Oklahoma City, OK versus Houston, TX (comparison, Chicago, job, NYC)

[Nairobi]

Originally Posted by jfrebel

houston being a bigger city would have more stuff, but the humidity would ruin it for me.

oh god no.

OKC has summers that would make the devil himself have a heatstroke, and Houston is worse?

I don't know how anybody lives down there. I don't care how good their tacos are compared to OKC.

I prefer the sauna summers of the Gulf Coast to the furnace summers of the plains. I love the lush plant life that our moist climate gives us. I honestly wouldn't trade it for what you have. That's me, though.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by Nairobi

Why not soccer? It's the most popular sport in the world.

Snore fest.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by Nairobi

I honestly wouldn't trade it for what you have.

Here is a little chunk of the original post.

Currently we are in houston and I really do not like it.

So it would appear that since she really does not like Houston then by your logic she would like OKC even less. Correct?

So where should this poor lady and her husband move?

[linicx]

Generally speaking Oklahoma has more than its fair share of lakes and bodies of water. It is humid in the summer. Yes you will find slugs and bugs epecially around the lakes. Rats? Probably not. OKC smaller than Houston? Yes. Rabid sports fans? Yes. Sailing, fishing and power boating? Cowboys? Yes, ma'am! OK is home to more Native American tribes than any other state. OKC is the seat of OK government just as Austin is for Texas. The state capitol is different than: a STEM city, a university city, or a pro-sport city.

OK is smaller than Texas too, but it is rich in history and culture and there is something to do, see, or learn in every corner. To me this beats endless boring miles of concrete and sand any day.

[pewtertm]

I was born and raised in Houston, and lived there for nearly 34 years before moving to OKC about 10 years ago. Just my 2 cents after having lived in both cities for a good amount of time.

The weather in OKC isn't as muggy as Houston, but it still gets hot. Just not as sticky. I love that we actually have autumn up here, and the leaves turn colors other than brown. I do miss the bluebonnets though

Outdoor stuff in OKC...Riversport down on the river; rock climbing in Red Rock Canyon. Biking/hiking trails along the lakes. We have some nice city parks (esp near the lakes) and will be building our own larger version of Discovery Green soon.

Traffic is nothing compared to Houston...I have friends who complain about a 30-45 minute commute to the other side of town during rush hour, but compared to trying to drive on the Katy Freeway at 5pm, that's nothing.

Schools...same either way. Some good districts in each metro area; a few I wouldn't want to deal with in each as well.

No, OKC doesn't have all of the shopping and restaurants that Houston does, but they aren't really lacking either. OKC also doesn't have quite the arts scene that Houston does, but there are several really good museums in the metro area, and if you are into theater/ballet/etc, you can find that here as well.

All-in-all, OKC just seems more family-friendly to me now. Last year when I went back to Houston to visit family, I was overwhelmed in a bad way by all of the crowds and construction on the roads. OKC just has a bit of a slower, more easy going pace. Mind you, I still love Houston; it's my hometown; but it's just not home anymore.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by pewtertm

I was born and raised in Houston, and lived there for nearly 34 years before moving to OKC about 10 years ago. Just my 2 cents after having lived in both cities for a good amount of time.

The weather in OKC isn't as muggy as Houston, but it still gets hot. Just not as sticky. I love that we actually have autumn up here, and the leaves turn colors other than brown. I do miss the bluebonnets though

Outdoor stuff in OKC...Riversport down on the river; rock climbing in Red Rock Canyon. Biking/hiking trails along the lakes. We have some nice city parks (esp near the lakes) and will be building our own larger version of Discovery Green soon.

Traffic is nothing compared to Houston...I have friends who complain about a 30-45 minute commute to the other side of town during rush hour, but compared to trying to drive on the Katy Freeway at 5pm, that's nothing.

Schools...same either way. Some good districts in each metro area; a few I wouldn't want to deal with in each as well.

No, OKC doesn't have all of the shopping and restaurants that Houston does, but they aren't really lacking either. OKC also doesn't have quite the arts scene that Houston does, but there are several really good museums in the metro area, and if you are into theater/ballet/etc, you can find that here as well.

All-in-all, OKC just seems more family-friendly to me now. Last year when I went back to Houston to visit family, I was overwhelmed in a bad way by all of the crowds and construction on the roads. OKC just has a bit of a slower, more easy going pace. Mind you, I still love Houston; it's my hometown; but it's just not home anymore.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by Nairobi

Hey, I'm not here to simply boost Houston. But if someone starts making ridiculous claims about OKC being better for restaurants and pro sports, I'm going to correct them.

