sls15

Hi all,

I am currently living in Manhattan and considering a change. Though I love NYC, the cost of living is outrageous, and I'd love to own instead of rent one day...so, I was wondering what people can tell me about Houston. My employer has an office there, and transferring is a possibility. My boyfriend is also from Texas and wouldn't mind going back to the warm weather.

Any thoughts, plusses, minuses?

Thanks in advance!

rkkwan

Here the main differences, as I live in Houston now, having lived in DC and RI on the E. Coast.

1. Housing cost is a fraction of NYC. You can buy large house in the suburbs for $200-300k. Plus, no state income tax in Texas, and food costs is again a fraction of NYC, if you cook at home.

2. You need to drive. Period. Anywhere you want to go, you'll need to drive. To go mail a parcel? Drive. Pick up dry-cleaning? Drive. You need to drive between stores even if they're in the same stripmall.

3. It's hot in the summer. Everything's air-conditioned, but still it's hot, and you better find a covered parking where you work. Otherwise, you can cook dinner on your car when you get off. Not exaggerating.

4. While there are lots of entertainment and restaurants in the city or in Galveston, you need to fly almost anywhere to get away. No quick weekend roadtrips to the Catskills, Poconos, or Philly. The only places within 2.5-hr drive are Austin and the casinos in Louisiana. On the other hand, there's good air service in Houston. Continental has its HQ and large hub at IAH, and SW has a huge operation at HOU.

TxTravelPro

Good message rkkwan!
I can't think of 2 more vastly different places within this country than NYC and Houston!

MzPossum

rkkwan tells you most you need to know. Also, along with being hot, Houston is very humid, but I understand that NYC can also be humid--it's just that the hot, humid weather lasts alot longer in south Texas. True, you do have to drive alot (very little public transport) but the Texas Coast has some nice beaches, particularly in the Padre Area. Also, the Texas Hill Country (which includes San Antonio and Austin) are only a few hours away and are quite lovely places to visit. You're about 4-5 hours from Dallas as well. as rkkwan mentioned, 2 big airports, one of them being international. So, might be a fun change. Houston has alot of cultural events (museums, musicals, professional sports) so you won't have to miss out on that.

emd

I will add a few thoughts to this, as I lived in Houston for 30 years, and in the years since I moved away I have gone back at least three times a year.
1) It is not just hot in the summer. The first time I took my husband from D.C. to Houston it was Thanksgiving. We walked out of Hobby airport and it was 88 degrees and 99% hunidity. He said he couldn't breathe, and started taking off clothes. When we got in the cab he said, "Forget it, I could never live here." I do not miss the high humidity and heat at all, it can be oppressive.
2) I would add to rkkwan's list of places to drive for weekends- there is also San Antonio. There are great outdoor areas and state parks in the Austin and San Antonio area. Another advantage is being so close to Mexico. You can even fly direct to many good destinations in Mexico inexpensively on Continental for a weekend. And New Orleans.
3) A BIG BIG negative is the road and traffic situation. The city is so sprawled out that you can have a friend who lives an hour and a half away (time without traffic) and still lives in Houston. Add in the traffic and it is miserable. I10, which runs east to west, is jam packed, bumper to bumper almost any time of day now, even though there are HOV lanes. I59 is also terrible, although it has been widened since I lived there. I45 will never be finished, they've been working on it since I was born I think. The main surface roads have lights on every corner. Driving is FRUSTRATING. They need a few more cross city through-hwys, akin to Beltway 8 that goes aroudn part of the city (but that gets alot of heated discussion as it is a toll road)
4) All that said, the city is getting more cosmopolitan and international in flavor all the time. The Wortham theater has helped, and there has been some good effort to develop downtown into something besides just a place to work. People are living in nice lofts downtown now, and there are more dining options downtown. There are many large ethnic populations in Houston- not just Hispanic, but lots of Asians and others also, with lots of good food and culture as a result. Lots of fun outdoor festivals.
4) The city still seems very disjointed to me. No zoning is a big negative.
5) I wouldn't move back. But my friends who still live there wouldn't leave. I suggest you go down for an extended period to get to know the city before moving there. But that will be challenging, as there is no real unified area to get to know- there are alot of large regions in Houston to get to knwo before you move there- the westside area with the Galleria/Richmond/Westheimer beat all the way out to Hwy 6, the Village and West University, the Heights, the whole east side which I know less about, etc, it goes on forever. It is hard to get your arms around the city and get a feel for it.
6) Housing affordablity is indeed a real plus. As rkkwan noted, you must have a car; mass transportation is limited to the bus system. Think about waiting for the bus in the 99 degree 98% humidity in summer.
7) If returning to school is an option, there are several good community college and university options. If you are into healthcare professions, it is a good place to work, and if you get sick, there is incredibly good medical care at the Texas Medical Center.

yk

Hi sls15-

One question I have for you is:
How long have you been living in Manhattan? All your life? Or did you live in some other city (that requires driving a lot) and just recently moved to Manhattan?

If you have lived in Manhattan for a loooooong time, you'll have a hard time adjusting to Houston. No more walking a block to your favorite restaurant, or a choice of 30 ethnic cuisines within 1 block, no more a walk in Central park etc.

And again to remind you, the heat is unbearable. You simply cannot be outside for more than a few minutes before you feel yourself melting.

The only plus I can think of is the lower cost of living, but you can find that in other cities that are better than Houston.

rkkwan

Yes, there are actually a few more places to drive to. I was just trying to make it sound worse with my 2.5 hour limit. Corpus Christi and South Padre Island has nice beaches (better than Galveston); lots of nice place in the San Anton/Austin/Hill-Country area. Even to the east, you can go to small towns like Natchitoches, LA; let alone New Orleans.

