Houston vs Seattle (Sugar Land, Galveston, Pearland: wages, rental, jobs)

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by person

I am sure in their eyes, they think the same of you for trying to sell an average or defective product as a top notch one, because in actuality, negatives are negatives.

But I am happy for you that you are happy. And I don't want this place to become northern, I want it to become better, but not necessary be like northern or western.

By the way, what "average or defective product" am I adding hype to?

[Wysiwyg]

Going back to the topic... Those pics of Seattle look great. Defnitely worth thousands and thousand of words on its great character.

[worldlyman]

Well, Houston definitely has staying power with people looking to forge with on in their lives once the glamor of a New York or San Francisco wears off:

"Houston is one of five U.S. cities offering the most compelling model for urban greatness, according to a study by Joel Kotkin called 'Opportunity Urbanism: An Emerging Paradigm for the 21st Century.'”
JoelKotkin.com - Tuesday PM June 5th, 2007

[md12959]

I was raised in Houston and the Houston suburb of Deer Park. I spent my entire childhood living and hangin' in Houston, Galveston, Dickinson, Deer Park, Jersey Village, Spring Branch, and Clear Lake. My family still lives there.

I moved to Seattle in 2006 after 15 years in DC. I hate to be blunt, but I feel incredibly fortunate I live in Seattle, and would view a job transfer to Houston as a re-assignment to Living Hell.

But -- let's not get all excited Houstonians -- my love of Seattle and dislike of Houston is based entirely on my personal preferences. For another person, Houston can be an ideal place to live.

Why is Houston a poor place to live for me? A few reasons: insufferable life-sapping hot weather, utter lack of inspiring physical and geographic beauty, overall Bible-thumping narrow-minded judgmental societal tone, pollution from the eastside refineries, and location in one of the most naively insular, knee-jerk states in the nation. (And I'm a fifth generation Texan, so I speak from experience -- lived in TX for 35 years.)

Seattle's weather -- even though rainy, dank and dark from Nov-March -- appeals to my natural inclination to favor cool-moist over hot-humid. It IS tough to spend a few months without much sunshine (although I would get depressed every August in Houston from the oppressive heat's toll).

In Seattle, one learns to cope with winter by skiing (30 mins away) and by recalling the summers. From June through Sept., the average summer day features cloudless blue skies, a low of around 55 and a high of around 75.

From my back window, I stare down at the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountain range. (See pictures) Walk up the street and I am looking directly at the Cascades. I am two hours from the Pacific Ocean, and two hours to Vancouver, Canada.

Finally, I treasure non-conventional people. Seattle is a haven for those of us who choose to look at life a little differently from the mass culture. In Houston, few people seem to have stomach to even befriend a non-conventional person, much less welcome alternative culture into their milieu. (Yes, I know all about the Heights and Rice U area. That's two progressive, alternative-oriented 'hoods. But compare that to Seattle's Fremont, Wallingford, U Dist, Phinney Ridge, Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, Greenlake, Beacon Hill, Georgetown and Ravenna. There is no comparison...)

I miss Mex-Tex, and I used to not be able to go to bed until I had watched Marvin Zindler tell me where to avoid restaurants with "slime in the ice machine."!! But I don't miss anything else about Houston, and I rank it almost last among big U.S. cities as a desirable place to live. (Dallas is worse, however.)

[lukeache]

Originally Posted by md12959

I miss Mex-Tex, and I used to not be able to go to bed until I had watched Marvin Zindler tell me where to avoid restaurants with "slime in the ice machine."!! But I don't miss anything else about Houston, and I rank it almost last among big U.S. cities as a desirable place to live. (Dallas is worse, however.)

Marvin Zindler is definitely a character. Have lived in many places and have never seen anybody as eccentric as Marvin doing local news. I love his blue glasses!

[dwilke]

Marvin Zindler passed, you know. I believe last month.

[cjester]

MD12959

QUOTE: I was raised in Houston and the Houston suburb of Deer Park. I spent my entire childhood living and hangin' in Houston, Galveston, Dickinson, Deer Park, Jersey Village, Spring Branch, and Clear Lake.
I moved to Seattle in 2006 after 15 years in DC. I hate to be blunt, but I feel incredibly fortunate I live in Seattle, and would view a job transfer to Houston as a re-assignment to Living Hell.



