yes I think this is the most true statement in this entire thread. There are plenty of negatives of houston and austin as much as san francisco or anywhere else. There is no such thing as the perfect place. It comes down to a list of requirements and things the individual is looking for. I personally am not a big fan of austin. I am also not a big fan of houston /austin/ dallas heat. Its brutal and relentless. Comes down to personal preference.
it seems like you tried to bash the city and then ended up giving it a complement instead unless hippy was meant as derogatory. how could hippy even be derogatory?
When I am in Houston, I sometimes go for runs from the Inwood Forest area To around St. Monica's in Acres Homes and back.
<br> Austin and San Diego aren't as alike as people are making them out to be. To be honest I've actually never heard that comparison before this thread. <br> California (while amazing and definitely my style) has huge drawbacks. When you move to San Diego take a look at the roads around the city. So many of them look like they should have been rebuilt years ago.
SF has terrible roads for obvious reasons.. getting around LA is a pain. feels as if every main road is highway 6 during traffic hour Cali just isn't about the transportation lol
<br> Your very last statement is false. ...There are no cool kids in La Jolla period. Just a bunch of Asians studying
A lot of people seem to forget that NYC gets really hot and humid too. Sure, it's worse here, but we have A/C's everywhere. Also think about hurricane season. A place like Clear Lake would be really nice for you most of the year, but it might be a bit too close to the water for comfort.
I made the move you are thinking about 25 years ago. I grew up in Montana the first 21 years or so of my life....went to school in College Station and eventually ended up in Piscataway, NJ at age 25 (near my brother at the time). I left NJ at age 27 for Houston and only last summer left Houston after 21 years for my home state of Montana. Here's what I would say. First, don't get fooled by the thought of beautiful weather 12 months a year. The summer heat/humidity is oppressive. And when I say oppressive, you will quickly realize the warm winters comes at a steep price. The nicest months to be in Houston are October and March/April. The winters are warm (50-80 degrees) with rain instead of snow but not too bad. Speaking of rain...when it rains...it RAINS. All day...perhaps several days. I think it was summer 2011 and it rained like 14 straight days. It can happen like that. Second, Houston is the definition of sprawl. It is just a huge place and WILL take you 30-40 minutes to get to certain areas of town no matter where you live. If you live near the 610 loop, its more like 15-25 minutes unless you need to go to the suburbs where again it will take up to 40 minutes to get to. Third, if you are like most folks working in Houston, you will be commuting by car. Traffic is horrendous in places and even if the congestion isn't bad, you still might face quite a commute in distance. People have mentioned Sugarland. (southwest Houston) I worked in that suburb for 2+ years (commuting from the Champions area) and I don't understand the draw. It isn't very wooded...it has a higher crime rate than I would be comfortable with and doesn't feel much like a community. Just too "planned out" for my taste. Not quirky....real suburban feel. I lived in Champions the last 11 years I was there. (northwest Houston). Much more of a wooded feel and the community feels a little older. Not too old by any means but perhaps 30 year old houses rather than 5-10 year old houses if you get my meaning. The price of housing should be roughly the same and both are about equal distances to downtown. One advantage of Champions is it is very close to the local horse racing track if you are into that. The Woodlands would be the nicest community (IMHO) to live in without breaking the bank but has one big drawback...its WAAAAY north of Houston. But its the nicest looking community, relatively low crime and lots to do with Lake Conroe close by if you are into water sports. Houston is a diverse culture. Lots of all types of folks living there with whites and latinos making up the bulk of folks...but lots of african americans and asians as well. I might be somewhat sheltered saying the following, but I feel there is a large community of all types of people in all parts of the city. A true melting pot. Thats just my opinion but after 21 years of working in all different parts of the city thats how it appeared to me. What you might miss: At first, you might not believe it....but the weather is monotonous. Its either warm with some humidity or FREAKING HOT with OPPRESSIVE HUMIDITY. There is no real "spring" or "fall" like you're used to. After about 4-5 years, it got old. Public transportation in Houston isn't horrible, but its pretty much a car culture. The bus system is just about it unless you happen to live on the one light rail route from the medical center to downtown. We have 2 airports. This is a nice feature. The big one...George Bush...is on the north side near Champions, Woodlands, and Kingwood areas. Keep that in mind if you travel a lot. The other one (Hobby airport) is in South Houston and the main hub of Southwest Airlines. That one is closer to League City and NASA. I could go on, but will stop. PM me if you have other questions. Good luck.
good post. Pretty much nailed it on all accounts. as mentioned big negative of houston is driving in car all the time. Folks in midtown that happen to not have any family in katy sugarland or anywhere else within 1 mile are the 5% exception. You move to houston you better get used to being in a car. period.
to the poster who said Sugar Land isn't quirky, too planned out and suburban... well everywhere outside of the loop is pretty much like that. If its a "family raising" part of town. It's going to be typical suburbia wherever you look. quirkiness is found only inside the loop
I'd be petrified of the ground moving, buildings falling on me and then floating into the Pacific. Doesn't sound appealing.
People complaining about travel time in Houston, I don't get it. Firstly, when I'm in Houston, I never have to drive more than 15 minutes to go anywhere unless there is a TON of traffic. Secondly, outside of maybe the eastcoast, you generally have to drive to places. LA, Denver, Houston, etc are all places you have to drive in to get around. This complaint never makes sense to me
hey guys Austin and San Fran super awesome they have food trucks and hippies/hipsters am I cool now? pleasseee tell me how cool I am I need this, I mean I moved to a different state just to get the ego boost - you guys wouldn't understand though (not cool enough), it's an Austin San Fran thing so I've probably already said to much to you dorks. Im going to go to in and out and then go smell the beach and be in heaven and be cool.
