Should I move to Houston or Boston?...details inside

[Wahine]

Wowie, I'm glad bmglab already answered a bit to this. Can't disagree more with several of these comments. I've already asked my husband to join in the discussion here, since he's from Boston and still has family there. We went to school in Massachusetts, and both know Boston very well.

I'm flabbergasted especially at the comment that Boston is better because it's close to NYC, DC, Montreal, Ottawa. Do the math - pull out Google Maps and actually check out the driving times. The last three are nowhere near as close in driving time to Boston (hint: 7 hours!) as Houston is to NOLA, Austin, Dallas, etc. In college we both had copious free time to travel, but only NYC and New Jersey were really something you could just "do" on a weekend whim. Whereas Austin, Dallas, NOLA, San Antonio and much more are all within about 4 hours. And then there's the "don't offer much" comment. What? Are you kidding me? All right, responding point by point...

Originally Posted by ikonos

4) Lot of eat out places just like in boston but they are spread out. So a car is very handy.

The truth is that there are so many places to eat out, you can stick neighborhood by neighborhood. In over two years we have barely scratched the surface in eating out, just in the Bay Area and Pearland. We are still discovering places. You do not need to drive all over town to get good food: however, just like in LA, you can do so and have a lot of fun while you're at it.

Originally Posted by ikonos

7) You wont find the youthful intellectual feeling in houstonians compared to bostonians (even if they are equally intelligent) so i would say more laid back

Ouch. There are definitely intellectual, creative people here in Houston. You will find them attracted to certain neighborhoods, however - such as West University, Montrose, the Woodlands and Clear Lake, as well as people spread out throughout the city. If you want larrikin culture like "Urban Cowboy", you can find that too. But that's not how everyone lives.

Originally Posted by ikonos

9) Houstonians are not as health conscious. You wont find many farmers markets or health clubs compared to boston.

There are plenty of health clubs here, as well as farmers markets. They're not necessarily publicized outside of the Loop: http://www.houstonfarmersmarket.org/

In addition, you can get amazingly good produce, gourmet and high quality food throughout the city at the San Antonio-based chain HEB.

Not to mention the excellent HEB-owned Central Market and the Rice Epicurean Markets - https://www.riceepicurean.com/

What you will have to factor in: pick a good neighborhood near a large, well-maintained park, or with sidewalks, or plan to drive to a place where you can exercise. Certain areas of the city are not so walkable, though it is changing gradually.

Originally Posted by ikonos

10) If you are the intellectual type that likes to attend Harvard, MIT seminars then houston may not be the place.

Bmglab answered this well. There are several universities in town with everything from theater productions, seminars and classical music open to the public, many great independent book stores, galleries, and so on.

Originally Posted by ikonos

11) If you like to drive a lot to nearby cities, then boston is better with NYC, DC, Montreal, Ottawa in close distance. The nearby cities to houston New Orleans, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio dont offer much.

Okay, now this is the biggie. I happen to love Montreal and New York, and DC and Ottawa, despite being capitals (eg=bureaucrats), also have a tremendous amount of culture.

However, the comment that the other cities don't offer much is BS. First off, while Boston is one of the four cities widely considered to be "unique cultural treasures," San Antonio and New Orleans are two of the others. (The fourth: San Francisco).

New Orleans is still one of the best places in the country for jazz and for world-class dining, whether it's inexpensive or high-priced.
Austin has beautiful parks, the South by Southwest conference, and many opportunities for live music. It's a mecca for digital art, independent filmmakers and bands of all kinds. And it's got some great museums to boot. It's also a great jumping off point for the beautiful and idyllic Hill Country, with small towns, clear lakes and hiking parks.
The "metroplex" of Dallas-Fort Worth is huge, with unique spots to visit like the Ft. Worth stockyards, art museums, the JFK museum, and much more.

Last but certainly not least, San Antonio is one of the most beautiful cities in the country. It is far superior in beauty, in my opinion, to Montreal, New York, DC or Ottawa, despite their charms. Between the Alamo, the gorgeous semi-restored Spanish mission ruins, the Paseo del Rio, the artists villages, the river theater, and the walkability ... it is one of the most charming cities you'll ever find in this country. You could spend a week there and never run out of things to do.

I've lived in ten states and one Canadian province. Texas is as diverse as California, and much less expensive. If you can't find something to love passionately in this state, you're just not looking hard enough. It's that diverse.

