I want to move to Houston am I crazy? (Denver: best cities, apartment)

[whitegoldens]

We live in Eastern Colorado so we have brown all the time and high winds- we have had enough of the cold and want to move somewhere warm and green- I have family in Conroe near the Woodlands- so we have been looking in that area. I am hoping to hear from people from Hosuton and how it compairs to CO. I know it is going to be hot- that is a given. How open minded are the folks in that area? I know the bugs are bigger but what else should I consider?

Thanks for your time.

[rybert]

Houston is a great place... you won't hear that very often from people that no longer live here.

We have only been her for 9 months... it's not for us.

However, that being said, you are almost guaranteed employment, you will make more than in many other U.S. cities, and your home will be cheap as dirt.

Houston is currently in the process of greatly expanding their lite-rail system, the museums are top-notch, schools are good, and the eats are usually above-par.

We live in the Museum District/Montrose... near Rice University. We really like being near work, play, and shopping.

It never got below freezing this past winter... but it was 96 degrees the other day @ 90% humidity... so you make trade-offs.

If you want to move to the Woodlands I would suggest working in the Woodlands... the commute would be killer.

Oh yeah... there was a high-speed chase on my way to work this morning... not really of any significance, but it was interesting to be a part of it (as a spectator).

Wow... that was a really disjointed reply. I'll be happy to answer any other questions you may have.

[rybert]

Here's the Metro Solutions Link:

METRO Solutions

It is a dedicated site for the metro expansion.

[worldwideprotege]

hi there. after moving to the southeast houston area about 7 years ago, i migrated to the kemah waterfront district and have been here in this area for about 3 or 4 years now. i absolutely love it. however, at the moment i'm looking to move to hawaii and then eventually new zealand. houston is great and has something for every income level and every walk of life.

[C2H (ComingtoHouston)]

Hey whitegoldens, no you're no crazier than all the people moving to Houston. Houston is in the top 5 fastest growing cities in the nation.

I moved from Colorado Springs to Houston about 4 years ago. Yes there are trade-offs. Colorado Springs had cleaner air and better scenery but there's a large part of the year where it stays cold too long. Houston has better arts, museums, culture, dining, and other things. The trade off is the poor air quality and heat and humidity during the summer. But it does pay off in the winter months. It gets cool enough to allow you a break from the 4 or 5 months of heat you get out of the year.

Houston is a huge place, it covers 40 miles in each direction. If you want a more quaint setting like you would find it Colorado or Colorado Springs, try the suburbs: Sugarland, The Woodlands, Pearland, Katy/Cinco Ranch areas, Clear Lake City/ Webster/ Kemah areas. There's so much more to Houston area if you want to stay away from the city. The Woodlands and Sugarlands are suburbs, but they have managed to stay centralized and urban. You never really even have to go into the city. Pearland is leaning that way too. It's the fastest growing suburb in Houston and all of Texas.

Come and visit first. I'm sure you'll like it.

[whitegoldens]

Thanks- I have been 7 or 8 times- and twice in August- and I love it, but everyone gives me doubts- so it is nice to hear good things. I just think after awhile the cold and snow gets to you- I know we do not get a lot but I LOVE the water- grew up in CA and Maui and I need more time outside. We currently spend every weekend in NB at the lake so we can camp and jet ski.

Not worried about employment- I own my own business so I should be ok. I do have a lot of animals- so I know it will be an adjustment for them.

I really want a pool- I grew up with one and am hoping on the really hot days I will jump in the pool and forget the heat. Savoring the winter months that I do not have to shovel snow and the dogs get snowballs on their fur!

WE fell in love with a house in Magnolia- but they are asking too much, so we are sitting and waiting.

Any bug advise?

[rybert]

Bugs... they're not as big and bad as you would think. We've only had a few rogue roaches in our apartment (and it was built in the 70's). I suppose it may get worse the closer to the water you live.

Have you looked into Pearland? A friend of ours recently bought a house out there and absolutely loves it.

[DenverAztec]

I love Houston and don't think you are crazy.

For me, the good is great winter weather, tropical climate, food comparable with Chicago (recommend Chewy's, Papsito's, Ragin Cajun for cheap eats and Fogo de Cao for high end), the museums, but my favorite aspect would have to be the people - very friendly. It is the best city in Texas!

The bad, the citizens in the Richmond area and other neighborhoods fighting light rail, flying 3-5 inch roaches and many other bugs and snakes all year long(comes with the warm weather), you have to drive to get to everything, downtown is basically dead at night for being the 3rd largest city in the country but this is changing with new developments north of downtown and along Alison Parkway. I love Irma's Mexican food downtown but they are only open during baseball season as there is nothing else in that area.

Most Texas cities don't have a large number of residential buildings in their central business districts. Folk go there to work and then get out. Lots of local activity along Westheimer/Montrose areas, more touristy in the Galleria due to the location of all the hotels there. Houston has districts dedicated to specific facilities, Medical dist., Museum/cultural dist., University (Rice) dist., etc. which can be a blessing or a curse to a city. For a tourist or frequent business traveler like myself, I love it. For the folks that live in Katy, Woodlands, Kehma, the drive into the Bellaire area is a nightmare due to length of the drive and gas prices. I am seeing a tread within our own office there, folks are trying to move closer to work and to the Central Business District. This is happening all over the country, however, if you own your own business, you can call the shots. Just five years ago, Dallas have less then 2000 residents living within the CBD downtown, now that is over 10,000. Change is slowly happening.

[downtownnola]

I also love Houston- that's a city that I have considered re-locating to. If you don't mind the excessive heat and humidity in the summer and the occasional hurricane, the winters are great.

From what I understand, the job market is great in Houston- far better than the job market in Denver. Salaries in Houston also seem much better than Denver, especially considering the lower cost of living there.

Houston is also known as a progressive city. I know that the city itself is liberal (I'm not sure about the suburbs). One thing that I noticed about Houston was the friendliness of the people. My experience has been that people there are FAR friendlier than the people in Denver.

Good luck!!

[ocean2026]

I know Houston well -living down the coast. Its hot and sticky in the summer and the air quality is one of the worst in the US. It also has one of the worst traffic situations. Winter isn't bad but crime is and crime has gotten worse after all the Katrina people migrated there. Texas has no state income tax and houses are much cheaper than in Denver- in most neighborhoods.

Some of the suburbs are ok - South or on the water is nice.

I live in Rockport TX - it has all the benefits of Texas yet hardly any crime or traffic, and its a wildlife nature lovers town. Even the Republicans are environmentalists here!

25 miles from me is Corpus Christi which has some poor parts but is much nicer on the whole than Houston. Very friendly too.

Corpus Christi and Buffalo actually have something in common. Both are the best cities in the US for driving- traffic is rare!