About place to live, a lot of "active" people with no kids are living in lofts close in Midtown, or around the Galleria area. Don't know the prices, but those areas are much closer to work (if work means Downtown, Galleria, or Medical Center). But if you want big houses with large yards, then you have to make a choice. The ones closer to city - River Oaks, or along Memorial Drive - are expensive. Maybe not to a New Yorker, but sure to most "regular" folks here.

If you want cheap, then you're talking about the new subdivisions in the suburbs, easily 20-25 miles from Downtown. They are along all the major freeways, except I-10 and 225 East, as those run into the industrial/refinery areas. But 59N, 45N, 290W, 10W, 59S, 288S, 45S - everywhere has its advantages and disadvantages.

You'll never escape traffic, but some are better than others. For example, 59N to IAH has just been widened. No traffic jams. So, Kingwood is not bad. 288S is also usually pretty good to Pearland, and it's a straight shot from the Texas Medical Center. 59S is one of the busiest - it was just widened all the way to Sugarland/First Colony, but now they're digging up a stretch near midtown. 45N (to Woodlands) is pretty busy too, but you have the option of taking the Hardy Toll Road during rush hour. The worst right now is definitely I-10W (Katy Freeway). It's a nightmare, and they just started a like 10-year project to widen it.

sls15

Wow, thank you so much for your detailed and helpful responses!

To answer yk, I have been in Manhattan for almost 5 years. Before that I was in upstate NY, and I grew up in Wisconsin. So I am quite familiar with car culture, and actually find myself craving it at times. That said, how bad is bad traffic? If you live 20-25 miles outside the city, how long would it take to drive to work (downtown)?
Again, thanks for the very helpful responses! We're going to visit in a couple of weeks and I will keep you all posted.

cd

My thought is to take a vacation there and check it out. Our son lives in Houston, has for 10 years and loves it. We hate it. The traffic and humidity are awful. He on the other hand built a large, beautiful home that he could never touch in NY. He enjoys weekends in Austin and Galveston and has learned to drive like a maniac. It comes down to, to each his own.

rkkwan

sls15 - If you work 8-5 at downtown, then traffic can be pretty bad. From a suburb about 20 miles from city, expect 45 minutes to an hour. But you can often cut that in half if your hours is like 10-7, for example. Before deciding on a particular area to live, I suggest you drive the rush hour to find out the time. But still, this should be a lot better than say, L.A.

emd

rkkwan: wouldn't you say the timing at rush hour depends on where you live 20 miles out of downtown? If it is 20 miles out west and you are commuting in on I10, it could be alot longer than one hour I think.
sls15- get a good realtor and give yourself time to get to know the city layout and areas before you buy . I think it makes a big difference where you live re the commute.

rkkwan

Oh, just want to add one thing. While there's no mass-transit system (other than that new multi-billion "trolley/streetcar" that runs into automobiles at alarming rate), there is a semi-efficient park-and-ride bus system that takes one into downtown from the near-suburbs, plus selected routes to Medical Center. Since they use the HOV lanes (when available), it can be faster than driving alone. One problem is that these buses are mostly limited to City of Houston boundaries, and don't actually go into where the new subdivisions are, so you may still have to drive a significant distance from your home to the bus stop.

Since those parking are free, you may still save money by taking the bus rather than parking downtown. And a lot less stressful, even if it doesn't save you time.

Or if you can carpool with your bf or co-worker, that helps on the freeways with the HOV. I believe all HOVs only require 2+ people, not 3+ in many other cities.

nonrevver

This is my third time living in Houston. I lived here twice before as a teenager and hated it. However, my husband and I moved here about 3 years ago and I love it! The cost of living is a big plus. We can own a 2,000 sq foot house in a "good" neighborhood with our own swimming pool. My husband is a foodie and loves the restaurants here. I believe Houstonians average eating out 4x per week. Our waistlines show it.In Houston you can be as sophisticated or as country as you want to be. We have museums, professional theatre, symphony, opera, sports(even hockey).
I had to learn how to drive when we moved here. I was terrified to drive on the highways, but they are not that bad. A major plus is the people. They are very friendly. I agree with the other posters that you should visit the city first to get a feel. Remember, not all of the charms of Houston are apparent at first.

emd

nonrevver, your last comment is so true. So many people (including some posters here) see nothing good about Houston at all. I often wonder what experience they had- did they just fly into town and stay downtown, or in some suburban hotel thinking they would get the flavor of the city? Houston isn't like that- it's not a destination city like NY or New Orleans, or even Chicago. It takes time to get to know the city and see it's, well- not it's charms, because it isn't exactly charming- but it's unique flavor. It's a complicated city, but also very friendly as you point out.

spunki

I'm an east-coast transplant as well, and have been in houston (pearland, actually) for 6 yrs now. I prefer the warm tropical climate -- yes of course it's hot and humid, it's the deep south. Spring and fall are the best times of the year, though I use those terms loosely.
-Things I love about Houston:
having palm trees, other tropical plants, and a pool in my backyard, being close to water (I actually got married on the water!), being able to eat almost any ethnic cuisine I could want, esp. dim sum in our huge chinatown), lots of arts (performing as well as museums), nice parks, major sporting events, plenty of shopping, no state income tax... I'll stop there for now.
-As to public transportation, why hasn't anyone mentioned the metrorail? Yes it only goes from the astrodome to downtown, but it is there.
-Yes traffic is bad on the major highways, but you can work around it by finding shortcuts/ side streets like I use to get to/ from work (in the medical center) and home in Silverlake (master planned community about 14 miles south). Or arrange your work hrs to avoid it. Housing prices are very affordable in my area -- and my husband is a realtor if you would like some help with relocation!