Thinking about moving to Houston from Seattle (Dallas, Austin: college, living in)
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With the higher the number the better, Houston is 66th out of 100, Austin is 75th, and Seattle is 87th (Knoxville is the worst place for allergies in the country at 1 out of 100, and San Diego is the...least worst? :P). So...Houston's not too terrible by comparison.
We are in the process of moving back to Houston from Thailand (house hunt starts today). Before deciding on Houston, we looked at Seattle, Austin and Houston.
All things considered, our preference was for Seattle for a long list of reasons. Culturally, it is much more our style (liberal), we love the beauty of the Northwest, weather was not a problem for us as it is similar to London which is our most favorite place that we have ever lived. While the business I own is energy sector focused, most of the business is in Asia and Sea-Tac offered direct flights to major North Asia cities (therefore I'd disagree with your comment that it is not an international airport, just depends on where you want to go). Ultimately, however, a combination of cost and reality that if you are in the energy sector, all roads lead to Texas ended up swinging it to Texas.
Houston vs. Austin, we went with Houston as a larger city as we are city people. If you like the Seattle culture and lifestyle, however, you may want to have a look at Austin. Most people that I have come across who have lived in both cities say they are extremely similar in make-up with Seattle being more beautiful and Austin more friendly.
With Houston, the negatives are: weather (sounds like not a problem for you given you don't like Seattle weather and have plenty of Southeast experience), urban sprawl (more sprawl than can be described in writing, has to be experienced) plus a few other nits and nats. If you are looking well out in the suburbs, I think (apart from cost) you may find it quite disappointing and boring compared to what you are used to, but you'll have to see. You may have said on here where you lived in Seattle, but I missed it so can't compare.
Thank you for the insight. As my wife and arent from Seattle and didnt grow up here we find the culture here very passive agressive and standoff-ish, I personally think its the weather since we can go months at a time without seeing our neighbors and this place switches on like a light switch when the weather is nice, with friendly smile and conversation with random people. This is a beautiful city, but realistically you can only enjoy the beauty 3-4 months out of the year. Also it just doesnt fit us, weather and health seem to be a big problem especially with the mold and 50-60 weather. But I am a pro sports fan so I would like to be in an area with pro teams to go cheer on the Seahawks or Mariners. We are going to visit Austin to as we here very good things about the city. My brothers best friend from childhood lives in Austin.
As far as the airport, we like chasing tropical beaches and it seems like we have to fly to ATL, Houston, LA or Phoenix to get to those places ( The Caribbean). When we can afford the South Pacific I think Seattle would be ideal but for us Seattle is way out of the way when we fly South or SouthEast.
Thank you for the insight. As my wife and arent from Seattle and didnt grow up here we find the culture here very passive agressive and standoff-ish, I personally think its the weather since we can go months at a time without seeing our neighbors and this place switches on like a light switch when the weather is nice, with friendly smile and conversation with random people. This is a beautiful city, but realistically you can only enjoy the beauty 3-4 months out of the year. Also it just doesnt fit us, weather and health seem to be a big problem especially with the mold and 50-60 weather. But I am a pro sports fan so I would like to be in an area with pro teams to go cheer on the Seahawks or Mariners. We are going to visit Austin to as we here very good things about the city. My brothers best friend from childhood lives in Austin.
As far as the airport, we like chasing tropical beaches and it seems like we have to fly to ATL, Houston, LA or Phoenix to get to those places ( The Caribbean). When we can afford the South Pacific I think Seattle would be ideal but for us Seattle is way out of the way when we fly South or SouthEast.
Sounds like Houston would be a great spot for you. Austin is alright, but keep in mind while Houston is a big city, Austin is a more of a really big college town.
With the higher the number the better, Houston is 66th out of 100, Austin is 75th, and Seattle is 87th (Knoxville is the worst place for allergies in the country at 1 out of 100, and San Diego is the...least worst? :P). So...Houston's not too terrible by comparison.
That list is for Spring allergies only.
I saw a list or article about Fall allergies that was maybe a few years old, and Austin was right at the top.
It all depends on what you're allergic to specifically, and often you won't find out how you'll do in a place until you've lived or spent a lot of time there.
Hello my wife and I are thinking about moving to Houston from Seattle. We are trying to determine good neighborhood(s) for a couple in their late twenties and early thirties without children. We arent looking for a party type atmosphere but somewhere with a decent amount of venues and things to do and easy to get around in a decent amount of time for a decent price of a house. We would prefer to buy immediately (if we can sell our house here) but rental for a year is also an option.
Also as far as the outdoor activities in the summer, how is the heat down there? Dry like Arizona or Humid like Georgia? We like the heat/sunshine and close accessibility to a true international airport, that is a big reason we have decided that Seattle just doesn't work for us.
Any information would be helpful as we have only been to Houston's airport a couple years ago.
I recommend you looking into Midtown. It's the most popular area for people your age and one of the only ones in Houston which are walkable and well served by public transports. There is also easy access to the Airport Direct shuttle which takes you to the airport.
Thank you for the insight. As my wife and arent from Seattle and didnt grow up here we find the culture here very passive agressive and standoff-ish, I personally think its the weather since we can go months at a time without seeing our neighbors and this place switches on like a light switch when the weather is nice, with friendly smile and conversation with random people. This is a beautiful city, but realistically you can only enjoy the beauty 3-4 months out of the year. Also it just doesnt fit us, weather and health seem to be a big problem especially with the mold and 50-60 weather. But I am a pro sports fan so I would like to be in an area with pro teams to go cheer on the Seahawks or Mariners. We are going to visit Austin to as we here very good things about the city. My brothers best friend from childhood lives in Austin.
As far as the airport, we like chasing tropical beaches and it seems like we have to fly to ATL, Houston, LA or Phoenix to get to those places ( The Caribbean). When we can afford the South Pacific I think Seattle would be ideal but for us Seattle is way out of the way when we fly South or SouthEast.
It sounds like Miami would be more of city for you. And the tropical beaches there are in your backyard. Not even need to fly when you have Key Biscayne, Virginia Key, etc...
Thank you for the insight. As my wife and arent from Seattle and didnt grow up here we find the culture here very passive agressive and standoff-ish, I personally think its the weather since we can go months at a time without seeing our neighbors and this place switches on like a light switch when the weather is nice, with friendly smile and conversation with random people. This is a beautiful city, but realistically you can only enjoy the beauty 3-4 months out of the year. Also it just doesnt fit us, weather and health seem to be a big problem especially with the mold and 50-60 weather. But I am a pro sports fan so I would like to be in an area with pro teams to go cheer on the Seahawks or Mariners. We are going to visit Austin to as we here very good things about the city. My brothers best friend from childhood lives in Austin.
As far as the airport, we like chasing tropical beaches and it seems like we have to fly to ATL, Houston, LA or Phoenix to get to those places ( The Caribbean). When we can afford the South Pacific I think Seattle would be ideal but for us Seattle is way out of the way when we fly South or SouthEast.
Pro sports teams and other big city benefits are what swung us from Austin to Houston so sounds like you may find the same.
I always found Seattle to be a bit unfriendly and most people I know who live there say it is actually quite difficult to meet people. This is where Austin is very different. Like Seattle, Austin is quite liberal, a bit hip, strong music scene, etc. Houston is a bit more on the stereotypical Texas side of the spectrum.
I've yet to meet someone who doesn't love Austin and it is a very nice place. Just a bit too much of a small town feel to it for us (despite the fact that it is the 15th largest city in the US). As someone else said, it is very much a college town.
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