Time to Leave Houston? (Dallas, Baytown: rent, how much, buy)

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by Texascrude

This is one of my biggest concerns. I’m 38 and can jump ship right now without any problems. I’m concerned that if I stay, and things go bad 10 years from now that I’ll be forced to look elsewhere and won’t be nearly as marketable. As always, it’s not a single item that’s causing me to start looking around for other opportunities, but it certainly feels like that’s the direction life is pointing me towards.

If this is your ONLY concern, I’d argue you should first look into other industries here where you can apply your skills. But again, from seeing your OP, you seem to have Seattle/Denver outdoorsy interests.

[tstone]

Rare native here, but I think the same concerns the OP has applies to us too. Not looking for a job change but the goal is to retire early and I've thought a little about where to go next- but draw a bunch of blanks.

My job requires stints bouncing between HQ and sites, which keeps the boredom down. After bouncing all over SE TX we left to Penn. in '18-19. Beautiful place, and while I loved those two summers it was not worth dealing with the other 3 seasons. Even with our torrential rains it is still much sunnier here, and after being used the Gulf Coast the cold & darkness up there will alter your psyche. The hills/mountains are pretty but disorienting. Those caustic Yankee ways are irritating and New England is the epitome of bizarre + unfriendly. Natives up there are depressed most of the year and don't know it. At one point I thought maybe a little summer house would be nice, easy to access all the wonderful outdoor amenities... but all the hidden costs and taxes are just too high. Glad to have lived up there, and I really miss the scenery, towns, and gritty old cities but that ship has sailed. The whole family was happy to move back home, even if it made Houston's / Texas' warts more pronounced. If another good job comes up where I can keep my home and leave for a couple of years I might do it again, even if my kids are a bit older. They'll adjust, and I'm not concerned about the A&M / UT mentality anymore.

Originally Posted by Texascrude

I agree. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect during that four months (hello Great Freeze of ‘21!), but there are several near-perfect weeks during that entire period.

LOL- that string of cold days would be considered nice winter weather for W. Penn. Really put things into perspective just how brittle everything really is here.

[S.Allen]

I think after the social upheaval and riots/unrest we saw in many American urban centers in 2020, many of us are asking the same questions an looking for an escape from the congested urban areas.

We literally saw band of rioters loot, spray paint and burn businesses, private property, govt buildings and public places and police literally stand by and do almost nothing. We also saw a couple get jailed and charged for merely standing outside their homes with firearms, trying to ward off potential vandals.

These types of events could easily take place, next time, in Houston, Austin, Dallas or other larger TX cities....don't think it won't.

Unsettling to say the least and yeah...made me glad I bought country property years ago.

[Redlionjr]

Originally Posted by S.Allen

I think after the social upheaval and riots/unrest we saw in many American urban centers in 2020, many of us are asking the same questions an looking for an escape from the congested urban areas.

We literally saw band of rioters loot, spray paint and burn businesses, private property, govt buildings and public places and police literally stand by and do almost nothing. We also saw a couple get jailed and charged for merely standing outside their homes with firearms, trying to ward off potential vandals.

These types of events could easily take place, next time, in Houston, Austin, Dallas or other larger TX cities....don't think it won't.

Unsettling to say the least and yeah...made me glad I bought country property years ago.

Oh Brother, yeah I'm much more concerned with constant flooding, property taxes, horrible traffic, below to mediocre infrastructure, safety, suburbs w/ no character, etc. than I am with any of those things you mentioned. And did I mention FLOODING?

And honestly if I could find a DIVERSE safe neighborhood with good public schools in the Inner loop without paying up the wazoo, I definitely wouldn't feel a sense of urgency to look elsewhere. I believe the majority of Millennials such myself are finding it harder to justify staying in the urban center when the cost of living and home prices continue to spike. The protest you speak of came and went. The only people who care that deeply about those issues more than likely live out in the burbs to begin with.

[As Above So Below...]

Originally Posted by Redlionjr

The only people who care that deeply about those issues more than likely live out in the burbs to begin with.

This.

