Yup - well, in most cases, anyway. There's more opportunity for them in the larger towns because they have more of their people there that can help them or relatives there that may do the same. Not to mention, the job opportunities and probabilities are usually greater in the larger cities.
Yes, we have a bigger supply of land. It's Texas... we have chunks of land the size of NYC in our stool.
Its not that bad, but damn is it expensive. The weather is nice and there are cute women, but I can live with the H-Town weather and the women are pretty good looking at home and approachable. I find it real strange when people dog Houston and have never been. I bring friends to it quite a bit and they all were surprised how much they like it. I recently helped a buddy drive to SD from NY and he went on and on about how his city had this and that. I felt no envy. I have everything I need at home.
i've been up here, almost non-stop, since '82, never thought i'd stay that long, and there are certainly tradeoffs, but most of them are worth it. street life is varied and vibrant, i can get almost anywhere on the subway, i don't need a car, great food, arts, the parks, and the heterogeneous culture (save the political culture) is fascinating. there's indian, thai, turkish, vietnamese, malay, 5-6 different variations on chinese, same on italian, french, moroccan restaurants in a 3 block radius, plus 4-5 wine bars. on the down side, we don't have enough closets...
we should do a poll on who from houston has moved to another city and if they felt their life improved. I go back to Houston often, but I never feel the need to move back. I know several people who've lived in houston from grade school-college-work and moved to LA and absolutely love LA.
I don't think anyone's saying "it doesn't get any better" than H-town, I just think people are saying it gets knocked a little too much, and debating to an extent that the cheaper cost of living isn't based on any complete lack of quality. Not that this invalidates curiosity as to results of such a suggested pole, just clarifying perspective.
I was one of those New Yorkers that moved to Houston in 2006/2007. I'm definitely happier living here raising my family than up there. I have a friend living/working in Las Vegas and is moving back to Houston. It's real bad in Vegas now. People losing their jobs left and right.
The living cost will be much closer if you take away the rental expenses. The rent in NY and SF areas is just crazy.
I made the move to NYC last year. Its the greatest thing I've ever done. I have met the friendliest, kindest and most accepting people I've ever encountered over here. Especially in places like Brooklyn.
I seriously thought about moving to NYC a couple of years ago, for a woman. While I regret the relationship not working out I don't regret staying in Minneapolis because its too damn expensive to live in NYC, too crowded and too hard to get out of. I've got a lot of friends out in CA and go back to the Bay Area a couple of times a year for work and to visit but I've got the same problem with living there. I figured I would have to make probably twice of what I make now to have the same lifestyle in either the SF Bay Area or NYC.
I second this. I lived in Houston, since I was 24. Moved to Cali about an hour away from LA, just last year, and my life has drastically improved. I cant imagine going back to live in Houston. For me, it just feels so negative. Its always raining. Crappy weather. Here, there is beautiful weather. I find Houston very dirty compared to where I live in Cali. Not to say Cali doesnt have any dirt ugly parts, but LA to me is considerably more cleaner and better looking then Houston. The people are more bubblier and very smart but I dont know if I just knew alot of ignorant people in Houston. I also have to say, it's great being far far far away from any religious aspects of life. I like how in Cali, nobody even cares or bothers to mention anything that identifies with Religion. Thats a huge plus with me, because all I heard from friends and family down there were, "why are you doing, this and that? God doesnt approve of that. You need Jesus in your life." and I'd reply, "Screw that. With all respect. Im different, I dont feel the need to have an imaginary father figure." But yeah, sorry for making this longer then it should have been. Besides the cost of things and my family and friends, thats the only reason I find it interesting to visit Texas, or Houston for that matter.
Living in Minneapolis I think my life has improved somewhat. The Twin Cities are more expensive than Houston in regards to property prices and taxes. The weather is a wash because I am probably going to spend as much time inside in the summer in Houston as I am in the winter in MN. Crime is lower, traffic is less and its a lot easier to get out of town and enjoy nature than it does in Houston. I can also get some good Mexican food here too. I still love visiting Houston and if the right opportunity came up I wouldn't mind moving back to Houston but I think I am marginally better off in Minneapolis than Houston right now. It would be nice though to have some Rockets and Stros fans to watch games with.
I am born and raised in NW Houston. When i joined the Marines and i was out in Cali, i instantly fell in love. I was stationed in Hawaii and was real depressed i didn't get to stay in Cali. But i realized most of my feelings were b/c of a girl i met there instead of actually thinking Cali was so much better than Tx or Hawaii even. I mostly realized that when i moved to San Diego a year and a half ago to actually live there. The weather was still amazing but the night life for me started turning me off. Every bar was teeny tiny and completely jam packed and filled with girls that weren't as approachable as they are in Houston. The clubs were terrible. The strip joints were tiny as well. All there was to do was go to the beach during the day and just drink at home with friends. Another thing i could not stand was their lingo as far as Hispanic people went. I am Hispanic and i love Hispanic women but every one i met spoke like "lookit, thas mines" for example. They can't spell worth a damn, and they can't speak. From appearance, they looked like any ordinary non-ghetto Hispanic girl here in Houston, but they were all r****ded. Anyway i moved back to Houston b/c i didn't enjoy it much in San Diego as i thought i would and also i couldn't make any money out there. Though i love Houston, i still want to get away. Nothing to do with the city, but more of my life...i want to start over elsewhere. I have been thinking of Phoenix or Albuquerque. If i do meet end up settling down and having kids, i would love to raise them here in Houston over anywhere else though.
A perk of living in NY is the convenience factor. You can take the Subway everywhere. In Houston, if you live out in the burbs, it takes 30-60 mins to get downtown, and everything is spaced out. You also get free exercise living in NY because you have to walk everywhere. Why pay a gym membership to use a treadmill when you can walk to the supermarket, or walk to the basketball courts, etc. The urban way of life is very appealing to many people, just like some people prefer suburban driving lifestyle.
I think that's why its great to live in a medium sized city. You get the benefits of convenience of a street life while not being crowded int.
I'm curious to hear how difficult this move was for you? I love both NYC and Boston and have dreams of one day moving to one or the other, for at least a few years. Did you get a job transfer up there or did you just pack up and go? I work in IT so I'm pretty sure with enough research I could probably find a job, but I just haven't gotten anywhere close to making the leap.