Hi there. Since you lived in Houston 35 years, I am rather confused as to why you didn't mention the Montrose area as a beacon of alternative culture. Furthermore, you surprisingly classified Deer Park as a suburb of Houston, when it is its own city. You did mention the Heights and Rice University area. Actually, living in the environs of Rice University area, I can assure you that it's a rather traditional culture. Most of its residents have been in the area for quite some time. Montrose, on the other hand, has always been the epicenter of progressive and eclectic living in Houston!

I beg to differ on your belief that, " overall Bible-thumping narrow-minded judgmental societal tone, .... and location in one of the most naively insular, knee-jerk states in the nation." Houston is one of the most progressive, diverse, laid-back, free-minded, come- as-you-are cities in the nation and has a pull yourself up by your bootstraps attitude that refuses to let the government or society play the role of mother, father, and grandmother.

By the way, most of our mayors have been liberals, independents, or democrats. We help when there’s a need (i.e. Katrina). As in most cities, there are bible-thumpers, however, in Houston, you’ll also find many people with varied beliefs who tolerate one another.

As far as skiing is concerned, I commend you for braving the slopes at your age (50+). I learned to snow ski back in my youth, but fell out of love by the time I reached 30. I realized that I was skiing more and more with a bunch of adolescents on crack or Ritalin who had barely hit the slopes one or two days prior and were trying to be hot doggers putting their lives (especially mine) in danger.

For someone who lived in Houston 35 years, I fail to understand how you mislabeled and omitted certain basic facts about the city (your like or dislike of the city is beside the point).

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by md12959

Seattle's weather -- even though rainy, dank and dark from Nov-March -- appeals to my natural inclination to favor cool-moist over hot-humid. It IS tough to spend a few months without much sunshine (although I would get depressed every August in Houston from the oppressive heat's toll).

I don't like Seattle because it is less populated than Houston. San Francisco is much better because it's in California but both cities are still gloomy compared to Los Angeles. I might like Los Angeles better because of the sunshine. It's too bad SoCal is the only sunny place on the West Coast because it's crowded. No wonder it's the most populated city/metro in the West. At least the two great cities of the West are more populated than Houston. Houston and Los Angeles are in the sunbelt. SF and Seattle are in the gloom belt. How can anyone live in the gloom belt? Why would anyone want to be depressed?

[DaisyFaye]

Originally Posted by case44

If you like mild winters, then Houston is your place. If people look for a place to settle in, I let them weigh their options. Not every city is for everyone. Since I'm a Texan, I highly endorse Houston. It's a great big city with an added bonus in Galveston. It has plenty of great shopping, renowned restaurants, and is a world-class city for business. If you do decide that Houston's the place, well, come on in and make yourself at home.

Same here. Houston has great job growth, a little bit of everything and to be frankly honest, I think one of the nicest things it has going for it is it's proximity to the coast. It's wonderful to escape to Galveston for a nice day on the beach or even go down to Freeport.

Frankly, depending on the kind of life you're looking for, you can settle in any number of places surrounding Houston and achieve it. If you're single and your career is a high priority, I'd say look for downtown areas, possibly the Post Oak/Galleria area. However, if family is first on your mind, settling just outside the city limits in places such as League City, Pearland, Kingwood etc. is optimal.

I've lived in Houston my entire life and to be frankly honest, I never want to leave. I'm still finding out neat little things about this area, like wonderful little places to shop, great restaurants and things like that.

Regarding racism- I don't know why people still believe stereotypes about Texas- I suppose ignorance is the answer. Houston is a VERY diverse city, especially because of the many industries and businesses that are based here. It would be hard for these businesses and people that work for them to prosper as they have if they held onto their outdated prejudices.

To be honest, I think it's impossible to know 100% that a place is right for you unless you've either visited at length or (to be even more sure) lived there for a little while. Then you start to notice things you like and things you hate.

I hope some of this helps!

[pwright1]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

SF and Seattle are in the gloom belt. How can anyone live in the gloom belt? Why would anyone want to be depressed?

Why do I live in the gloom belt. Because Seattle and San Francisco are in the gloom belt, and I'm far from being depressed.