comparing Dallas, Austin, Houston
 

You all have been so helpful and now I'm asking one more question. Comparing Dallas, Austin, and Houston (I'm meaning suburbs of these 3 large cities approx.30 minute drive of the major city/airport).
How do home prices compare in these 3 areas?
How does summer humidity compare?

I looked on a weather website and am surprised to see the average summer temperatures in Austin are HIGHER than average temperatures in Houston. Is Houston getting a bad rap or is it that the humidity is higher than Dallas or Austin making it less tolerable?

I've read that some people love Austin but didn't like Dallas or Houston. This is making me consider expanding my options. I visited a suburb of Houston (Kingwood) and loved it but haven't been there in mid summer.

Thank you Texans again for all your great help.

Houston is the most humid of the three, than Austin. Houston is unbelivably humid in the summer, really opressive. There was a debate on this forum more than a year ago between living in Houston or Dallas. I'd vote for Dallas every time although Kingswood is a beautiful suburb of Houston. I don't like the city of Houston; there is no zoning and it's just too sprawling. Dallas sprawls as well, but it's zoned and somehow doesn't seem as crowded.
The debate starts!

Houston is unbearably humid (like 10 minutes outside and you need to go back for A/C). Dallas is comparable to sticking your head into an oven. Austin is the best of the three (very hot, but gets cool breezes every now again because of lakes and hills).

BTW: All things aside Austin is one of the nicest (unique) places in the country. Dallas/Houston are regular cities with nothing special to offer (and I live in Dallas). Although if you're going 30 minuites from the airport they're all probably the same anyways.

I am not a native Texan but have spent significant time in these three cities - went to grad school in Houston, lived in Dallas, and visited Austin frequently. I don't know that I would really advocate living in any of them, but I do realize that Texas can't be beat from a cost of living vs. amenities perspective. I like downtown Houston and the museum district a lot, but don't like the suburbs at all, other than The Woodlands, which is too far from the city for most people. It is definitely hotter in Houston than the other two cities. Dallas has almost no downtown scene at all, but the midtown/uptown area is nice, and the suburbs are better than in Houston. Austin never did much for me at all, but I am not a music person and I generally don't like college towns except for when I was in college. But being liberal and vegetarian, I can appreciate the overall values of the city. I don't know if Austin has recovered from the tech downturn - I know a few years ago a lot of people were leaving because of the lack of jobs and the housing market was really having trouble. Overall, if I had to pick one city of these to live in, I would probably pick Dallas.

Thanks. It sounds like we should rule out Houston although the suburb we visited sure was gorgeous in April!

March and April are probably the prettiest months in Houston. All 3 of these cities are too hot and humid for comfort during the summer months. The relative humidity may be higher in Houston, but temperatures will be higher in the other two cities. I prefer Houston's winter weather. Austin and Dallas are affected by ice storms or other frozen precipitation more than Houston. Dallas is also in a much more tornado-prone area. You could have hurricane-related local flooding in any of these cities, but Houston would have the highest risk of the three. Houston and Dallas have the most direct flights. I am always happy not to have a connection to Austin when I return to Houston. I could live in any of these cities. I think the Austin area is the most scenic, but Dallas and Houston are larger and have many more amenities.

If your choices are between Austin and Dallas, the relative sizes of the two urban areas is a major factor.

Austin's metro is a little over a million people, whereas the Dallas (DFW) urban area is a little over 6 million. Obviously an area with 6 million people will offer much more in the way of urban amenities... more and better restaurants, a much better selection of museums, stage performances, a more diversified international population, much better employment options, more of practically anything you could think of, or haven't yet considered. Is "more" really better? Yes, because a larger city has more competition, forcing drastic improvements in quality.

For example, live musical performances. Austin's entertainment guide, Austin360, lists about 35 places to hear live music, maybe 2 or 3 of them featuring jazz.

In Dallas, their guide lists about 120 places featuring live music, about 30 of them playing jazz. If you don't particularly care for jazz, Dallas' selection of other kinds of music is equally overwhelming.

Someone mentioned Uptown Dallas. This is a vibrant, upscale dense pedestrian-oriented residential-commercial area, with many places to shop, eat, live. It has the walking-distance lifestyle that is common in European cities, or American cities like Boston, San Francisco and Philadelphia. Of course you don't have to live there to enjoy it... I don't, but every so often, I enjoy walking around in a real city.

In addition, Dallas has much metro rail transportation, the only Texas city to have such a system, although Houston has recently installed a few miles of rail. Dallas has many so-called "urban villages" as well, many of them built around transit stations.

It is probably the only Texas city where you could live without a car, if you chose to do so. True, many suburbs are not covered by the transit system, and driving is more convenient, but the areas that are transit-friendly offer virtually everything you need within walking distance.

I think the best response was the one observing that if you are looking at places 30 miutes from an airport it really doesn't matter very nuch whether you choose Houston or Dallas - they are all pretty much cookie cutter communities that could be anywhere in the country.
In terms of weather, Houston probably has more pleasant months, with only a couple really humid and the rest generally mild. Dallas, on the other hand, has heat and humidity (less than Houston but still impressive) in the summer, ice storms in the winter, and wind to the point of tornadoes as well. (DFW has the most weather related closures of any US airport, often becasue of windstorms). Plus, traffic in Dallas is worse than Houston.

I have heard the humidity is lower in Austin than Dallas and Houston...something the wind currents, I think.

Since Houston and Dallas both have larger airports, there is a greater chance of more direct flights; if that matters to you at all.

Thanks pepper. Being accessible with direct flights is very important as we travel quite a bit.

