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You didn't list your age. Male or female. Profession? Student or working full time? Recreational activities you like to do? Budget? Type of weather you like or dislike?
Houston is better for some people. Atlanta is better for others. Seattle is better for others still. You have to tell us SOMETHING about yourself before people can even begin to suggest anything.
I often hear Dallas and Atlanta compared, but never Houston and Atlanta. I have lived in both places. I love both for different reasons.
Houston is definitely a great city...a concrete sprawl, with irregular zoning, which makes for some very eclectic neighborhoods. Great stores and restaurants, very flat, not nearly as many trees. Warm weather almost all year, no real seasons. Blistering in the summer. No state income tax.
Atlanta is also a great place to live. Lots of hills, lots of trees, even if you live in the city you will be amazed at how green the city is. Four distinct seasons, which is nice. The ocean and the mountains are both easily accessible. Because of the huge airport, you can go anywhere direct. More consistency in the neighborhoods, lots of living options intown, inside the perimeter, and in the suburbs. Lots of great shops and restaurants. I have heard that there are a lot more single women than men. I am not completely in touch with the cost of housing in both cities, but I get the impression that the cost of houses in the city is higher than Houston (can't comment on the suburbs).
Houston- notoriously hot summers, rarely gets cold (I rarely had to pull out my leather jacket), home prices are very low (there are nice homes in The Woodlands for 250,000 and up), has a great museum district (it ain't NYC, but you can keep yourself busy), the beach in Galveston is anywhere from 15 minutes to 90 minutes away (depending on where you live), weekend trips to San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth, or Austin are pretty cool, plenty of college age students, clubs, bars, etc for the 25 and under set. Also can be a nice, quiet place to raise a family, if that's what you want. Depending on where you want to live, there's quite a bit of diversity, but be very prepared for the bilingual element (Spanish) to make it's presence in your life. I don't necessarily mean this in a bad way, either. The bad, the city is extremely spread out, much more so than the ATL metro area, little public transportation, unless you count the light rail around the medical center, and the unreliable buses (no subway system), little housing appreciation, and traffic is really becoming a problem (no where near as bad as ATL, though).
ATL- gotta admit, there's much more to do either as a single person or one with a family. Great restaurants and night life. Depending on where you live, public transportation can be resonable (again, it ain't NYC). Lots of young professionals and college students. Real seasons. The bad; traffic is a nightmare no matter where you live, real estate, though not as bad as the rest of the country isn't as cheap as Houston (of course TX is a total anomaly), no daily trips to the beach.
As has already been said, we need to know your age, marital status, profession, and where exactly in each city you're considering relocating to. Both are great in their own way.
Agreed that more info is needed to provide meaningful advice. One thing I will note, however, is that Houstoners tend to be more strident in their defense of their city than folks from Atlanta. If you have posted this question on the Houston forum, you likely already know what I am talking about. To my mind, the cities are more alike than not. But many people from Houston scoff at the notion that Atlanta is even remotely as cosmopolitan or "world class" as Houston. Ask people on the Houston forum what the four most important cities in the U.S. are, and you invariably will get NYC, LA, Chicago, and Houston as your response.
I live in Atlanta and it is not the best place I have ever lived, but I would not move from Atlanta to Houston, even if I had a better job lined up. The summers aren't quite as hot in Atlanta, we are closer to mountains, and I love the green and the hills. Now Seattle is a place I absolutely love...but to each their own...
One thing I will note, however, is that Houstoners tend to be more strident in their defense of their city than folks from Atlanta. If you have posted this question on the Houston forum, you likely already know what I am talking about.
Some of this is due to many people in Atlanta being relatively new to the area and having come from somewhere else, usually for a job or other relocation. There isn't the same affinity for some as I would assume exists in Houston. Atlanta is also a much more urbanized city with a much more diverse population, in the true (not politically correct) sense of the word, while I don't think the same is true of Houston.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goozer
Ask people on the Houston forum what the four most important cities in the U.S. are, and you invariably will get NYC, LA, Chicago, and Houston as your response.
Well ask any Texan about anything and the answer is that whatever you're talking about is better in Texas or can be done better by a Texan. Texans aren't shy about their love for their state.
I lived in Houston for 8 years and Atlanta for 20. I'd pick Atlanta for just about every reason, including:
More diverse weather......better springs and falls, and colder winters. Houston is just too damn HOT most of the year.
Nicer scenery.......lots of hills, plant & tree variety, very green throughout the city. Houston is the LEAST scenic major city I've ever been in.
Sports.......college football in the southeast is awesome. It used to be that way in Texas also, until every team but the Longhorns fell off the face of the earth.
Location.........Atlanta is within driving distance of mountains in GA, TN and NC, the colonial coasts of GA and SC, and most of Florida, including Disney, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico.
People. Texans are ARROGANT, even if they are nice. My best friend is a Texan, and I'm constantly telling him how arrogant he is because of his "Texas is everything" schtick.
I have never been to Atlanta. I'm also wanting to maybe move there so I am biased.
I've grown up in Texas though (currently in San Antonio), with some of that time spent in Houston. Houston is UGLY. Just is. Hot too. Galveston beaches leave something to be desired... I haven't been in years but when I did go it smelled bad.
There are parts of Texas that are pretty and scenic but Houston isn't it.
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Houston is a hell hole...
