For those who know ATL; what's similar to what? (Houston: sales, rent)

[MommiePreMed]

Originally Posted by cbreeze22

This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for, thanks.



Not quite sure where the anger in this opening line is coming from. I'm not from Atlanta or a far flung suburb of it - I'm from Culver City, CA, and currently live in a suburb of Atlanta, but don't stay imprisoned to it. I'm one of those weirdos who likes driving, so we go all over the city on a regular basis for a variety of things, and I have family and friends that live in every nook and cranny of greater Atlanta.





Of course I will, we'll be there in two weeks for a week. But I didn't want to waste time going to areas that wouldn't fit me at all when instead I could just ask people who know and live there for their advice.

Again, you gave me some great information and I truly appreciate it.

I just don't get where the animosity I thought I read in your post came from. I can tell you really like Atlanta, and you're certainly not alone. It's just not my cup of tea. I'm in my mid-thirties and just got out of the hospital with a heart condition. I thought I was very healthy; I don't even drink coffee. Now my perspective on things is totally different. I'm now a firm believer that life is way too short for me to stay where I'm not happy, and I just want to know if Houston is a place where we can enjoy life.

I am not snippy, just direct and slightly mollified at your comparing Emory to Sugar Land.

If you have any other comparison questions I will answer them for you and tone down the snippiness so as not to offend you.

[cbreeze22]

LOL BunBoHue, jfre81

I'm just gonna sit like this from now on

[Spade]

There is nothing like Southwest Dekalb in Houston. There aren't any areas with a higher percentage of economically stable or educated Blacks. There are plenty of run down ghetto areas, but nothing that resembles Cascade or Waters Edge.

Houston does not have an area like this but than again. Houston does not have an area with a higher percentage of economically stable or educated anything because it is one of the most integrated cities in the nation. But for educated blacks, check out either Missouri City or Third Ward (which may began to be a Southwest De Kalb or a Prince George's County). There are areas popping up. But will never be at the scale of Atlanta or Washington D.C. and I don't mind that. Houston's black population may have passed the 1 million mark earlier this year and they are spread out throughout the area in a healthy clip.

[jd2008]

To the OP-

OK...I will give you my two cents although I have to admit that I am a little PO'ed that I have to work tomorrow, so you can take that into account (oh the life of a lawyer).

Anyway, honestly...if you are looking for a city to "live life for the moment" Houston is about as far from that as I can imagine. Houston is really about the most practical place in the US. People come here for jobs, cheap houses in the burbs, etc. The city itself, and I mean the inner-loop area which honestly isn't really what I would normally call a "city," is not really that attractive. The whole "no zoning" thing makes it very haphazard, often gaudy and frankly fairly cheap looking. Some people love it but it's not my cup of tea. Since you are from the LA area originally, I would compare it to the cheaper areas of Hollywood. The beach in Galveston is really pretty nasty (the water is warm and brown) and again, just looks cheap.

The city government seems to focus almost entirely on providing highways for suburbia to get into the inner loop as fast as possible and then out as fast as possible. Sidewalks, street crossings, bike lanes, etc are few and far between when compared to other cities and even when they are there they are often in a poor state of repair. There are a lot of restaurants and what not but everything is very spread out and sprawling.

Houston is attempting to build density and some kind of consistency but again the whole "no zoning" thing kills it. In my neighborhood Midtown (supposedly the most "urban" area of Houston) they build a nice, urban looking residential building with commercial units at street level but a block away there is a CVS with a huge parking lot just like you would find in any suburb in America. Blah.

If you are really looking to "live life for the moment" then San Diego seems like the perfect place. If you have to live in a small place, who cares? Again, you are "living for the now." You are not worrying about things like space, family, schools, etc. I would suggest Gaslamp or PB. You can walk to the beach or ride a bike. Transit is decent and the weather is amazing.

But if you are looking to live in the burbs, Houston is as good as any other place I guess. It is cheap and the city seems to focus exclusively on providing services to residents in BFE (or BFP).

[jluke65780]

Originally Posted by jd2008

To the OP-

OK...I will give you my two cents although I have to admit that I am a little PO'ed that I have to work tomorrow, so you can take that into account (oh the life of a lawyer).

