Native Houstonians that regret not leaving hometown (Dallas, Austin: spring break, house)

[Space City Native]

Originally Posted by Thoreau424

I'll state - for the record - that I definitely regret moving away from Houston. I know that's the opposite of the thread subject, but I want to point out that it's led to dismal results, with lots of homesickness and realizing afterwards what all I had and gave up. If I could only turn back time...

When I moved, I thought it made a lot of sense, and that thought I was moving forward. It seemed crazy to live in one spot for decades, and most of one's life. Now, it makes complete sense to me, and is not issue/problem whatsoever.

I'm in exactly the same situation. I'd lived in the Houston-Galveston area for all my life until I moved to crappy little Eastern Europe 9 years ago because that's where my wife's from. I'm raising 3 beautiful kids here, but I've learned that the American (and particularly Southern) concepts of friendliness, order, cleanliness, progress, etc., are completely absent here. My oldest son (who was conceived in Texas) begs me to move the family back to the Great Lone Star State of Texas, and, God willing, that's exactly what I'm going to do.

I'd learned a lot about the world academically, but some things you have to experience firsthand to see what they're really like. I was bored being in the same place all my life, but after I was here a few years I realized that what I moved from (the last 2 years I was in Texas I lived by the water in Galveston County) was actually a freakin' tropical paradise. People in this part of the world spend thousands of dollars just to spend a week on a sunny beach with friendly faces that isn't one-third as nice Galveston. People here marvel at the pics I show them of the Houston-Galveston area, telling me that everything looks so green, clean, modern and sunny (which is exactly what it is).

America has a lot of problems, but at least people care about them and are trying to do something about them-people here couldn't give a crap about their own country and live in a world that is saturated with apathy, laziness, pessimism and alcohol.

God Bless America, long live the Great State of Texas, and eternal memory to our hero, General Sam Houston!

[DSL_PWR]

I don't regret leaving at all. I wish I would have done it a long time ago when land was cheaper and more plentiful out where we moved.

I occasionally have to go back in to houston, don't miss it at all.

[Milton Miteybad]

Moved away several times...but always came back. I like it here, no matter what others may say about it.

Sure, Houston has a few issues. However, it has fewer such issues than most other comparable places.

Houston isn't necessarily everybody's proverbial cup of tea, and I'm not out to convince anybody who doesn't like Houston that they should change their minds.

However, I'm a native Houstonian, and I've lived here most of my life. Which is not to say that I always liked my hometown. There were times I didn't really care for it. Most of that had more to do with your humble correspondent than it did with the city itself.

But with age and experience, I've come to appreciate all that it has to offer. Which is not to say that there aren't other great places to hang one's hat. It's fair to say that there are.

But Houston ain't bad. As a city, it really doesn't get enough credit for what it is. You see...Houston was (and still is) a city that stood astride the entire world long before most in the U.S. thought of it as an important American city. That is still true, to a certain extent; people in Riyadh, Lagos, Moscow, and London know well the international importance of Houston. The average schlub in San Francisco...maybe not so much.

The Port of Houston, for instance, handles the most tonnage of any port in the nation that is actually located on U.S. soil. The South Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (aka LOOP) actually handles slightly more, but it's 50 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. But LOOP and Houston are the nation's two heavyweight ports, ranking #1 and #2, respectively, each handling roughly twice as much tonnage as the next competitor. The #3 port in the nation, New York/New Jersey, handles slightly more than half the tonnage of Houston. For those who keep up with such statistics, it may be of interest to know that the Port of Beaumont is #4, and the Port of Corpus Christi is #6. For comparison, the Port of Los Angeles is #10, which handles 25% of the tonnage the Port of Houston does.

For those who are interested in keeping score, five of the top 20 ports in tonnage handled are on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Most of that tonnage is related to the oil and petrochemical buisiness. If you don't think the oil and petrochemical business is important to you, try living your modern life without it.

Houston is the world center for the oil and petrochemical business. Even if you can't tell the difference between crude oil and a crescent roll, or the difference between parsley and polypropylene, you're very fortunate that there are people in Houston who can.

The reason your life is as comfortable and convenient as it is today is because of what happens in Houston on a daily basis.

I won't deal with the obvious connection of Houston to the space program, except to say that in July, 1969, on only the only occasion that will ever occur in all of human history where a man, speaking from the surface of another celestial body, first addressed a geographic location on the Earth, he didn't say "Rancho Cucamonga, Tranquility Base here...the Eagle has landed."

Nor did he say "Opa Locka, Tranquility Base here...the Eagle has landed."

No, of course not. Rather, Neil Armstrong said, "Houston, Tranquility Base here...the Eagle has landed."

You may have heard of the Texas Medical Center. Literally any medical service or procedure that is currently known to mankind is available there. It is a galaxy-class medical center that currently has no peer, and is unlikely to be replicated anywhere else. The reason I know this is that your humble correspondent, Milton Miteybad, underwent life-saving cardiac surgery a few years ago in the Texas Medical Center, at a hospital located a mere four blocks from the one where he was born more than 50 years prior.

