Houston - My Experiences One Month In (Galveston, West: power lines, rent)

[jd2008]

Hey everyone. I have been meaning to post a recap of my feelings on Houston after living here for about a month. Given what has happened recently and the unexpected free time I now have, I thought now is as good of a time as any. I am blessed to have power right now which unfortunately is not something most people can say at this point. In addition to my general feelings, given the fact that I was here through this mess, I thought I would also post how I feel the hurricane preparations, evacuations, aftermath was dealt with. So I will throw it all in together!

Anyway, first the general positives:

1.) The people. Having grown up in Texas I have to say that I knew that people in Texas were generally friendly and kind but it has been a refreshing experience to have people actually introduce themselves at bars, my building, etc. I really don't know many people here right now except for some relatives out in the burbs, so it is nice to meet new people here so easily. Everyone is very talkative and nice, a much different experience than you will run into in most other big cities.

2.) The economy. I just started here but I can tell that even in the current economic slowdown, I am going to have a lot of work on my hands (which is great). Houston is such a center for the energy and health care industries that in order not to do well here, it seems you really have to not want to work. This is definitely a different experience from what is happening out west.

3.) The cost. This place really is a bargain when compared to other large cities. My living cost is just so much lower when compared to California. Rent is of course the greatest factor. I think I am actually living in a fairly expensive place for Houston but it is cheap when compared to the Bay Area or cities back east. Other expenses are also substantially less. Gas for example is cheap, cheap, cheap (of course it has to be because of the amount of driving required around here but more on that below). Food is also cheaper although not exactly up to the quality of California. This is especially true in terms of produce (not as many farmers markets here).

Now the general negatives:

1.) Auto dependence. Despite the fact that I live in Midtown (which is supposedly the most walkable neighborhood), one really is attached to your car at the hip. Really this place is unnavigable without a car. The public transit system seems very poor and unreliable. My perception is that walking, cycling, and taking transit is generally seen as something for the poor. What's even worse is that even if you want to walk (I try to walk a lot), the number of sidewalks and street crossings are sporadic. I often walk to Randells which is a small market in Midtown and you cross two major streets (like 4 lanes wide) where there are no cross walks and people don't seem to yield to pedestrians.

2.) Sprawl. This is related to the first negative; the amount of sprawl in this place rivals LA. It really is shocking. The main reason is the almost complete lack of planning that occurs in Houston. It really is sad when you see such haphazard development, even in areas that seem to be evolving into more urban neighborhoods (Midtown and Montrose for example). The funny thing is that the neighborhoods that have zoning and urban planning (West U for example) are much nicer and more desirable neighborhoods. You would think the general public would demand more of the same for their slice of the area. But, that assumes people are rational which, in my experience, they are not.

3.) Family orientated. This is really more of a negative for me and probably won't apply to all. For kids right out of college you are in the right party spot but for people in my age group (late 20's, early 30's) it seems that Houston assumes you are out in the burbs with the white picket fence and the 2.5 kids. The number of single women in my age group, for example, seem slim. Again, this is just my general perception at this point and perhaps may change as I learn more about Houston but that is my feeling at this time.

Finally, regarding Ike, I feel that generally the area has dealt with the crisis fairly well. Considering the number of people and the widespread nature of the devastation, I think the amount of services and supplies provided were good. That being said, there are some areas the city needs to focus on for the next disaster. For example, I tried to go out and get a battery operated radio before the storm but couldn't find one to save my life. Honestly, I don't remember the last time I noticed one of the old rabbit ear radios, even before the storm. Given the fact that Houston is in such a hurricane prone area, perhaps the city should have emergency preparedness stores or centers where you can go and buy such things. They could order these things in bulk for people to buy rather than have the public fight over the two or three at the local Target. When the power goes out, you need one of these things to get information, especially given the sprawling nature of the city.

Also, given the complete reliance on the automobile in this city, when the power goes down and the gas stations close, if you don't have a full tank of gas, you are screwed. I mean, this is actually a potentially serious safety problem for some. If you are isolated, you can run out of water and food and things can downhill very quickly. Yet another reason I appreciate living in an area where walking is at least an option (even if it not very convenient).

The other issue the city has to deal with is looking into burying more power lines, especially in the center of the city. There is simply no reason that inner city neighborhoods should still have the same pole and hanging wire system that the burbs has. In dense(r) areas like Montrose, Midtown, and in and around Uptown, the city has to start putting the power lines underground.

All that being said, overall Houston has been a pretty pleasant place, at least so far (even with the storm). The main problem I see at this point has to do with lack of infrastructure (transit, sidewalks, crossings, power lines, etc). Not sure if I will stay here permanently (probably not), but for the time being it is a nice place to start out my new career.

Oh...and sorry for the length of the post but again...I have a lot of time on my hands right now!

[Zhang Fei]

A lot of the things you mentioned are nice-to-have, but would probably lead to costs in Houston reaching costs in Los Angeles. Transit systems are nice, but they have to be subsidized out of gasoline taxes if fares are to be affordable. If transit systems charged unsubsidized fares, I suspect they would have to be shut down, because no one would ride them. Sidewalks take up space - space that could otherwise be rented out. Not to belabor the point, but there's a reason Houston does things a certain way, and it's not because Houstonians aren't as bright as Angelenos.

[desertsun41]

Good post my friend. I most agree that Houston should bury the power lines. Think of all the homes that still might have power now.

I know there are a lack of codes and zoning which Im not complaining about but as for Galveston, they need to adopt a new building code that makes one build out of block or face in brick. Those piles of sticks in the streets prove the need.

Have you been down in the underground commerce tunnels yet? How did they fair with all that water up above?