I have spent several weeks trying to figure out why I understand that you are correct but are basically missing the point at the same time.

I think this best illustrates the point.

First: a post you made.

Houston covers all bases from fine dining to food trucks. There is absolutely nothing that Oklahoma City does better. There is an endless sea of local restaurants in Houston

It was in response to this post:

If you don't want fine dining, but want local flavor, I've found that OKC is better. Houston (and yes I work in the city) is choc-a-bock full of chain restaurants. Fine dining, sure, Houston has it beat, but nothing can compare to Irma's Burgers, Big Truck Tacos, Mutts, Red Prime, et cetera.

Here is what I think 3Dogs was pointing out.

Compared to Houston's "endless sea" OKC has a finite number of restaurants that are quality in this regard. However, compared to Houston they are a shared commonality among OKC residents and as a result provide a different type of experience for OKC diners. Everybody knows the places, everybody has been there, everyone they know has been there, and everyone they don't know has been there.

In places like Houston, there are well known places but they generally become tourist traps, or out of control busy and crowded. Everybody else is sifting through the "endless sea" of local places that are great places but are generally neighborhood oriented.

In OKC you are only a couple of degrees of separation from any hole in the wall in town that you are not aware of . And are probably only 30-45 minutes from it. And are probably going to be able to get in and out of it in a reasonable amount of time.

But I suppose I need to move to Houston because they have 8000 eating establishments. 2000 is simply not enough.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

I have spent several weeks trying to figure out why I understand that you are correct but are basically missing the point at the same time.

I think this best illustrates the point.

First: a post you made.

Houston covers all bases from fine dining to food trucks. There is absolutely nothing that Oklahoma City does better. There is an endless sea of local restaurants in Houston

It was in response to this post:

If you don't want fine dining, but want local flavor, I've found that OKC is better. Houston (and yes I work in the city) is choc-a-bock full of chain restaurants. Fine dining, sure, Houston has it beat, but nothing can compare to Irma's Burgers, Big Truck Tacos, Mutts, Red Prime, et cetera.

Here is what I think 3Dogs was pointing out.

Compared to Houston's "endless sea" OKC has a finite number of restaurants that are quality in this regard. However, compared to Houston they are a shared commonality among OKC residents and as a result provide a different type of experience for OKC diners. Everybody knows the places, everybody has been there, everyone they know has been there, and everyone they don't know has been there.

In places like Houston, there are well known places but they generally become tourist traps, or out of control busy and crowded. Everybody else is sifting through the "endless sea" of local places that are great places but are generally neighborhood oriented.

In OKC you are only a couple of degrees of separation from any hole in the wall in town that you are not aware of . And are probably only 30-45 minutes from it. And are probably going to be able to get in and out of it in a reasonable amount of time.

But I suppose I need to move to Houston because they have 8000 eating establishments. 2000 is simply not enough.

I'll take OK City's eateries any ol' day!

[Howest2008]

Hey Houston pick on someone your own size before OKC open a can of Spinach on you and MORPES into Popeye the sailor man....

[Daisy TMC]

Originally Posted by pewtertm

I was born and raised in Houston, and lived there for nearly 34 years before moving to OKC about 10 years ago. Just my 2 cents after having lived in both cities for a good amount of time.

The weather in OKC isn't as muggy as Houston, but it still gets hot. Just not as sticky. I love that we actually have autumn up here, and the leaves turn colors other than brown. I do miss the bluebonnets though

Outdoor stuff in OKC...Riversport down on the river; rock climbing in Red Rock Canyon. Biking/hiking trails along the lakes. We have some nice city parks (esp near the lakes) and will be building our own larger version of Discovery Green soon.

Traffic is nothing compared to Houston...I have friends who complain about a 30-45 minute commute to the other side of town during rush hour, but compared to trying to drive on the Katy Freeway at 5pm, that's nothing.

Schools...same either way. Some good districts in each metro area; a few I wouldn't want to deal with in each as well.

No, OKC doesn't have all of the shopping and restaurants that Houston does, but they aren't really lacking either. OKC also doesn't have quite the arts scene that Houston does, but there are several really good museums in the metro area, and if you are into theater/ballet/etc, you can find that here as well.

All-in-all, OKC just seems more family-friendly to me now. Last year when I went back to Houston to visit family, I was overwhelmed in a bad way by all of the crowds and construction on the roads. OKC just has a bit of a slower, more easy going pace. Mind you, I still love Houston; it's my hometown; but it's just not home anymore.

moving from Houston to OKC, happy to see your post. Thanks