In that distant day when colonists on Mars need medical treatment that cannot be provided on that planet, the patient will not ask the pilot to take them to Sausalito, or Orlando, or Chicago. The patient won't be asking him to take them to New York or Los Angeles, either.

They will say, "Get me to Houston, please. And step on it."

[crone]

I regret leaving and selling those houses, one in what is now billed as River Oaks and one off Braeswood. Couldn't afford them today.

[jaycich]

Yeah, I've been here my whole life and I regret not moving when I could and not joining the military. Growing up a ghetto kid, all I knew was the area I lived in. Now that I'm 34 and know the city pretty well and no longer have family here, I'm definitely ready to live somewhere else. Everybody else moved on including 2 of my best friends. The problem is my work skills are in oil and gas and the only place I have family is northern California, which I'd love to move to, but can't afford.

[Mr. Krinkle]

I'm a native Houstonian and thought about moving a few times. However I have always had a good job, it's fairly cheap to live here, the food is great, family lives here, and I have great friends.

I thought about the north east (too cold), California (too expensive), Florida (that state is just weird). I think about the only place I would move to would be Denver.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by Milton Miteybad

The Port of Houston, for instance, handles the most tonnage of any port in the nation that is actually located on U.S. soil. The South Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (aka LOOP) actually handles slightly more, but it's 50 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. But LOOP and Houston are the nation's two heavyweight ports, ranking #1 and #2, respectively, each handling roughly twice as much tonnage as the next competitor. The #3 port in the nation, New York/New Jersey, handles slightly more than half the tonnage of Houston. For those who keep up with such statistics, it may be of interest to know that the Port of Beaumont is #4, and the Port of Corpus Christi is #6. For comparison, the Port of Los Angeles is #10, which handles 25% of the tonnage the Port of Houston does.

For those who are interested in keeping score, five of the top 20 ports in tonnage handled are on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Most of that tonnage is related to the oil and petrochemical buisiness. If you don't think the oil and petrochemical business is important to you, try living your modern life without it.

Houston is the world center for the oil and petrochemical business. Even if you can't tell the difference between crude oil and a crescent roll, or the difference between parsley and polypropylene, you're very fortunate that there are people in Houston who can.

The reason your life is as comfortable and convenient as it is today is because of what happens in Houston on a daily basis.

Tonnage is not the best gauge of a port to be honest. That is because crude oil is heavier than anything else.

Cargo volume is probably a better measure. In that, the Port of South Louisiana ranks #1 and Houston #2. NY/NJ is #3. Still very respectable for Houston.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._United_States

Another measure is container ports:

1. Port of Los Angeles
2. Port of Long Beach
3. Port of NY/NJ
...
8. Port of Houston

Source:
http://www.logisticsmgmt.com/images/...top20large.jpg

[wallawallahoohoo]

Grew up in Houston, went to college here, had my first real job here. Then I moved around a couple times, first to NY, then to Dallas. I can't really say I regret leaving Houston; I was young and foolish and wanted to do more than just be in Houston. Loved every minute of those years in NY. Back then, I was probably weary of being in Houston my whole life.

Then I took a new gig in Dallas. That's when my love of Houston came rushing back. It didn't take long for me to completely and utterly hate Dallas - the food (wow, especially coming from Houston and NY!), the snobbery and fakeness, and how small it was (I don't count Fort Worth into the mix). It took a good couple of years to make new friends and find the places I really enjoyed there. But if it takes two years to like a place... it's two years too long.

I made up my mind to find a new job in Houston, and my move back was just spectacular. Now I'm older, wiser, and don't mind not living in a big city like NY. Houston is plenty big and plenty comfortable. And boy did I miss Galveston! Dallas is completely land locked and boring. I missed fishing and feeding the gulls. There's nothing quite like the proximity Houston is to the shore.

[baggiegenes]

For me it has been the cost of living for everything I get in Houston. I've always lived here, but try to travel the country and abroad as often as I can. I have found a few cities I would probably enjoy living in but there is no way I could have the mix of Job/House/Amenities/Income that I get in Texas.

At this point I will probably always anchor in Texas but will travel as much as possible for the exposure to the rest of the world.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by Astoriahoney

I think anyone that's a Foodie or enjoys high quality food would never leave Houston.

The restaurants in Houston are far superior to New York or California. People can crap all over Houston but their food has impeccable standards by comparison

Lets get one thing straight. Yes, the food in Houston is quite amazing. It could make a case for the number 5 or 6 food city in the US. But, objectively, the top 4 food cities in the US are NYC, LA, Chicago, and San Francisco. Those are the only food cities that have no weakness. They are strong in every suit.

Houston has amazing ethnic variety, everyday eating, innovation, etc. Houston, for an exceptional food city, has disappointing fine dining. Thats the ***** in the armor of Houston's culinary scene. Place like the ones I mentioned have no low points in their dining scene.