To me, living in a city with good arts & culture is one of the most important things. Of the 3, Houston has the best - the Houston Symphony and the Houston Grand Opera, plus the several excellent museums.

Dallas is next, also with a symphony and a opera company. The Dallas Opera will be moving to a new venue in 2009 in the Arts District. I believe this will significantly elevate the status of the Dallas Opera. In addition, Fort Worth has a decent symphony and opera company, and several excellent art museums as well.

All three get incredibly hot and uncomfortable in the summer -- no way around that. You'll have more rain in Austin and Houston, so the ground won't end up parched like it does in Dallas by late summer. It's hard to compare home prices because they will vary a lot depending on location, and the reputation and ratings of school district where the property is located.

DFW airport gives you a lot of flying options. I've heard airfares are generally higher out of DFW but can't confirm that.

Each city has its own personality. Austin is generally the most liberal, then Houston, then Dallas. But again, that varies depending on what part of town you are in and whether you are in a suburb.

The countryside around Austin is beautiful. You've seen Houston.. (have you been to Galveston?) Dallas is pretty, too, but continual development is wiping out some of that natual beauty in places, again, mostly in the suburbs.

t333,
The job/income would be my deciding factor (I'm retired).
I lived in the same house in the heavily wooded Northwood Hills area of Dallas for 25 years, but I would seriously consider Ft. Worth should I choose to return to the US.
M

There is no comparison. Austin is far better than Dallas or Houston ;). Really, South Austin Rocks and it's convenient to the airport. Houston and Dallas are in a whole other league. Way bigger and a whole faster pace of life!

When I visit these cities, I often see billboards advertising new developments. You could use the websites to compare the three cities/areas. These are some companies that I remember seeing:

kbhome.com
drhorton.com
dreeshomes.com
pulte.com
centex.com

If flying is important to you, I suggest you run some price tests, comparing each city to one of your regular destinations. In general, Dallas will be cheapest and Austin the highest. That shouldn't be the deciding factor, but it's certainly worth looking at.

I lived in Dallas for five years, first in expensive Highland Park, then in Lake Highlands, and eventually in the 'burbs in Garland. I disagree with the posting that says traffic is worse in Dallas than in Houston, but I guess it's relative to where you are trying to drive and when. My sister lives there still and at one time lived in Irving, near the airport, and it has its pretty spots. I really like Austin, though, because I am from Tennessee and it is most like the hilly, green, lakeside areas I grew up in. I did use the rail system from Garland to downtown Dallas often for shopping, work, and church. I think they are expanding it still. Spend some time in each if you can...and best of luck!

I grew up in the Memorial area of Houston, lived in Dallas (Los Colinas and Addison) for 4 years, and Austin (in town) for 11. You haven't really said what you are looking for in a place to live but my order would be 1. Austin 2. Houston 3. Dallas.

To me, the weather is a pretty much a toss up. It is HOT in all three. I am surprised that Austin is actually hotter than Houston, it must be the humidity factor. Dallas can get some severe (for Texas) winter weather.

As far as travel, I actually preferred Austin, as you weren't glued to either Continental or American. Plus, the airport is quite convenient. If you picked Austin, most of the suburbs are significantly closer than 30 minutes into town. As far as traffic, I find Houston and Dallas equally horrendous. Austin can be bad but you're never going all that far so it doesn't seem so bad.

I sold real estate in Austin and, of the three, housing is more expensive in Austin. You can get tons of info at recenter.tamu.edu.

I think so much depends on what kind of lifestyle you are looking for, do you have kids, will you commute to the city, where are you moving from, etc.

I LOVED living in Austin. I think the size of it is perfect. It has culture but isn't huge. It is also MUCH more than just a college town. I moved to the Bay Area but would move back in a heartbeat if I could. Can't say the same for Dallas or Houston.

Traveller333 and her husband are over 65 and looking for a golf course home. See 'Relocating to Dallas questions' by clicking on Traveller333.
The "severe" winter weather in Dallas consists of about 1/8" of snow every couple of years in which the town shuts down for a day. Or sometimes we get a bit of ice and no one leaves home for a day or two. No big deal to those of us raised in the North. And we've lived here 25 years and never had a tornado near us (knock wood).
Since you're retired, you won't necessarily be out in rush hour traffic but there are other considerations in your home search, property taxes and distance to a hospital would be a couple of those.
Will you be coming to Dallas to take a look? Happy hunting!

We have lived in Austin for ten years now, and a couple in our college years 20 years ago (Aaack!) We will be moving to Houston in the near future due to a promotion. Everyone who lives in Austin LOVES Austin. I often tell people it's not that exciting to visit here, but it's such a wonderful place to live. It's a very casual area. Hanging out is a well-accepted pastime. People wear shorts to church. It's beyond me why other cities do not accomodate their citizens with casual dress, considering the Texas heat! Fun activities--such as hiking, biking, shopping, bar-hopping--all are espoused as worthwhile endeavors. The city embraces diversity ("Keep Austin Weird"). This past weekend, we had an outdoor supper at Nutty Brown Cafe in SW Austin, among gnarled ancient oak trees. A couple of local bands played while little girls danced with their friends or granddads on the dancefloor in front of the stage. A parrot rocked along in a giant cage by the center bar. My daughter played in a sandpit near our table, while we enjoyed queso and chips. Afterward we smoked cigars and remarked on the mixed demographic of the crowd..families, college kids in club wear, dating couples and a bachelorette party. I became a little nostalgic, and told my husband, "There's nothing like this in Houston." He responded, "Nothing like this exists anywhere else." : )