Having lived in California (a state where we doubted we could ever buy a home) and Massachusetts, I would encourage people to come down here at the beginning of their careers, because the cost of living is lower, salaries are good, and housing prices are not too crazy. Believe me, we wish we'd known earlier how much easier it would be to build equity here, than on the West or East Coasts.

[HoustonSpace]

I think I might be able to provide you with a good perspective on this issue.

I grew up in Boston and lived there until I was 25. After a tour in the military I moved to Houston 2 years ago. A big part of my decision was "Income compared with cost of living". Boston had become too expensive. Homes are costing 300K and 400K. This is disproportionate to the rest of the country.


By contrast, Houston has the best housing market in the country. By that I mean it's a very metropolitan city (4th largest in the country), yet the cost to buy a decent home is very low.

As far as rent goes, in Boston it is very high. In 1999 I paid $1200/month for a two bedroom place in a two-family house in Quincy. You want to live in a Brownstone? Get ready to fork over some cash. That luxury will cost you a great deal of money.

In Houston I pay $809/month for a two bedroom townhouse-style apartment. I work down by Johnson Spac Center, and I drive 12 miles to work and it takes 30 minutes. No highways. You would pay about $900 for the same place in downtown Houston.

The money you would save by living here could be used for the following:

A: Retirement Savings and Investments
B: Student Loans (if any)
C: A mortgage

Don't let the Downtown Boston / Brownstone style of living cloud what's really important. Unless they're paying you at least $200k, it's not worth it. Are you expecting to live with roommates to cover the costs?

Let's look at the facts:

Car:
- In Boston you will not need a car. Boston has excellent public transportation, and a commuter rail pass/subway pass is worth the money.

- In Houston, by comparison, you will need a car if you live outside the 610 loop. It's good to have one here no matter what.


Rent:
Rent near your building in Boston will be atrocious. Some people don't know it's atrocious because they've never lived anywhere else.

Rent in Houston will be manageable even in downtown. There are hundreds of apartment complexes.
Be aware that there are no zoning laws in Houston. Neighborhoods are vastly different from block to block. If you choose Houston, you will need to do more research on the particular neighborhood you want to live in.


Heating/Cooling:
- Boston is cold in winter
If you have electric heat, you will cry every time you pay your bill. Brownstones are old and drafty (unless they have been fully refurbed). Those tall ceilings mean massive cubic footage to keep warm.
Spending all that time in Ann Arbor, Boston will be like a cakewalk. it doesn't get as cold there as it does in Michigan, however, you will still have to deal with snow.

- Houston is hot is summer.
A/C costs are expensive. Depending on your square footage and insulation, it can be about $200/month. It is rare that you will need to turn on the heater, which will be expensive too. If you rent, try to find something on the 1st or 2nd floor, and between other units. This will help mitigate any heating/cooling costs.


I love Boston. But, like San Francisco, it has become too expensive for the middle class.

The cost of renting in Boston is more than the cost of owning in Houston.


Look, I could go on forever, but it really comes down to this:

If you have any desire to purchase a home, build equity in it, and be able to save for retirement - move to Houston and buy a decent house in 1-2 years. I say that because it will give you a chance to rent first, then look around and get to know the area.

If you do not plan on owning a house anytime in the next 5 years and instead intend to rent (possibly with roomates), then you may enjoy yourself more in Boston. But eventually, you will want to buy a house. With the prices what they are in Boston now, is it worth the cost?

[houstoner]

Originally Posted by mpope409

Houston does need some farmer's markets in the central part of the city. That would be great. Especially for the organic southern cooks.

Houston has centrally-located farmers' markets, some relatively new and "hip" and others that have been around for decades. I prefer the back of Canino's on Airline, but there's also Houston Farmers Market in the Heights and Rice Village, Midtown Farmers Market, Central City Co-op, and Bayou City Farmers Market operated by Urban Harvest, an urban agriculture initiative that does amazing work. Shape Community Center in Third Ward offers a fruit and vegetable or fruit only co-op at low cost once a month as well.

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by houstoner

Houston has centrally-located farmers' markets, some relatively new and "hip" and others that have been around for decades. I prefer the back of Canino's on Airline, but there's also Houston Farmers Market in the Heights and Rice Village, Midtown Farmers Market, Central City Co-op, and Bayou City Farmers Market operated by Urban Harvest, an urban agriculture initiative that does amazing work. Shape Community Center in Third Ward offers a fruit and vegetable or fruit only co-op at low cost once a month as well.