The people who seems to constantly worry about protests are those that dont live in the center of a city to begin with. Im going to Portland to visit a friend next week and my sister in law is convinced Ill get mugged by Antifa if I go. She lives in rural Alabama secure in her conservative white bubble and her Fox News.

[S.Allen]

Well, we already had the flooding and other issues for decades. Add in the other and yeah...the inner city becomes less and less appealing.


That was my whole point. Where IS the advantage of living in inner city Houston? It seems to be dwindling.

As far as schools go in the inner loop area...you better have deep pockets to swing private schools. Another reason living there is undesirable.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by S.Allen

Well, we already had the flooding and other issues for decades. Add in the other and yeah...the inner city becomes less and less appealing.


That was my whole point. Where IS the advantage of living in inner city Houston? It seems to be dwindling.

As far as schools go in the inner loop area...you better have deep pockets to swing private schools. Another reason living there is undesirable.

Nightlife. Food. Access to parks (in particular Buffalo Bayou, Herman, Memorial). Better shopping overall. Closer access to more concerts and sports events. I could go on but I’m sure I made my point.

[Texascrude]

Originally Posted by S.Allen

Well, we already had the flooding and other issues for decades. Add in the other and yeah...the inner city becomes less and less appealing.


That was my whole point. Where IS the advantage of living in inner city Houston? It seems to be dwindling.

As far as schools go in the inner loop area...you better have deep pockets to swing private schools. Another reason living there is undesirable.

And, honestly, I’ve found even the schools in the woodlands to be mediocre. They do well teaching to the average, but if your kids are either above or below the curve the quality of education drops off considerably. I know our schools do well on the standard metrics, but I have a strong hunch that has more to do with the families in the $800k homes than it does the schools themselves.

[Texascrude]

Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag

Nightlife. Food. Access to parks (in particular Buffalo Bayou, Herman, Memorial). Better shopping overall. Closer access to more concerts and sports events. I could go on but I’m sure I made my point.

Do people still rate “better shopping” as a real advantage? I buy 95% of my stuff online and the remaining 5% I get in and out as quickly as I can. I like being close to a nice grocery store and a nice Mexican food place…. You can keep the rest.

And being close to parks doesn’t do a whole lot when it’s 95 and humid 6 months out of the year. I’ll admit that I’d like nicer parks where I’m at, but would likely only filly utilize them a few months of the year. And at least half the concerts I attend are actually in the Woodlands. Maybe I listen to the wrong kind of music lol.

[michaeltx9412]

Originally Posted by tstone

Rare native here, but I think the same concerns the OP has applies to us too. Not looking for a job change but the goal is to retire early and I've thought a little about where to go next- but draw a bunch of blanks.

My job requires stints bouncing between HQ and sites, which keeps the boredom down. After bouncing all over SE TX we left to Penn. in '18-19. Beautiful place, and while I loved those two summers it was not worth dealing with the other 3 seasons. Even with our torrential rains it is still much sunnier here, and after being used the Gulf Coast the cold & darkness up there will alter your psyche. The hills/mountains are pretty but disorienting. Those caustic Yankee ways are irritating and New England is the epitome of bizarre + unfriendly. Natives up there are depressed most of the year and don't know it. At one point I thought maybe a little summer house would be nice, easy to access all the wonderful outdoor amenities... but all the hidden costs and taxes are just too high. Glad to have lived up there, and I really miss the scenery, towns, and gritty old cities but that ship has sailed. The whole family was happy to move back home, even if it made Houston's / Texas' warts more pronounced. If another good job comes up where I can keep my home and leave for a couple of years I might do it again, even if my kids are a bit older. They'll adjust, and I'm not concerned about the A&M / UT mentality anymore.



LOL- that string of cold days would be considered nice winter weather for W. Penn. Really put things into perspective just how brittle everything really is here.

I briefly lived in Western PA and drove to Cleveland, OH frequently. People up there didn't really come off as friendly compared to the South, particularly compared to the hometown I came from in Alabama. I'd say within the Texas megacities, the people are a little more friendly than up north, but at the same time I feel like the difference is getting minimal since the Texas triangle has long been full with transplants from California and East Coast. Although I prefer DFW, Houston definitely was the most Southern and friendliest among Texas mega cities