Florida vs Texas (Houston, Gainesville, Charlotte: sales, insurance, affordable house) - City-Data Forum

sunsky778 · 04-30-2008, 08:35 PM

Hi, I am contemplating a move to Houston. I would like to get the pros and cons from people who have lived in both places. Any and all information would be great

Thanks a million

SkyeAnjel · 05-01-2008, 06:09 AM

The pros are that it is alot more affordable. You can actually afford a house here and sell it when the time comes. There are alot better schools here and alot of relocating people love it. The cons are that it is not as pretty and you will miss the beaches. This is my personal opinion. If you are not a beach person, you may very well prefer here.

jd433 · 05-01-2008, 07:45 AM

Texas certainly was more affordable than Florida a year ago but with Floridas housing prices taking a plunge it is getting closer. I am checking regularly on this and this last week I was noticing that the Gulf coast region of Florida is not much more expensive than here.

If you look at the Cape Coral area there you can pick up homes for about the same price as here. This is also true for Port Charlotte, Sarasota and most of the Fort Myers area. Around Orlando you can pick up homes in Kissimmee and Lakeland for about the same price as here.

Believe it or not there is actually affordable housing along the Atlantic coast too now. With no end in sight to falling home prices Houston needs to work on it's appeal to people. We will no longer be able to just be an affordable place to live.

sunsky778 · 05-01-2008, 09:09 AM

I am really enjoying all the comments and all the info is so helpful

citizen_jane · 05-01-2008, 10:35 AM

I've lived in both Florida and Texas (and California). In Florida I lived in a small town and Houston is a rather large city. Some differences will have nothing to do with FL v. TX and more to do with small town v. big city.

These are all just a few opinions off the top of my head, don't mean to offend anyone...

I think the weather is rather similar. Although I think the northern interior of FL (Gainesville) is more humid than Houston. Coastal cities have the sea breeze. Houston gets colder in the winter than south Florida. I think Florida has more bugs and spiders but in Houston the mosquitoes are out all day.

Houston has a very friendly environment for development and no zoning. In the city I grew up (Indialantic) the zoning and city control was oppressive. Of course, no zoning leads to it's own set of problems. Master planned communities and HOA's try to fix those problems but they can go overboard too. Pick your poison.

There wasn't a lot of commitment to improving the schools in Indialantic due to the older retired population many of whom were part time residents. Based on my experiences when I was in school in Florida and family that have kids in Florida schools now vs. my kids in schools here in Houston, drugs are a much bigger problem in Florida. I can directly compare my kids education (5th and 8th grades) to my niece's education in Florida (same grades) and I think Houston has better schools.

My husband is also from the Melbourne area. His family still lives there. My family have all left for other areas. His dad's health is failing and we seriously entertained the idea of moving back. One visit later we changed our minds. We just like Houston so much better. I'm short on time, let me know if there are any specific questions I can help you with?

EasilyAmused · 05-01-2008, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jd433

Believe it or not there is actually affordable housing along the Atlantic coast too now. With no end in sight to falling home prices Houston needs to work on it's appeal to people. We will no longer be able to just be an affordable place to live.

Um, we have a booming economy and jobs, that far more attractive to most than the "affordable house."

jfre81 · 05-01-2008, 12:33 PM

Do we actually need more people here? Isn't that how Florida went bad?

Florida is for tourists.

katy_kate · 05-01-2008, 12:34 PM

If youre considering living on or near the coast in Florida, you might want to consider the additional cost of flood insurance. Between homeowners and flood we were paying almost $10K in Florida and every year the insurance companies dropped coverages ie. for lanias.

Also, in certain area, such as southern Hillsbourough County, there is a water shortage and watering restrictions. It's not easy to keep your lawn in Florida when you can only water once a week. Even if you have your own well, you have to abide by the restrictions. We soooo enjoy watering whenever we want here. And, water is so much cheaper here.

Property taxes were about the same for us both places . . . $8k -$10K

Of course no income tax for either state which means you can declare your sales taxes on your return.

msoler29 · 05-03-2010, 10:11 AM

Just depends what you like.. I use to live in south Texas in the vally area.
Heat wise they both get really hot, beauty wise Florida is one of the if not the most prettiest state America has to offer... and I'm from up north.
Texas has a stronger job economy and its a lot more affordable...
Bad thing bout Florida the jobs don't equall to the pay of rent..
They will give you 9 to 10 an hour to be a Can. Texas pays better in houston dallas san antonio etc.. if u like beaches Florida is the place, if you could deal wihtout them then Texas is the place.. Good luck with everything=).

alwaysflyin · 05-03-2010, 10:21 AM

I have lived in both Gainesville and Houston--Gainesville for four years during graduate school and Houston for college, post graduate school, and now.

I vastly prefer Houston for a few reasons. One, there's so much more opportunity, things to do, culture, activities, and resources. Gainesville has a fraction of the population, and it shows. It was a big deal in Gainesville when a new restaurant opened, whereas in Houston the diversity is unlimited. If you live in a nice suburb you'll have the quality of life of being in a smaller place yet the access to everything in Houston.

I also think the weather is better here in the summer. Gainesville in the summer is like a rain forest--it rains every afternoon. Very, very humid. Houston is not as bad. They are about the same the rest of the year.

I find the people friendlier and more welcoming in Houston. Gainesville has a lot of east coast/NYC types who are there because of the university. Just not as friendly and a little snobbier.

The one advantage to Gainesville is you are closer to what I consider nice beaches plus some interesting ecosystems. We don't have as much of that here in Houston.

Good luck with what you decide.