Misconceptions About Houston (Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Katy: renting, high crime, house)

[yesman]

My wife and I are from Illinois and we were considering moving to Houston until we visited this past July. Now we KNOW we're moving to Houston! We were there for 10 days and couldn't even begin to do all of the things we wanted to do. I can't wait to move there in June.

Houston is comparable in size to Chicago, but it is so much nicer. Housing is so much more affordable there. The cost of living is wayyyyy cheaper, and our pay will actually be higher (we were surprised by that one). We were debating on whether to move to the Woodlands or to Sugar Land, but after visiting we chose Sugar Land b/c we'll both be working at the Medical Center.

I can't think of one bad thing to say about Houston except that I don't live there yet.


Oh yeah, everyone here warns us that its SOOO hot in Houston, but when we were there it was 92-99 degrees. Guess how hot it was in IL? 92-99 degrees. It is just as hot in IL, but for less time. Trust me, Illinois winters are terrible, a Houston summer is a walk in the park compared to our negative temps with 25-30mph sustained winds. Oh well, only one winter left and we're Sugar Land bound.

[stan4]

Welcome to Texas, yesman! Best wishes on your move!

[stan4]

Originally Posted by Topaz

Crass? That surprises me. I think of Houston as unpretentious.

Hm, maybe I chose the wrong word...er, more apt to act unclassy in public? All in good fun, but still kind of annoying to others...of course, this does not at all mean all Houstoners are like that, but it seems to be the trend for me whenever I go out. Just people-watching. I'm not used to that.

There is something cute about the inner loop. It's just pleasantly different from generic suburbia.

[AK123]

Originally Posted by BostonJad

Just before this weekend that I spent there, I had come into Houston with so many misconceptions. Not that this weekend is representative of Houston all year round but should be an interesting read for those that call Houston home.

1. Houston is never cold: I had come in with a suitcase with just T-shirts hoping that its gonna be Summer weather in Houston, boy was I wrong. Luckily coming from Boston that is freezing cold, I had to put on a jacket at least for the ride to and from the airport. Funnily I ended up using that jacket most of the time I was out. Nevertheless the cold that you get in Houston is bearable, it is minuscule, nothing compared to what deal with in the NorthEast.

2. Houston is Southern: of the people I have encountered while I was there from the hotel, the bars, the streets and the mall, not one I heard had a southern accent. Also cowboy hats and anything representative of southern culture was not as prevalent as I would have thought it would be.

3. People are super friendly: that is not to say that people are mean either. What I mean is that you don't find that get-out-your-own-way to be sociable to strangers attitude. I'm bummed, its a shame that there aren't many places left in the world where that exists.

4. Obesity: its true that Houston boasts a large number of fast food establishments all along its highways, I did not see an inordinate number of fat people.

5. Everything is bigger in TX: Maybe this applies to other areas in TX as I am starting to think that Houston is not as Texan as its whole state. I had the expectation that portions of food would be larger than usual even for common franchises. I ordered a small coffee at Starbucks and it was smaller than the small I usually order in Boston. Perhaps they have a smaller small in Houston that they do not sell in Boston because it was cheaper than it also. I also ate out at Dennys, Fuddruckers and Hooters and didnt find anything big as Texas. This may be a faulty argument as these are all chains and they have a consistent sizing of serving nationwide. I did not have the chance to visit local establishments and I blame it on my hosts. They were kind to me the whole time; I guess they are not very creative.

All in all, glad that I visited Houston and now I have a better idea whether Id want to live there sometime. If #3 was true, I would'nt have second-guessed moving the next day.

I'm glad you came to see for yourself!

Go tell all your Boston friends. Half my family still lives in the western suburbs, and you wouldn't believe some of the things they think about Houston, and Texas in general.

Some other interesting tidbits you may not know: Houston's downtown theatre district is second in size only to NYC's Broadway; The Houston Museum of Natural Science is the third most visited in the country; Ranks third in the country in size of art museum space; One of only a handful of cities with permanent symphony, ballet, theater, opera; Ranks third in the country in number of foreign consulates; Ranks in the top restaurant cities; Ranks third in the country in number of pleasure boats; Beaches in nearby Galveston (which is also a neat historic town to visit)

Good luck, and have fun!

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by yesman

Oh well, only one winter left and we're Sugar Land bound.

Well, here's an early welcome for you! Sugar Land is a very pleasant place to live...we really like it here.

And just another positive mention about the Houston weather. Right now, 3 days before Thanksgiving, the weather today in Sugar Land is GORGEOUS. 79 degrees with warm (not hot) sun, a bright blue sky, a few puffy white clouds, and a gentle breeze. We love it!

[yesman]

Originally Posted by Topaz

Well, here's an early welcome for you! Sugar Land is a very pleasant place to live...we really like it here.

And just another positive mention about the Houston weather. Right now, 3 days before Thanksgiving, the weather today in Sugar Land is GORGEOUS. 79 degrees with warm (not hot) sun, a bright blue sky, a few puffy white clouds, and a gentle breeze. We love it!

Wow. I would love that too. Here it is 42 degrees, but with windchill it feels like 33.

[EasilyAmused]

Loopers and just outside the Loopers are pretty happy with themselves and their place in the mix. I dunno, it's a sense of self-confidence and sense of being happy in one's own skin. It is a possitive place to live.Everything you need is within a mile or so of home, and that makes the art of living very easy. I've been lucky to grow up and continue to live here.
Suburbia seemed full of angst and unhappiness to me. Goodness knows it was catching!

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by EasilyAmused

Loopers and just outside the Loopers are pretty happy with themselves and their place in the mix. I dunno, it's a sense of self-confidence and sense of being happy in one's own skin. It is a possitive place to live.Everything you need is within a mile or so of home, and that makes the art of living very easy. I've been lucky to grow up and continue to live here.
Suburbia seemed full of angst and unhappiness to me. Goodness knows it was catching!

I do like the Inner Loop, but that doesn't mean I think suburbia is living hell. My family is quite happy, thank you...

[EasilyAmused]

Originally Posted by Topaz

I do like the Inner Loop, but that doesn't mean I think suburbia is living hell. My family is quite happy, thank you...

Didn't say it was living hell. I said people were just worried about everything all the time. Tiny little things were an obsession and warranted stress meltdowns. Bizarre.

My theory is don't sweat the small stuff. There're bigger things out there to worry about.

[tstone]

The angst & unhappiness was likely EA's as much as it was everyone else's. When you're stuck in traffic to the Woodlands every day from the heart of Houston when you'd rather be kicking back some wine, it can get very irritating. (Hence why I gave up the weekday fix. Pheanin' sux.)

Also remember "just outside the loopers" means some pretty bad areas like Sharpstown. All along the outside of 610 east of 288 is straight hood. Gulfgate to Hobby and then into South Houston is straight barrio. With **** going down on a regular basis out there, many people aren't happy in their own skin there. Those aren't positive places to live at all, and lots of people work hard & strive to move out of there and into the outer regions.