Austin vs. Houston what are the differences?

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Those same people that bad mouthed or thought nothing of Houston before speak as if they have found a diamond in the rough.

I never bad mouthed Houston but I definitely had strong reservations about moving to this part of the country, especially when everyone's reaction was basically, "Houston? Ugh, I'm sorry." Your "diamond in the rough" description is spot on...that's exactly how it feels. Now that we live here, my family is very, very happy.

[usc619]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Which is definitely not something to be proud of. The last thing we need is for Texas to be the next California, a state spiraling deeper & deeper in debt.

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

Bleh

Austin is highly over rated IMO & I've lived in Texas my whole life.

LMAO, why bash another state you never lived in? Believe it or not, most people in this country still would rather live in CA than Texas.

[N. Buck]

Meh. I would choose Houston over Austin any day, but that's because I spent the first 18 years of my life there before shipping up to Philly (to find my wooden arm (DKM fans got that one)).

Bottom line, both cities are in Texas. And darn it, Texas is the best freaggin state in the union. But I would still choose Houston.

[theSUBlime]

Originally Posted by usc619

LMAO, why bash another state you never lived in? Believe it or not, most people in this country still would rather live in CA than Texas.

If you think thats a bashing, you haven't been paying attention to what's being written on this site! I mean, at least what he wrote is something that's verifiable and not a long list of opinions slighting California.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by usc619

LMAO, why bash another state you never lived in? Believe it or not, most people in this country still would rather live in CA than Texas.

That's what Californians tell themselves as they move to Texas.

[eloon]

Originally Posted by atxcio

I agree that comparing these two cities is comparing apples to oranges.

Austin is a mid-size city; Houston is one of the largest in the country. They both excel in their respective categories, IMO. Houston, as you would expect with such a large city, will have more and more museums, theater options, world-class restaurants, bigger airport, job market, pro sports, etc. But it also has more crime, sprawl, and traffic (and yes, I understand Austin's traffic is terrible -- but it's mostly due to infrastructure and fewer road options. Plus Austin's rush hour is short by comparison).

To me, the fewer amenities Austin does have are more accessible to everyone, as it is a smaller city. Also, the nightlife in Austin is more all-ages IMO. Even though there is the huge college presence, and lots of young professionals... there are also a lot of older, single and married no-kids people who live there for the lifestyle. So they go out more, and clubs/festivals cater to them as well. Houston's nightlife, while there is plenty of it, is more segmented by age and culture. There are many more clubbing places for young people, hip hop clubs, gay clubs, etc.. in Austin there are many more mish-mashed places where young and older gather to listen to whatever kind of music or have a beer. That can be a negative if you are used to a specific type of nightlife.

Outside of nightlife, though, Houston is much more diverse and well integrated. Many more cultures represented in all segments of the workplace and neighborhoods. That's one of Houston's best points, IMO.

Austin is more liberal, but there are plenty of ultra liberal places in central Houston which are similar. Austin is also a little more friendly to a healthy (excercise, healthy food restaurants and stores, etc) & outdoors lifestyle... but again, those things exist in Houston (as you would expect), but just may be more spread out.

If you are career-minded, Houston is better for that. More diverse job market, better pay, faster paced. The weather is slightly better in Austin, at least in my opinion, but to someone coming in from outside of Texas the climates would seem similar.

In terms of scenery, I'll be one of the only people who say it's a draw. Austin has the hilly terrain and lakes, but Houston has incredible trees in the central neighborhoods and some gorgeous wooded suburbs. It's also near the ocean, and while some people might not like the beaches in Galveston, the ocean is still the ocean and it's beautiful and interesting.

I'd also add that both cities, like most of Texas, have very friendly and generally happy people, which can be a positive change compared to other parts of the country (like the NW, New England, and rust belt).

Both great cities in their own right. Now Dallas, that's a different story

I grew up in Dallas, went to school in Austin, and have now lived in Houston for about a year. I agree with pretty much everything this post says except the part about Dallas of course, it's still home to me.

Austin is a great city. I really enjoyed living there. At the same time I was in college and living right in the middle of town. 6th street was a short cab ride away and there were great bar/restaurants to hang out in all around us. What's not to love about that? Plus the whole city is gorgeous. If I had to move back I wouldn't be able to afford to live inside of 183 most likely and probably wouldn't be as happy living in one of the suburbs. I think the traffic is absolutely horrendous. I mean, at least you can drive 45N to the Woodlands on Saturday at 1pm and the odds are it's not going to be filled wth traffic. Not so in Austin. I can remember making a trip down to the river and getting stuck in traffic on 35S headed towards New Braunfels for over 30 minutes. We're talking Saturday at 10am. It's just ridiculous and there's no good ways around it without driving down Congress or something similar.

At first I didn't think Houston would have the same things to offer, but we're finally starting to find some of the cool stuff. Great dog park near us - better than any we went to in Austin. Memorial park is cool too. Starting to find all the good restaurants, although I still haven't found something that I like as much as El Arroyo and Trudy's (or Cain and Abels for that matter). Maybe in time. One thing that I think is weird in Houston is there seems to be a lack of breakfast places. Maybe I just haven't found them yet but my wife and I miss going to get Kerbey lane or breakfast tacos (mmm... Juan in a million...) on Saturday morning. In Austin, you can go to breakfast, sit outside, and bring your dog. Hard to beat that. But maybe we'll find something that does?

I don't think you can really go wrong in either place. It just takes time to find your place in either city. For as spread out as Houston is, it's certainly a lot easier to get around. For as conservative as Houston is, I find the people to generally be pretty friendly, although the obvious influx of yankees does detract from that somewhat (I bet somebody will flame that... haha). Austin is supposed to be pretty "liberal and accepting" except that conservative view points aren't very well accepted outside of Westlake or Round Rock. Not as tolerant as you'd think if you're not on the granola side of things.

[love roses]

Goode Co. Taqueria on Kirby and 59 is good for breakfast. I miss the cinnamon ice cream! There's also the 59 Diner, Thai Spice, Star Pizza, La Jalisciencia (if it's still there) on Montrose. There are also a lot of good little cafes in Rice Village. I also liked Goode Co. BBQ.

[verybadgnome]

I'm still trying to come up with something they have in common besides the fact that they both have a lot of HEBs and breakfast tacos are quite easy to obtain..............seriously I can't think of another pair of major Texas cities that have less in common with one another.

[stoneclaw]

Also try the breakfast klub in midtown off Travis. Great experience!!!!