is boring" , and you'll see theres teens constantly tweeting that hashtag daily.
I can see how Downtown Houston is exciting to your typically suburban dweller from Katy and Sugar land, however once you travel the any coastal major city, you immediately realize how un-vibrant Houston is in comparason. Just accept the fact that most of Texas is flat and "anywhere else USA". The millennial Texas boasters will lose their pride once they travel and see strip malls aren't anything special. It's a big world perspective view change we all go through.
I can see your point about Dallas not being boring... to the right person. But it comes down to personal preferences. I can't do lakes; oceans suit me better. And I like a more international scene. It also didn't help that I spent a lot of time in west Plano and it was a fairly one dimensional blah suburb (although Houston has plenty of those too).
And I saw you posted Houston doesn't have fine dining. I'm unsure where you've dined around here, but there are fantastic establishments like Brennan's that make for a fine night out.
I was born in NJ but moved to Houston (Alief) when I was 2 years old in 1974. Alief was the good part of town back then. In spite of the economic woes, it was still a golden era to live in. Kids played in the street without them or their parents worried about anything until the late hours of the night. You were the best of friends with every neighbor on your street and those friends stayed with you for the rest of your life. Those days are pretty much gone. But, man, did I love my city back then.
As Houston decayed, people who wanted to maintain that life got pushed further out into the suburbs. My Dad relocated us from Alief to Sugar Land in 1988. I've been in Sugar Land ever since. I currently live in a newer development that I won't name as to not offend my fellow residents in the neighborhood. The houses are palatial and priced high. But it's a neighborhood where no one talks to each other, you smile and wave at people and, if they even acknowledge your presence, they just grunt, people drive 60mph through the neighborhood blazing through stop signs not caring who they run over. My own neighbor called the cops on me as I stood in front of my own house because I was allegedly a "suspicious looking Mexican hanging around on the street". For the record, I'm not Mexican, nor even Latino. And even if I was, so what?! And, in case anyone thinks this, none of the offenders I've referred to are white.
I've often moved out of Houston but not for very long. It's like Michael Corleone says, "Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in". So I've pretty much lived here for the past 43 years. If I were to time travel from Houston 1987 to Houston 2017, I'd think I was teleported to another city not even in Texas. I feel that Houston tanked in 2005. That's just my personal assessment. Houston's exponential growth and its low cost of living bode for an unavoidable outcome. It was a well kept secret for a long time. But I think 2005, the cat was let out of the bag and that was the end.
So, I do regret not leaving Houston earlier, particularly when my kids were younger. I would have liked them to grow up elsewhere and I would have liked my memories of Houston to be of its good times.
You sound like me. I grew up in Townewest starting in 1979. This was basically an extension of Alief with the benefit of being zoned to the "superior" Fort Bend and Sugar Land schools. What you describe sounds like my childhood to an extent. Contrary to popular belief this area was never a ghetto until the mid-late 90s. My parents are still holding it down there among a few other original neighbors. They come up with excuses as to why cops armed with assault rifles patrol the streets on foot there. Such as "it is good we are protected" instead of admitting 4 doors down there is a dope house and across the street another with 40 people smuggled inside it. However they can't make excuses for why 3rd graders are outside cussing their heads off to each other in the street.
Anyway regarding Sugar Land nowadays... if you hate America, dislike Americans and the way things are done here, but stay for nothing but a paycheck and to suck the utility value clean out of your house before retiring "back home" then you will find plenty of like minded people there. I have seen this fester there over the past decade and you cannot tell me otherwise. That is the biggest of many reasons I will not move my family there.
Right now I live in Houston proper with older $500-600k homes.... While it has its share of old & socially inept cranks and is slightly devoid of children compared to say Katy, the kids here do play outside and the community is strong for parents. There are also groups of stay at home moms my wife has gotten into. Anyway, enough said. It is not perfect by any means and trying to recreate the 80s is an exercise in futility. But at least it is not too far off.
And to the person who thinks people from the burbs may think downtown is vibrant... What a load of BS. The museum and Montrose are vibrant. Galveston is vibrant. Even Kemah (not the boardwalk) is semi vibrant. Downtown is a place you go to work.
Right now I am looking at opportunities to move up north for a couple of years for my job. It will be a good experience for my family. But I have every intention to visit often and move right back.
I can see your point about Dallas not being boring... to the right person. But it comes down to personal preferences. I can't do lakes; oceans suit me better. And I like a more international scene. It also didn't help that I spent a lot of time in west Plano and it was a fairly one dimensional blah suburb (although Houston has plenty of those too).
And I saw you posted Houston doesn't have fine dining. I'm unsure where you've dined around here, but there are fantastic establishments like Brennan's that make for a fine night out.
