Torn Between Houston or Dallas (Fort Worth, Galveston: move to, title, car)

[bu2]

Originally Posted by Frustratedintelligence

Some sources say Houston is wetter while others say Atlanta is. Some years one city gets more rain than the other and other years the opposite is true.

I think it's fair to say that both places are more or less equal in this regard, though I am guessing that Atlanta receives more steady rainfall while Houston sees more heavy rain events such as Harvey.

https://www.usclimatedata.com/climat...tates/ustx0617

https://www.usclimatedata.com/climat...ed-states/3180

https://www.usclimatedata.com/climat...tates/ustx1575

Atlanta 49.74
Houston 45.28
Dallas 40.97

[Texyn]

Originally Posted by bu2

https://www.usclimatedata.com/climat...tates/ustx0617

https://www.usclimatedata.com/climat...ed-states/3180

https://www.usclimatedata.com/climat...tates/ustx1575

Atlanta 49.74
Houston 45.28
Dallas 40.97

Your data for Houston is obsolete and therefore invalid. No wonder why you were hesitant to provide the link initially. Going by current averages, which are on the Wikipedia articles I linked previously, Houston averages more annual rainfall than Atlanta. End of story.

Climate data for Houston, TX - 77002 - 1961-1990 normals - weather

https://www.usclimatedata.com/climat...tates/ustx0617

[Mod cut]

[DavePa]

Originally Posted by Texyn

Your data for Houston is obsolete and therefore invalid. No wonder why you were hesitant to provide the link initially. Going by current averages, which are on the Wikipedia articles I linked previously, Houston averages more annual rainfall than Atlanta. End of story.
[Mod cut]

I'm sure Houstonians will thank you for making sure all there recent heavy rain events and flooding..... has newer data increase Houston's yearly rainfall averages past Atlanta's to highlight here. I could think of some better reasons Houston wants to beat Atlanta on I'm sure.

[Texyn]

Originally Posted by DavePa

I'm sure Houstonians will thank you for making sure all there recent heavy rain events and flooding..... has newer data increase Houston's yearly rainfall averages past Atlanta's to highlight here. I could think of some better reasons Houston wants to beat Atlanta on I'm sure.

Nope, I was just pointing out that the data was, in fact, old. [Mod cut: rude]

[bu2]

Originally Posted by Texyn

Nope, I was just pointing out that the data was, in fact, old. [Mod cut: rude]

In other words, it didn't support your opinion so you discard it.

I didn't provide it because 1) other sources were real easy to find, this just behind the wiki entries on a google search; 2) you were being kind of rude about it; and 3) it seemed pretty obvious you wouldn't change your opinion no matter what.

[edwinpa7]

If you want to be surrounded by beautiful trees and beautiful backdrops?

Check out The Villages. Hedwig village, Bunker Hill village, Piney Point village and Hunters Creek village.

All just south of I-10.

Roll with the windows down.

You're welcome.

[Reefmonkey]

Originally Posted by OceanViewer

Seriously? Some people on this forum are very critical of other people trying to relocate to another city. I have been living up and down the east coast all of my life from New York to Georgia. I really would like to get away from the east coast if that's ok with you. Everyone has an opinion and preference. I wouldn't consider any of those places you suggested. I'm not asking anyone to help me decide. I'm just asking for some insight from people that have lived or living in the two cities. Then you said Atlanta is not that that different Houston or Dallas. Seriously? Dude, I immediately noticed the big difference before I got off the plane. For one, I think Dallas and Houston are far more advanced than Atlanta.

I never said you shouldn't leave the East coast, nor was I trying to push the other cities I mentioned on you. Just for people like me who have lived in both Houston and Dallas, it would be helpful to understand what it is that led you to narrow your choice down to these two cities that I gather you have only visited once each. The only really specific information you provided in your OP is concern about extreme weather events and crime, which are reasons to avoid one city over another (or maybe avoid both), but not reasons for your attraction to the two cities. On those issues, tornado vs hurricane is a matter of how you view risk and what tolerance you have for different kinds of risk. People have given you their preferences ad nauseum, with no clear winner emerging because there can't be one with matters of preference like this. But both cities, like most of Texas due to its geographic location, are subject to greater weather extremes than a lot of metropolitan areas in the country, so if extreme weather is a big concern for you, there may be other cities besides HOU/DFW. On crime, you have a definitive answer, Dallas has somewhat lower crime than Houston. As far as Houston's crime goes, yes the local news tends to sensationalize it and make it seem worse than it is.


As far as noticing that big difference of Houston and DFW compared to Atlanta before you got off the plane, "before you got off the plane" doesn't seem like a thorough amount of time, does it? When I first moved to Dallas, it felt completely different from Houston to me, the excitement of moving to a different city and all that. But the longer I lived there, the more I realized how similar they are. And for that reason I think my brother, having lived in Dallas, Houston and Atlanta for several years each, probably has a better idea of Atlanta's similarity to Houston than you do after one trip to the latter. Just sayin'.


