Los Angeles, Ca Vs Houston, Tx?? (compare, place, population, life)

[timtemtym]

Originally Posted by PedroMartinez

I was visiting one of my LA friends a few years back. We headed down to the beach, and she said something along the lines of, "This is why you should move out here, you don't get this view in Houston."

I didn't say anything and waited until we got back to her apartment before I asked, "Hey, why don't you move close to the beach and have an ocean view?"

She replied that she wishes she could but you pretty much have to be rich for that.

I followed up with, "So, you think I should move out to California from my waterfront property to a much smaller place with no view so that I can drive to the beach from time to time?"

She then said it was "more than just that."

I'm guessing that if you scooped up my house and swimming pool and plopped it down on the same sized lot on the water in SoCal, it would be over a million, which I could not afford.

My household amenities have more value, to me, than the hills and pretty beaches of SoCal.

Yep! Exactly! I moved here because I love the parks and hills and mountain trails and I use them enough to make it reasonable! That being said, I live within walking distance of the ocean (about 20 minute walk) and I've probably walked down there 10 times in the last two years. Most of my walk/run time is spent heading east to a nice park which could just as well be the Terry Hershey trail in West Houston. It looks similar!

SO no I'm not heading back to Houston any time soon, but if I wanted to own a home or raise a family, I probably wouldn't do it here.

[timtemtym]

Originally Posted by Nairobi

LA more friendly than Houston? Probably the first time in life I've heard that.

Yep! Don't believe the stereotypes from TV. People are WAY chatty here with strangers. Being a mostly lifelong Houstonian, my first automatic response was "I don't have any money!" because usually in Houston when someone starts a conversation out of nowhere on the street its for a handout.

The snobby folks you meet in LA are mostly not from here.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by f1000

Houston really reminded me of LA when I was there. Sprawling, big freeways, multicultural.

Many differences though. Less congested and smoggy and more open space-feeling, and definitely more laid-back. People are more down-to-earth and Southern/ Texan culture. You wont see horses walking down the streets of downtown LA with uniformed city ambassadors/police like they do in downtown Houston. It does seem more old-fashioned in many respects too- in the way people do things, etc- not as trendy.

The "ghettos" of Houston are almost semi-rural in setting. There is no zoning so there is a rundown or chaotic element to the city's format, but LA appears like that too with a mish-mash of things next to each other. Also of course weather is different- bad humid sticky feeling summers with a more sultry feeling than LA.

Not sure about DTLA, but there are horse cops in Hollywood.

[Nairobi]

Originally Posted by timtemtym

Yep! Don't believe the stereotypes from TV. People are WAY chatty here with strangers. Being a mostly lifelong Houstonian, my first automatic response was "I don't have any money!" because usually in Houston when someone starts a conversation out of nowhere on the street its for a handout.

The snobby folks you meet in LA are mostly not from here.

Well, I'm not basing this off of television, but, rather, from my own personal experiences. I'm also a native Houstonian, and I would describe people here as being very easy going and personable. We keep our guard up, sure, but that doesn't make us downright rude. I start conversations with people and they start them with me all the time. Hell, strangers still wave at me when I pass them on the street.

[RaymondChandlerLives]

Originally Posted by KeianasOnTheMove

Hello Everyone,

My name is Keiana and I am thinking about moving from Los Angeles, Ca to Houston, Tx however I don't know a whole lot about Houston, Tx and I would love to know how it compares to LA. To be honest I was born and raised in LA and I am not to happy with my city and from what I have researched so far on YouTube lol and different websites I am thinking about Houston, Tx so let the pros and cons begin

What is it about L.A. you're not happy with? It would be easier to give advice of you list specifics.

[J_Treehorn]

I've done that move and have an opinion or two. As a disclaimer, I lived in a fairly nice part of LA (Palos Verdes), still have a house there, and go back to LA about every other weekend, so I spend a lot of time in both.

Bottom line, LA is one of the most desirable places in the world to live in - if you can afford to live well there. If you are not in the top 5% of income earners in America or did not buy a house before 1990, you probably have a moderately compromised standard of living there. Perfect weather, stunning geography and all the trappings of the world's third richest city (behind NYC and Tokyo) simply cannot be replicated anywhere else. It is also the reason why about 20 million people call the greater LA basin and surrounding counties home, making "paradise" almost incomprehensibly dense and somewhat unsustainable. I can completely understand why people leave - it is almost an issue of survival.

Houston is NOT Los Angeles. Aside from some very facile observations declaring otherwise, Houston is a distinct town in its own way, and quite unlike other cities in Texas or the South. Yes, it does have a similar extent of diversity and recent immigrants, and like Los Angeles, it is part of the normal fabric of life here. It is not nearly as densely populated; in Los Angeles, your experience very much depends on where you live, whereas Houston is far more homogeneous. The lack of zoning is something you get used to but is still odd. Unless you like swamps and sweltering subtropical forests, the natural beauty is far, far less, although it is never cold. Do not expect to hike or go to the beach.

I really do not like making stupid generalizations about 20 million people in LA, and those who do probably have spent 1000x more time watching TV shows about LA rather than actually living there. It would be unfair of me to do the same to Houston, but I will say that people here are not systemically rude or phony. It's a bit of a boomtown, and people in Houston are busy. I get a sense that people wear their affluence a bit less on their sleeves than some other places, but that is just an impression.

Houston is also probably the best big-city economy in the country right now; it is one of the few places in America you could move to on a whim and "be alright" without a firm job lined up. The energy industry (oil and gas) permeates the culture here, and it is a distinct blend of Texans, engineers, and international professionals doing work. Overall, the average person here makes more than the average Angeleno and has to spend less of it - for better or worse. This place is hot - if you work hard and take some risks, you can practically pick money up off the floor. I really cannot think of another city in America quite like Houston at the moment from an economic standpoint.

I like Houston - it is a real city and not some phony sunbelt facade of a city. The food is good, there are a surprising amount of cultural and nightlife options, lots of smart and accomplished people, and hard-working people can live well here. You are very close to the Caribbean and Mexico, making for nice weekend trips. I came here for professional reasons, but I am quite happy. I'd only recommend moving for similar reasons.

[DistrictDirt]

A well informed, well thought out post that avoids stereotyping either city. What the heck are you doing on City Data?

[nslander]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

A well informed, well thought out post that avoids stereotyping either city. What the heck are you doing on City Data?

No kidding. That has absolutely no place in this forum.

[pwright1]

Any city where you are in the top 5% makes life easier but I don't think you have to be rich to enjoy or live in Los Angeles. I love living in LA. I don't need to have an ocean front home on the beach to be happy like most angelenos. There are endless things to do here that don't cost an arm and a leg. My job deals with the public everyday and I find the people to be quite friendly and down to earth. Not all of course but most. Now that I live here I discovered how cool and interesting this city really is. When I here things on CD like cesspool, fake, plastic I just shake my head.

[Metro Matt]

Houston's MASSIVE Beltway 8 loop compared to Los Angeles. This doesn't even include Houston's other 2 loops outer loops, Highway 6 & Grand Parkway extending way beyond that & would stretch all the way out to Malibu, Simi Valley, & Santa Clarita!!!

Houston's Bay Area would reach all the way South to Mission Viejo!!!