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I am a Denver native who is looking to move somewhere in Texas. I know Denver is a good city, but I want a change of scenery. :-) Anyhow, I am considering moving to SA, Dallas, Houston, or Austin. I am 30 years old and single and still like to go out. I currently don't have a car, so a city with good public transportation would be helpful. I have a BA in Economics and also have experience teaching abroad (in Vietnam, Thailand, and China). I think Houston has a climate similar to SE Asia, so I don't think the heat and humidity should be a big shock.
Thus, any advice on the different cities would be helpful. I heard Houston and SA have hot job markets now, but I am unsure if that is still currently true. Also, which industries are in demand, besides energy?
I'm kidding. I'm actually considering the same thing. The difference is that I'm from Houston and all our family and friends are still there, so that's one of our primary motivations. Nonetheless, whenever I tell someone here in Denver that I am considering a move to Houston, they just look at me with a blank stare.....
First off, you are going to need to get a car in any of the cities you've mentioned. Any public transportation of note is virtually nonexistent, there is certainly not the light rail system that there is in Denver. Houston and Dallas are exponentially larger than Denver, and are particularly spread out. The urban core is not a popular area with a large degree of walkability like there is in Denver. There are some really good urban neighborhoods for that in Houston though (Montrose, The Heights, some others), but not so many as you're used to. And those neighborhoods are not the bargain everyone outside of Texas thinks they are. Rental prices are not as high as Denver, but they certainly aren't cheap in desirable areas.
Job market in Houston is still good (I think). Energy is King. Healthcare strong. Dallas is primarily Banking/Finance and other white collar stuff that has always led me to wonder "what do people do here, exactly?". Austin is big in Tech. San Antonio is, frankly, never a city that comes to mind with respect to a booming or progressive economy, but I honestly don't know that much about it so I could be way off the mark.
Of all the cities you've mentioned, I think Austin is probably the closest to what you are used to, but then again, maybe what you want is a complete and total change.
I am still in Asia and just finished my teaching contract and will visit family in Denver at the end of March. Perhaps I'll visit and figure Denver is alright to live in (I've been away since 2011, for all intents and purposes), or maybe I'll want a change and decide to go somewhere new in Texas. For me, obviously getting a job is a main goal as well as being in a place that has a good nightlife.
I visited Austin once and liked it, is it easier to get around there, compared with Houston and Dallas? Also, I know it's a lively city, so perhaps it'd be fun to live in.
But, you gave a lot of great info, so thanks for that!
I am still in Asia and just finished my teaching contract and will visit family in Denver at the end of March. Perhaps I'll visit and figure Denver is alright to live in (I've been away since 2011, for all intents and purposes), or maybe I'll want a change and decide to go somewhere new in Texas. For me, obviously getting a job is a main goal as well as being in a place that has a good nightlife.
I visited Austin once and liked it, is it easier to get around there, compared with Houston and Dallas? Also, I know it's a lively city, so perhaps it'd be fun to live in.
But, you gave a lot of great info, so thanks for that!
Yes and No. Austin is significantly smaller than either Houston or DFW, but has grown by leaps and bounds the past decade. It lacks the infrastructure and freeway system that the bigger cities have, and that has led to lots of traffic problems.
Personally, unless you have some pressing desire to move to Texas, I would stay in Denver. It is a highly desirable city with an extremely high quality of life, but for that matter, I think all your Texas cities are very livable and offer a lot as well. If you are bound and determined to move, have you considered other cities with more similarity to Denver? Portland, perhaps? I'll put it this way: we are still less than 100% decided on our move even though it would be significantly more money and all our family is in Houston. We think living in Denver is that good.
Any time spent in Malaysia?? That's where I'm from
Anyway, I can't speak to Denver other than it gets a lot of positive hype and seems to be an excellent place to live. Houston and Dallas are both gonna be tough without a car, but imo, doable. Place of employment will be key...both those cities have walkable neighborhoods and a small network of reliable transit (Dallas a bit better imo) but getting to and from work by transit will depend on where your job is. And even if you do score a good office location, it will indeed still often be an inconvenience to not have a car, but like I said, doable.
SA and Austin seem to also be somewhat doable, but I don't think they are any better. They're just smaller metros with more compact nightlife areas. Both have good downtowns and seem to have decent bus service (no issues when I rode them) but the metros are much smaller than Houston and Dallas.
Don't know if you're Asian or not, but demographically Houston will be the least change. Very very large Vietnamese and Chinese populations.
I visited Kuala Lumpur, which was a decent time! :-)
Perhaps I'll stay in Denver, I'm not totally gung-ho on moving to TX, maybe I should give Denver another try before I consider moving. Portland could be cool, I like the mellow attitude of Denver, so perhaps as backup Portland would be cool. Plus, I love the Denver summers, a good time with nice weather.
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