Anyway, honestly...if you are looking for a city to "live life for the moment" Houston is about as far from that as I can imagine. Houston is really about the most practical place in the US. People come here for jobs, cheap houses in the burbs, etc. The city itself, and I mean the inner-loop area which honestly isn't really what I would normally call a "city," is not really that attractive. The whole "no zoning" thing makes it very haphazard, often gaudy and frankly fairly cheap looking. Some people love it but it's not my cup of tea. Since you are from the LA area originally, I would compare it to the cheaper areas of Hollywood. The beach in Galveston is really pretty nasty (the water is warm and brown) and again, just looks cheap.

The city government seems to focus almost entirely on providing highways for suburbia to get into the inner loop as fast as possible and then out as fast as possible. Sidewalks, street crossings, bike lanes, etc are few and far between when compared to other cities and even when they are there they are often in a poor state of repair. There are a lot of restaurants and what not but everything is very spread out and sprawling.

Houston is attempting to build density and some kind of consistency but again the whole "no zoning" thing kills it. In my neighborhood Midtown (supposedly the most "urban" area of Houston) they build a nice, urban looking residential building with commercial units at street level but a block away there is a CVS with a huge parking lot just like you would find in any suburb in America. Blah.

If you are really looking to "live life for the moment" then San Diego seems like the perfect place. If you have to live in a small place, who cares? Again, you are "living for the now." You are not worrying about things like space, family, schools, etc. I would suggest Gaslamp or PB. You can walk to the beach or ride a bike. Transit is decent and the weather is amazing.

But if you are looking to live in the burbs, Houston is as good as any other place I guess. It is cheap and the city seems to focus exclusively on providing services to residents in BFE (or BFP).

We need better public transit before we can even think about building a dense core. This city can build as many townhouses and condos as it want, but they have to provide some type of parking because our public transit sucks!.

[cjester]

I have been enjoying the water in Galveston for decades. I would say that in this beach one can at least get in the water and swim without freezing. I remember trying to swim in Monterey, CA in the middle of August. The water was freezing and the wind was cold and blowing.
If you do some research on Galveston beaches on city data, you will find that the water is not dirty. It is not dirt, it's silt. it's just the way it is and I love it.

[AK123]

Exactly - the few opinions on Galveston in this thread are misleading.

I would never call Galveston "nasty." Don't know where people are getting that. If you don't go expecting the Caribbean, or even Florida, you'll think it's fine. There are a few pics in the Houston photo thread on the front page of the forum... see for yourself.

[Mom2Feebs]

Originally Posted by MommiePreMed

You are NOT from Atlanta, but a far flung suburb. so I will dismiss your failed attempts at comparing any parts of Atlanta to Houston, TX.

Yikes. Do you two have some sort of...history? People wonder why Houston isn't friendly anymore...hello!

I will be the first to say that there are millions of restaurants here and an endless array of food, BUT the grocery stores are subpar. If you shop at publix you will not find anything like it in Houston. The Whole Foods here do not offer the same ammenities as the Atlanta locations. If you are a Kroger or a Wal-Mart shopper you will not notice anything different.

Grocery stores in Houston subpar? What? Whole Foods started in Texas, so this statement is kind of odd to me...

I guess I'm a little biased, but I love our grocery stores here. Central Market rocks, I think HEBs BLOW Publix away--and I love Publix, so that's saying something. To me, Kroger is a joke unless you're at the West Gray one or Voss/San Felipe. Rice Epicurean simply has no competition, they are so service-oriented they'd do anything for any of their customers. I love them!

[Metro Matt]

The only things similar between Houston & Atlanta are piney forests, freeways, humidity, & sprawl.

Houston is more diverse & cosmopolitan. Atlanta is more urban, has a better airport, & mass transit.

[jluke65780]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

The only things similar between Houston & Atlanta are piney forests, freeways, humidity, & sprawl.

Houston is more diverse & cosmopolitan. Atlanta is more urban, has a better airport, & mass transit.

more urban and better airport??? I think many people would disagree with this. I think Atlanta has better urban developments, but more urban I think not. They're the same to me, and their airport sucks like hell.