Boy am I glad I moved to Houston. (Dallas, Austin: apartment, employment)

[micmac99]

1. Affordable compared to many places nationwide including my hometown San Francisco Bay Area.

1a. Paying $650 for a 700 sq ft apartment in a relatively nice area on four major buslines. Try doing that in San Francisco.

2. Economy is outperforming the nation. Unemployment rate is about 7 percent compared to a little over 8 percent nationally.

2a. Lower unemployment means there is a better chance for job mobility based on your skills. Employers are less apt to have the "you're lucky just to have a job" mentality and try harder to keep employees happy (which means they are less likely to quit for another company).

3. Despite assertions to the contrary it IS possible to live in Houston WITHOUT a car - thousands of people here do it. You need to carefully choose what part of town you live in and realize that some employment centers not served by bus routes are off limits. This is the same strategy I used living in places like Atlanta, Phoenix and Dallas and I did just fine, relatively, in those places.

METRO buses serve most of the major business and employment centers of town that I am interested in working in, so no big deal. I'm not about to look for work in The Woodlands or Friendswood anytime soon.

Houston is booming right now and is really one of THE places to be nationally.

I came here in large part because I tried living in Austin for six months in 2010, but was not hip enough, young enough, or willing to work for $8 an hour just because it's Austin.

[Redlionjr]

Glad to hear more positive unbiased comments about a great city such as Houston.

[texas7]

Good for you - glad you are happy.

[DanielWayne]

Welcome to Tx!!!

[micmac99]

Originally Posted by DanielWayne

Welcome to Tx!!!

Thanks and I have actually been here a couple of years almost. I do have my criticisms of this town but they are because I am liking it more and more here, and want this place to be the best it can be.

Prior to living in Austin I spent five years in Phoenix. I love Phoenix, especially its weather, and miss it - but the political, business and economic climate (this was right after the housing crash) was horrible and did not bode well for me having a good career or starting a business.

I wanted Austin to work very much, but the pieces weren't in place for me to be a success. I had looked at Houston in 2000 or so when I was living in Atlanta but TS Alison scared me off on further consideration, once I saw the photos and video of I-10 submerged.

[vegankris]

Originally Posted by micmac99

[/indent]3. Despite assertions to the contrary it IS possible to live in Houston WITHOUT a car - thousands of people here do it. You need to carefully choose what part of town you live in and realize that some employment centers not served by bus routes are off limits. This is the same strategy I used living in places like Atlanta, Phoenix and Dallas and I did just fine, relatively, in those places.

METRO buses serve most of the major business and employment centers of town that I am interested in working in, so no big deal. I'm not about to look for work in The Woodlands or Friendswood anytime soon.

Yes, exactly. I don't drive and I manage just fine. In fact, I prefer to ride my bike and find Houston to be very bike friendly. Because it's so easy to bike everywhere I want to go in Houston, I haven't had the chance to use public transportation much, but good to hear that it works so well for you.

I too am so happy I moved to Houston! I love it and can't imagine living anywhere else. It is a fun city with a lot to offer!

[TVC15]

Originally Posted by vegankris

Yes, exactly. I don't drive and I manage just fine. In fact, I prefer to ride my bike and find Houston to be very bike friendly. Because it's so easy to bike everywhere I want to go in Houston, I haven't had the chance to use public transportation much, but good to hear that it works so well for you.

I too am so happy I moved to Houston! I love it and can't imagine living anywhere else. It is a fun city with a lot to offer!

Nice post and I could not agree more!

[Dopo]

You are going to get banned for opening positive threads about Houston.

[Beto]

Good News. Welcome to Houston,TX.

[MikeyAusmus]

Originally Posted by micmac99

1. Affordable compared to many places nationwide including my hometown San Francisco Bay Area.

1a. Paying $650 for a 700 sq ft apartment in a relatively nice area on four major buslines. Try doing that in San Francisco.

2. Economy is outperforming the nation. Unemployment rate is about 7 percent compared to a little over 8 percent nationally.

2a. Lower unemployment means there is a better chance for job mobility based on your skills. Employers are less apt to have the "you're lucky just to have a job" mentality and try harder to keep employees happy (which means they are less likely to quit for another company).

3. Despite assertions to the contrary it IS possible to live in Houston WITHOUT a car - thousands of people here do it. You need to carefully choose what part of town you live in and realize that some employment centers not served by bus routes are off limits. This is the same strategy I used living in places like Atlanta, Phoenix and Dallas and I did just fine, relatively, in those places.

METRO buses serve most of the major business and employment centers of town that I am interested in working in, so no big deal. I'm not about to look for work in The Woodlands or Friendswood anytime soon.

Houston is booming right now and is really one of THE places to be nationally.

I came here in large part because I tried living in Austin for six months in 2010, but was not hip enough, young enough, or willing to work for $8 an hour just because it's Austin.

Welcome to Houston!!! I am excited you are enjoying the city!!