Houston vs. Denver (Dallas, Austin, Sugar Land: transplants, lawyer, houses)

[emr39]

Hi All,

I was hoping someone could give me feedback on Houston vs. Denver as a place to live, work etc. I am a lawyer and my husband is an oil and gas engineer. His company has offices in both Denver and Houston, with Houston being the global headquarters. I am a foreign lawyer, but am qualified in New York.

I understand that Denver is more picturesque than Houston and has much more in the way of outdoors, but to me it seems like Houston is a much larger city and perhaps with a stronger economy and more work opportunities.

However, I am concerned about the suburban sprawl, the concrete jungle and the hot humid summers.

Can anyone compare Houston to Denver in terms of the economy, the food, the entertainment and general vibe....??

Thanks

[Pilot1]

I've never lived in Houston, but know people in my company that live there and many don't like it. Denver and environs are much nicer IMHO. Houston is a very hot, humid place in the summer, where Denver can get hot, but its very dry so it doesn't feel as hot. Denver has a lot more to offer with outdoor activities and the mountains are wonderful!

I can't comment on an economic comparison, but if your husband is employed, does it matter? There are many law firms Denver City and the Tech Center area.

[sbhubbell]

Yikes, I kinda think the two cities are like night and day! Denver is lovely but way more expensive to live and the economy is not as strong right now as it is in Houston. If you're really into the outdoors, Denver is great...beautiful...but they do have very cold and snowy winters. I've been stuck in the Denver airport due to blizzard conditions a few times. Houston by contrast has mild winters but hot as hell summers. So that's kind of a personal preference thing. Houston is probably a bit more spread out that Denver, and not quite as pretty because of the no-zoning thing. But there's a LOT to do in Houston, it has a lot to offer. I think it's a bit more mature city than Denver, been around longer so has maybe a tad more culture in terms of the arts and museums and stuff. Food is good in both places. Sprawl exists in both places.

The bottom line I think is Houston is just way lower cost of living.

[emr39]

Thanks for the replies. I am concerned about the economy because I want to be able to do decent legal work, which I suspect would be more plentiful in Houston than Denver, given the economy is much stronger in Houston with more international companies. However, my feeling is that Denver might be a "nicer" place to live, although Houston might have more things to do. Is that a fair assumption?

I have been to Denver several years ago and thought it was very nice. But my experience tells me places which are nice to visit aren't necessarily the best to live. I am just worried about the heat in Houston and the supposed ugliness....

cost of living is not that much of a concern because we will be earning good salaries. Lifestyle and work opportunities are the most important things.

[Pilot1]

I think you have valid concerns. Denver does have a lot of energy related companies and I'm sure law firms that deal internationally, but probably not as many as Houston. I just don't know many people that really love living in Houston. I know lots of people that LOVE living in the Denver metro area.

[emr39]

Thanks for the feedback. I think we will leave both on the table and see what/if any firms I can get a job with in both cities. My preference would definitely be Denver but a woman's gotta earn a living!!

I do quite like the idea of snow in winter as well and I imagine Denver has plenty of hiking etc.

If anyone else has input, it would be great.

thanks!

[C2H (ComingtoHouston)]

I never lived in Denver but I lived in Colorado Springs (60 miles south) and used to visit Denver frequently. My sister lived up there. People are not lying when they say Denver is overall a nicer place. Not saying that Houston doesn't look good but it depends what part of town you're in. I'd say, stay away from the eastside (mostly east of Texas Hwy 288). Now going southeast toward Kemah/Clearlake, those areas are beautiful (well they were pre hurricane ike).

Also check out Sugarland, Pearland, Katy area, The Woodlands, Kingwood/Humble. All those are beautiful places. To me, Houston's ugliness mainly applies to the eastside and parts of the southwest. Rice, Medical Center, Bellaire, Uptown/Galleria, Midtown, River Oaks, Houston Heights, Montrose are all nice areas inside Houston. Also West Houston where they're pouring all that money into the brand new Katy Freeway expansion and development looks just as good, if not better than a typical Denver area.

Don't let anyone fool you and think that Denver is without ugly parts as well. Northeast of Downtown by the Denver Coliseum going east on I-70, that area is cluttered with old rail stations, junk, warehouses, and broke down industrial buildings. It is not easy on the eyes. Aurora has its shabby parts too, areas outside of downtown, Old Thornton, and more. However, the newly constructed I-25 ( Main freeway) looks good and hides a lot of the city’s blight. I wish Houston would do that for parts of the I-45 corridor.

Houston is overall a stronger city because it has more history, restaurants, world-class shopping, and culture. It also has access to the beach. It may not be as outdooristy as Denver but who wants to be outdoors in Denver in the brutal cold? Houston has a good season in the winter while Denver's freezing. Denver has its better season in the summer while Houston's steaming hot. Houston has hike trails, bycyling, water-skiing (in Clearlake and Galveston). All in all, Houston’s future is looking very bright. All kinds of mixed used developments sprouting up all at once, new towers, office towers, downtown development, new and more jobs, better salaries, and relatively lower housing costs. Both are sprawl houses though so you can't single Houston out on that one.

[Topaz]

We had this exact same choice as my husband's company asked us to pick between Denver and Houston. We picked Houston because (a) we don't like snow, (b) despite the reputation of Colorado as being a "beautiful state" and Texas as being an "ugly state," we appreciate how lush and green Houston is, (c) we love the beach and despite the critics of Texas beaches, we've already had one wonderful family beach vacation, (d) Texas has a terrific booming economy and in my husband's field, that matters, (e) the cost of living is much lower in Houston, especially Sugar Land, which is a wonderful place to raise a family, with great schools and affordable housing, (f) my husband lived in Denver before and his opinion is that Houston is a more sophisticated city with more to do, and (g) Texans are quite welcoming and we have good friends in Austin.

[Chickrae]

I would take Denver over Houston any day for the mere fact that I cannot stand Humidity. ( I live in Oklahoma) I will say people in Texas much much friendlier than anywhere I have been

[TXTwizter]

Well you have a tough decision to make my friend! I have lived in Denver and currently live in Houston. The one thing that stuck out living in Denver is that, DENVERITES DO NOT LIKE TEXANS......For some reason they blame us and the California transplants for their problems.....crime, pollution, rapid growth, etc.....blah blah blah! Although I really liked the city of Denver, I encountered more of a "holier than thou, I'm better than you" attitude than Dallas, if thats possible.
So beware!!
IMO I would pick Houston!!!!