Please give me reasons NOT to move to Houston

[tstone]

Originally Posted by EasilyAmused

When I see that, it really p's me off. Our tax dollars pay for TX DOT signs that a majority of the US citizens cannot read. I guess no english speaking Americans need help getting to an event or need help rerouting due to construction.

Fortunately I can read Spanish well enough to get by. You can't help but pick it up living here all your life. But this kind of stuff undoubtedly makes visiting outsiders ask themselves what country they just flew into. And what I find even worse is how many people refuse to believe these things, with eyes blinded and ears plugged, as the infiltration continues.

[Beto]

Originally Posted by patrickmich

I am considering a move to either Houston, TX or Jacksonville, FL.
I know many of the good aspects of Houston (jobs, housing costs, etc),
but please give me an honest assessment of the reasons not to move
to Houston. Thanks.

The Humidity Levels.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by Beto

The Humidity Levels.

As opposed to Jacksonville's, or just in general?

[Wysiwyg]

Originally Posted by Jammie

Do you really have to be bi-lingual to survive down there or is that an exaggeration?

way too exagerated. I giggle at the cute mexicans who try their best to speak english when i crash into random taquerias. I even talk to customers (looks like a day worker) and ask 'eww whats that?' (pointing at food) and they actually delightfully explain in english, sort of. well maybe theyre not so taken aback since my english is not so great too. "no beans *wink*"

[11thHour]

I'm sure most of what I'll list has already been said, but so be it:

1) Weather. Good weather can be had for a couple of months in the winter. The rest of the time you want to hide indoors.
2) Property Tax - Disgustingly high
3) Horrible Urban Sprawl - It takes eons to get anywhere
4) Pathetic Public Transit - For a city this size to have such a sad public transit system is a disservice.
5) Very rude drivers
6) Zoning laws are crazy - just drive around here and try to make sense of it
7) Language barriers - Very commonly I cannot understand what people are trying to say to me.
8) Complete lack of topography - If you like the outdoors, forget about this place.
9) Crime - horrible
10) Lack of character - having lived in several major cities, this place is by far the most generic. If you like strip malls and restaurants however, this place will be heaven for you.
11) Poorly designed road system, or 'you can't get there from here', without first driving 5 miles out of way to simply try to get to a store on the other side of the freeway.
12) Expensive electricity. Coupled with the hot and humid weather down here, your wallet will be losing a lot of weight.
13) Flooding/Hurricanes, etc
14) Everything is private property out here. It costs to do anything.
15) It's got beaches, but they are filthy.
16) Too many toll roads

Sigh - I've got to move!

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by 11thHour

Zoning laws are crazy

What zoning laws?

[professorsenator]

Originally Posted by 11thHour

I'm sure most of what I'll list has already been said, but so be it:
1) Weather. Good weather can be had for a couple of months in the winter. The rest of the time you want to hide indoors.
2) Property Tax - Disgustingly high
3) Horrible Urban Sprawl - It takes eons to get anywhere
4) Pathetic Public Transit - For a city this size to have such a sad public transit system is a disservice.
5) Very rude drivers
6) Zoning laws are crazy - just drive around here and try to make sense of it
7) Language barriers - Very commonly I cannot understand what people are trying to say to me.
8) Complete lack of topography - If you like the outdoors, forget about this place.
9) Crime - horrible
10) Lack of character - having lived in several major cities, this place is by far the most generic. If you like strip malls and restaurants however, this place will be heaven for you.
11) Poorly designed road system, or 'you can't get there from here', without first driving 5 miles out of way to simply try to get to a store on the other side of the freeway.
12) Expensive electricity. Coupled with the hot and humid weather down here, your wallet will be losing a lot of weight.
13) Flooding/Hurricanes, etc
14) Everything is private property out here. It costs to do anything.
15) It's got beaches, but they are filthy.
16) Too many toll roads

As a former resident of Houston, I would add that there is plenty of truth in each and every one of these criticisms.

[robertpolyglot]

Originally Posted by Wysiwyg

I giggle at the cute mexicans who try their best to speak english when i crash into random taquerias. I even talk to customers (looks like a day worker) and ask 'eww whats that?' (pointing at food) and they actually delightfully explain in english, sort of.

I learned Spanish to travel...I saw pictures of Spain, Argentina, etc. and took it in college to make it easier to go there. What fantastic places!

I don't look ethnic at all, so I love springing my pretty darn good Spanish on people when they least expect it. (In fact, when I got off the plane in Italy in 1998 and my cousin came to pick me up at the airport, the first thing he said to me was "You look Anglo"...in his language).

I have no trepidation about moving to any area with a large population of Spanish-speaking people. I've loved it in when I'm in Miami and the Cuban ladies having their "cafecito" will yack about everyone that comes into the joint...including me. I then strike up a conversation with them in about 15 minutes -- at first they are embarrassed and then they become very gracious.

However, I will have to say that immigrants that are here in small numbers (Albanians, Portuguese, Greeks, etc.) have to hurry up and assimilate without the benefit of bilingual this and that. I have yet to figure out why there is this extra accommodation for those who primarily speak Spanish, so I don't think much about it and keep on "hablando Espanol" as needed.

[dontbeabetch]

Originally Posted by 11thHour

I'm sure most of what I'll list has already been said, but so be it:

1) Weather. Good weather can be had for a couple of months in the winter. The rest of the time you want to hide indoors.
2) Property Tax - Disgustingly high
3) Horrible Urban Sprawl - It takes eons to get anywhere
4) Pathetic Public Transit - For a city this size to have such a sad public transit system is a disservice.
5) Very rude drivers
6) Zoning laws are crazy - just drive around here and try to make sense of it
7) Language barriers - Very commonly I cannot understand what people are trying to say to me.
8) Complete lack of topography - If you like the outdoors, forget about this place.
9) Crime - horrible
10) Lack of character - having lived in several major cities, this place is by far the most generic. If you like strip malls and restaurants however, this place will be heaven for you.
11) Poorly designed road system, or 'you can't get there from here', without first driving 5 miles out of way to simply try to get to a store on the other side of the freeway.
12) Expensive electricity. Coupled with the hot and humid weather down here, your wallet will be losing a lot of weight.
13) Flooding/Hurricanes, etc
14) Everything is private property out here. It costs to do anything.
15) It's got beaches, but they are filthy.
16) Too many toll roads

This is actually a good cons list, but after having living in a host of places. I've figured the pros are more numerous.

Originally Posted by 11thHour

Sigh - I've got to move!

Probably.

[jfre81]

Signage in English! (sort of.)



Billboards in English!



Banderas americanas...I mean....American flags! And a Texas flag! No tricolores to be seen here...then again, this is downtown, not Gulfton.



Traffic's not all that bad here. Look, Ma! I'm standing in the middle of Westheimer at 5:30 on Tuesday evening taking pictures!



But yeah, traffic sucks sometimes...