Leaving Houston this week - Honest assessment of Houston for newbies (Dallas: for sale, how much)
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Generally agree with most of the assessment. As others have said, I am surprised by the "yankee" thing. I don't think I have ever been called a yankee in Houston. I have a sneaking suspicion that you may have to look in the mirror on that one, it may well be your own behavior which is bring it on.
Reminds me of when I went to grad school in South Carolina; I had a friend who was living in the past where it came to the Civil War. Kept calling it the War of Northern Aggression, talked about how the South would be better off without the North, etc. He was then surprised when people jokingly called him various names, ever seeing the link between his own actions and the names.
You should get your facts straight before accusing others of living under a "rock". Maybe spend less time in the bars you claim to visit so often. It is hard to take the rest of your post seriously after your first point was debunked.
Your argument for Houston's highway system is a laugh as well. Is Houston as bad as Los Angeles??? No, but it is far from the "best". They are always doing construction via pork barrel spending in Houston. Christ, it took almost two years to repave Buffalo Speedway. That would be unacceptable in other parts of the country. What is your basis for saying that Houston has the best highway system "hands down" ??? Can you support this with facts or is this another point of yours that you just pulled out of your as*.
No other city has the same kind of highway system Houston has. Our spoke and loop system allows the Houston area to move the maximum amount of vehicles with the least amount of freeway/tollways. Just take a look at other comparable metropolitan areas for example... Houston will always have the least amount of freeway/tollways due to the fact of their strategic placement... (also the fact that Houston is pretty flat helps out alot in this case too). Surface streets are a different story... Buffalo Speedway is a surface street in case you didn't know the difference between a surface street and highway... some areas could stand a good overhaul while some areas are fairly nice. But surface streets aside, Houston has the nicest well developed most efficent highway system in the USA, there is even a book published about it in 2003 for God sakes!, 'Houston Highways'... Go read it.
And guy, your information on humidity is just about as stupid as I can imagine. How can a normal human being distinguish between 74.7% humidity and 74.1% humidity???? If you can stand it there I am 100% sure you can stand it in Houston... it feels exactly the same!! I'm extremely sure the 0.6% isn't a deciding factor LOL
You know, I am glad I spend time in local outside bars... it's a good way to meet other people and that's right, enjoy being outside at the same time! Glad to see that you didn't have any objections to me pointing out all of the outdoors and scenic things in Houston =)
It's pretty fair but I don't agree with the people or the crime.
Perception - if you live in an apartment in a high-density area, with a lot of in and out traffic, your chances of crime are highly elevated. If you live in a house in a quiet subdivision (even in the same vicinity), that goes way down. In an apartment, you have to rely on apartment management properly screening the residents, coupled with the fact that people are coming and going at all hours - and a burglar is going to blend better. Car burglary, especially, is much easier in an apartment complex.
The vast majority of people here are usually friendly. That's not just my perception - but transplants regularly tell me it's theirs also.
Houston is odd (compared to where I grew up) because it will rain while the sun is out and shining brightly. I had not seen that before moving here.
Here is something for the bad list that was not mentioned and drives me crazy. When we have even moderate rain (much less a doozy of a thunderstorm) we lose power way too easily. Sure, it's only momentarily - but I lose everything I was doing on the computer.
No other city has the same kind of highway system Houston has. Our spoke and loop system allows the Houston area to move the maximum amount of vehicles with the least amount of freeway/tollways. Just take a look at other comparable metropolitan areas for example... Houston will always have the least amount of freeway/tollways due to the fact of their strategic placement... (also the fact that Houston is pretty flat helps out alot in this case too). Surface streets are a different story... Buffalo Speedway is a surface street in case you didn't know the difference between a surface street and highway... some areas could stand a good overhaul while some areas are fairly nice. But surface streets aside, Houston has the nicest well developed most efficent highway system in the USA, there is even a book published about it in 2003 for God sakes!, 'Houston Highways'... Go read it.
And guy, your information on humidity is just about as stupid as I can imagine. How can a normal human being distinguish between 74.7% humidity and 74.1% humidity???? If you can stand it there I am 100% sure you can stand it in Houston... it feels exactly the same!! I'm extremely sure the 0.6% isn't a deciding factor LOL
You know, I am glad I spend time in local outside bars... it's a good way to meet other people and that's right, enjoy being outside at the same time! Glad to see that you didn't have any objections to me pointing out all of the outdoors and scenic things in Houston =)
Mikey, I don't usually agree with what you say, but I appreciate the fact that you defend your city and (mostly) don't resort to name calling and insults. Keep doing your thing dude.
Some things are fair, no Houston is not Miami Beach nor does it offer the urban experiences of places like NY, Chicago or Boston. As for crime, I would challenge that, I think if you have experienced crime in the last 2 or 3 years, that is due to the economy. Crime is up here and everywhere due to a bad economy.
The thing about Houston is it is what you make of it. There are liberal places and conservative places, there are new places and old, whatever you want, you can find it if you know where to look. The biggest plus of Houston is you actually have some options, versus having those choices made for you by price constraints, and that is not something to be marginalized.
Only rude people I ever meet in Houston are transplants from NY or Chicago.
I don't really think they are rude - just extremely blunt. It's not the polite southern way - but can be refreshing, once I realized they were not trying to be rude. What they have to realize is that we are not "fake" in our manner, just polite. Hint to northerners: when we say "bless their heart", it's not a good thing.
1.) Heat and Humidity: Houston is no more humid that New Orleans, Tampa or Miami. After a while you hardly even notice it. It would be the equivalent of a Houstonian moving to Minneapolis and complaining about the cold. I am sure if you live in a cold weather climate you get used to it after a couple years.
Houston is very humid. You're just comparing it to other very humid places. It's like saying Minneapolis is no more cold than Ancorage or Calgary--doesn't make Minneapolis warm.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeyAusmus
No other city has the same kind of highway system Houston has.
Very true, Houston has pretty great roads and highways.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cheryjohns
I don't really think they are rude - just extremely blunt. It's not the polite southern way - but can be refreshing, once I realized they were not trying to be rude. What they have to realize is that we are not "fake" in our manner, just polite. Hint to northerners: when we say "bless their heart", it's not a good thing.
Haha "bless your heart" always throws me because it sounds like a charitable thing to say when apparently it is a (slight?) insult. I wonder if that comes from the Southern Church culture (like better to say you "bless" them than say they're stupid). I can imagine that originating out of some not so Christian church goers from way back when.
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