I didnt say Houston didnt have fine dining. I said its disappointing for a city its size given how good the food is here overall (yes I have been to Brennans and it is very good). I do agree the food is overall better in Houston vs. Dallas, but fine dining is one edge I would give to Dallas.
Also, Plano has become extremely diverse over the last several years. Its attracted a massive amount of Indians as well as East Asians. I personally find it offers more than any suburb in Houston does simply because of its size and nightlife district (the Shops at Legacy).
After living in both I will just never sign off on the idea that one is better than the other at everything.
I've told my story several times but I was like many, many ungrateful youths who grew up in pre-developed Houston. I was living in cowpoke Katy before Katy Mills Mall, LOL. I thought this sucks and left for college in the northeast and have only been back sporadically to find out that Houston has changed so much. I do not even recognize it. I miss the comforts of Texas and the orderliness.
Houston pretty much has a similar urban landscape as LA on a smaller scale but all packed into the loop. I keep thinking that only LA has a certain chain only to discover that Houston has had one for a good long while. All the things that I had though were cool about LA. I am discovering that most cities have now as most cities have developed at the same pace or faster than LA. Sometimes I think LA is behind in some things. The only benefit I see to living in LA is natural beauty and weather, which is still a major factor. But as far as urban landscape, amenities, etc, there isn't a huge gap anymore.
And Cowboys Fan in Houston, Houston is in the top list of food cities, the main crux to that though is that Houston doesn't have the fine dining to all of the delicious ethnic eateries. They're still mostly mom and pop cafes and such. The fine dining is there though, I don't know where you've been eating but it's not as advertised as the city's you listed.
The real title of this thread should have really been "Do you native Houstonians feel like you're wasting your life away here when there's so many more exerrating places in the world?"
My answer was always yes. Born and raised half a mile within the Galleria Area, as a child growing up the childern never were prideful of Texas as whole. The only "cool" thing to brag about was being a major populated metropolitan area in Texas, but whats the point of being the biggest city in the lamest state? The Gulf region would still never have mountains, clear white beaches, nor ultra dense neighborhoods with unique architecture.
Back in my high school days (Lee High School), if you didn't spend your Spring Break or summer vacation outside Texas, you were considered lame. The first day back to school was all the cool kids bragging about going to London, Cancun, Manhattan, etc...
The generation of kids these days don't seem to eager about living in Houston ether. Just Twiiter "Houston is boring" , and you'll see theres teens constantly tweeting that hashtag daily.
I can see how Downtown Houston is exciting to your typically suburban dweller from Katy and Sugar land, however once you travel the any coastal major city, you immediately realize how un-vibrant Houston is in comparason. Just accept the fact that most of Texas is flat and "anywhere else USA". The millennial Texas boasters will lose their pride once they travel and see strip malls aren't anything special. It's a big world perspective view change we all go through.
Good God, five posts and you're already bashing Texas? Hmmm....do not feed.
I've told my story several times but I was like many, many ungrateful youths who grew up in pre-developed Houston. I was living in cowpoke Katy before Katy Mills Mall, LOL. I thought this sucks and left for college in the northeast and have only been back sporadically to find out that Houston has changed so much. I do not even recognize it. I miss the comforts of Texas and the orderliness.
Houston pretty much has a similar urban landscape as LA on a smaller scale but all packed into the loop. I keep thinking that only LA has a certain chain only to discover that Houston has had one for a good long while. All the things that I had though were cool about LA. I am discovering that most cities have now as most cities have developed at the same pace or faster than LA. Sometimes I think LA is behind in some things. The only benefit I see to living in LA is natural beauty and weather, which is still a major factor. But as far as urban landscape, amenities, etc, there isn't a huge gap anymore.
And Cowboys Fan in Houston, Houston is in the top list of food cities, the main crux to that though is that Houston doesn't have the fine dining to all of the delicious ethnic eateries. They're still mostly mom and pop cafes and such. The fine dining is there though, I don't know where you've been eating but it's not as advertised as the city's you listed.
Uhhh...I never said there wasnt fine dining. I said that the options were disappointing for such an exceptional food city as this. That doesnt mean there arent any good fine dining options, just not very many. I did challenge the notion that Houston was a better food city than New York or LA because it isnt. I did say that I thought it was either the number 5 or 6 spot for best food cities in the US. Fine dining is Houston's weak spot in terms of its culinary cuisine.
But, objectively, the top 4 food cities in the US are NYC, LA, Chicago, and San Francisco. Those are the only food cities that have no weakness. They are strong in every suit.
Tex-Mex, Cajun and BBQ. The cities you listed can't compete against Houston in those. Wouldn't that be a weakness?
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