Well, I guess what I meant is some downtown.

[ikonos]

Wow, i guess i ruffled quite a few feathers. Let me first say I am not advocating either Houston or Boston even though I welcomed the original poster to Houston. I am only posting my opinions as I felt and what I saw.

1) I did go to the farmers market near rice village and those kind of tiny farmers markets are dime a dozen in Boston area. There are numerous articles that point out the difference in the per capita number of Health clubs and Farmers Markets in Houston area in comparison to their population. I am aware of HEB and been there but i am not talking about grocery stores.
2) I never said Houstonians are not as intellectual as bostonians. What i said is "even if they are equally intelligent, you wont find that intellectual feeling in houstonians as much as you would in bostonians".
3) Medicial center is a world class location and i dont deny the quality or number of seminars in the medical field. But as you can see its restricted to one such field or may be the oil and gas field. In boston you would find more diversity in that area being the university town of america. (There are lot more universities in boston metro area than any other metro area in USA).
4) As far as places to drive, I can not compare austin, NO, SA, dallas to the likes of NYC, DC, Toronto, Montreal, quebec city, coastal maine, vermont etc. Outside of few things to do in Austin and NO, the number of places/things you can go/see/do are absolutely more in Boston area than in Houston. I have been to SA, NO, Austin, fort worth stock yards, dallas and seen what they have to offer. I also been to the places I mentioned above in north east. So i base my opinion on my personal experience.

I agree with all the points HoustonSpace raised aswell. Houston is more practical for me to settle down, but thats only my opinion. I am not sure if any one pointed this out, but there is no state tax in TX compared to about 5.2% tax in MA.

Have fun.

[houstoner]

Originally Posted by ikonos

Wow, i guess i ruffled quite a few feathers. Let me first say I am not advocating either Houston or Boston even though I welcomed the original poster to Houston. I am only posting my opinions as I felt and what I saw.

1) I did go to the farmers market near rice village and those kind of tiny farmers markets are dime a dozen in Boston area. There are numerous articles that point out the difference in the per capita number of Health clubs and Farmers Markets in Houston area in comparison to their population. I am aware of HEB and been there but i am not talking about grocery stores.
2) I never said Houstonians are not as intellectual as bostonians. What i said is "even if they are equally intelligent, you wont find that intellectual feeling in houstonians as much as you would in bostonians".
3) Medicial center is a world class location and i dont deny the quality or number of seminars in the medical field. But as you can see its restricted to one such field or may be the oil and gas field. In boston you would find more diversity in that area being the university town of america. (There are lot more universities in boston metro area than any other metro area in USA).
4) As far as places to drive, I can not compare austin, NO, SA, dallas to the likes of NYC, DC, Toronto, Montreal, quebec city, coastal maine, vermont etc. Outside of few things to do in Austin and NO, the number of places/things you can go/see/do are absolutely more in Boston area than in Houston. I have been to SA, NO, Austin, fort worth stock yards, dallas and seen what they have to offer. I also been to the places I mentioned above in north east. So i base my opinion on my personal experience.

I agree with all the points HoustonSpace raised aswell. Houston is more practical for me to settle down, but thats only my opinion. I am not sure if any one pointed this out, but there is no state tax in TX compared to about 5.2% tax in MA.

Have fun.

What you'll find is a lack of pretense, not a lack of "intellectual feeling."

Many of your points are largely irrelevant if the OP is going to be working 40+ hours a week. In the first place, that there isn't much to see and do in San Antonio, Dallas, New Orleans, etc. is just kind of asinine to say. Your list of things to do and his list of things to do may vary a great deal. The OP didn't really list his personal hobbies so we have no way of knowing how much as a factor that would weigh in his decision, but there is PLENTY to see and do in and around Houston, lots of hidden history and treasure here, including lectures in fields other than medicine and oil & gas, poetry readings and book signings, art openings, live music events, and more, if you bother to look. And if you're referring to the Men's Fitness articles on America's fittest & fattest cities, they are notoriously scientifically unsound. Previous posters were letting him know that he can find plenty of gyms and organic foods in Houston, IF those are things he's looking for. OP: check out the Houston Press website to get a feel for the CITY, not the 'burbs, and for things to do.