If you want a more thorough comparison of Dallas and Houston that goes beyond the extreme weather events and crime concerns of your question, I think my previous answer does a pretty good job:

Originally Posted by Reefmonkey

I live in Houston but went to college in Dallas; between visiting college friends and my MIL living there, I am up there a lot. Houston and Dallas are very similar to each other (and to Atlanta) in a lot of ways - big sprawling modern Sunbelt cities. I think overall your choice should be on where you'll get the best job in your field.


Attractiveness: In-town Houston is ugly with pockets of pretty, while overall, in-town Dallas is more attractive. The suburbs of houston tend to be more attractive because they aren't in the middle of a prairie.



Weather: Tornados pop up unexpectedly and can be pretty unpredictable, I remember spending finals week studying in the basement of my dorm because there was a tornado watch. Tornados are much less frequent in Houston, most often accompanying a hurricane, and really we only get one major tropical storm/hurricane every ten or so years. There is usually a scare that amounts to nothing (hurricane tracked elsewhere) every 3 years. Dallas also gets really frequent hail storms. Hail-damaged cars are a common site on Dallas freeways. Hail storms are much less frequent down here. Houston, on the other hand, gets a lot of flooding, not just when hurricanes or tropical storms hit. I'd say there is a flood that causes damage to houses in a part of the area every three years or so. Don't let anyone tell you Dallas's summers are more mild than Houston's they are just as brutally hot, and the whole area browns out (vegetation-wise) apart from irrigated landscaping several months in the summer. It's a prairie. Houston, being on the edge of the Piney Woods, and getting more rain in the form of short afternoon showers, stays green all year round. Dallas does get more of a real fall than Houston, but then winter, Dallas is at the foot of the Great Plains, cold fronts move in from Canada with nothing to stop them, bringing ice storms. I hated winters up there, and Dallas is a lot of grey skies and bare leafless trees in the winter months. Houston, a cold front will move in overnight for a couple days, with overnight lows in the 20s, daytime temps in the 40s, then it's back up into the low 60s, and all the pine trees keep it green all year.



Diversity: Houston is more diverse than Dallas, it's one of the main things I like about it, and there are all these cool enclaves in it that are destinations in themselves, with great ethnic restaurants, like New Chinatown, Mahatma Ghandi District, Koreatown on Longpoint, etc. As far as LGBTQ acceptance goes, I had to laugh at the claim that Dallas having five more gay-affirming churches than Houston has is proof Dallas is more accepting. I lived in the Montrose, the largest gay community outside of San Fransisco's Castro for years, have lots of gay friends. Most gay people I know don't ever go to church, so couldn't care less about having five less gay affirming churches. Dallas has more gay-affirming churches because it has more churches in general, Dallas is more Bible Belty, more socially and politically conservative than Houston. Remember, Houston has had an openly gay mayor, Dallas has not. Dallas also feels more obsessed with wealth and social status than Houston does, more laid back. Owing to it's diversity, Houston's restaurant scene is better than Dallas's, and our theatre scene is bigger and more diverse (lots of great independent theatre companies in Houston doing interesting and cutting edge work). Though Fort Worth's Bass Hall is the prettiest theatre venue in Texas, by far.



Recreation: Dallas has more nearby lakes than Houston has, but Houston has the Galveston Bay System and the nearby beaches. From downtown Houston you can be on the beach in Galveston in less than an hour, even on a Friday afternoon. I sail (was also on the sailing team in college), and while Dallas's lakes are nice (I'm a fan of Joe Pool particularly), for a sailor, nothing beats saltwater. I also kayak and fish, and the size and diversity of fish on the coast beats the lakes hands down. As far as public parks and greenspace go, Dallas and Houston are pretty much on par. Same with towns and other places to go for daytrips and weekend getaways by car.



Schools, Dallas and Houston are pretty neck and neck, the inner city schools (with notable exceptions) are not very good, but several great suburban districts in both areas.


Economy - both strong, Dallas relies less on oil and petrochem than Houston does, but Houston's economy is far more diversified than it used to be.


Medical Care - The Texas Medical Center in Houston, with places like MD Anderson Cancer Center, St Luke's, etc beats Dallas hands down.


Higher ed: Dallas and Houston both have one good large private university each, SMU for Dallas, Rice for Houston. As an SMU grad it pains me to say this, but Rice is higher ranked than SMU. But if you're talking DFW, then the Dallas area also has TCU. Dallas area also has more choices for traditional public universities, with UT-Arlington and UT-Dallas. But though I wouldn't have said this even 10 years ago, University of Houston is probably a better school than either of them at this point.

[SouthernBoy205]

Yea. I just don’t think Dallas and Houston are as similar as people make them out to be.

[OceanViewer]

I'm not torn any longer. Houston is my choice of the two cities. I think Houston would be a good fit for me because of its diversity, more things to do, business opportunities, warmer winters, fewer chances of tornados, and some other things mentioned in this long informative thread. I also like having the option of taking a quick drive to view the ocean from time to time. After all, my forum title is OceanViewer

[Jimmy1953]

Oh how exciting! I haven't been able to sleep just waiting for the announcement!