Possible Relocation: Tell me 5 Positive and 5 Negative Things About Houston, TX (Dallas: condo, house)

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by rigas

yeah you guys are right, i was completely wrong, houston is the tree capitol of texas.

these are google screen shots of each city, just look at all that green. dallas and houston are pretty darn close but there are more areas out and around the dfw area with more lake/nature/green/trees. houston has patches but as a whole it is the least tree covered city in texas.

and nobody ever said these other cities didnt have master planned anything, i said they take the environment and vegetation into account more then houston does. being in construction (new construction) to many places (75% of all new construction in houston) just come in and take everything down, bring in some dirt to fill the wholes and start over. these things are fewer and farther between in other cities. and i have worked in all 4 of these cities and seen it 1st hand.

No trees in Houston?


Texasfreeway.com

[DJboutit]

Good
1. Nice neighborhood close to the loop with homes under $350k
2. Nice weather 6 to 7 1/2 months of the yr
3. Many great restaurants to choose from
4. Lots of good places within 3 hrs to goto for a weekend trip like Austin Hill Country & San Antonio
5. Lots of good entertainment

Bad
1. High humidity in the summer
2. Misquetos 8 months of the yr
3. Traffic to many people live more than 10 to 15 miles from where they work
4. To much crime around larger atp complexs like Fondren South West
5. Not enough mass transit people want to drive there big SUVs every where & they do not want poor people comming in there neighborhood

[dv1033]

Originally Posted by rigas

yeah you guys are right, i was completely wrong, houston is the tree capitol of texas.

these are google screen shots of each city, just look at all that green. dallas and houston are pretty darn close but there are more areas out and around the dfw area with more lake/nature/green/trees. houston has patches but as a whole it is the least tree covered city in texas.

Least covered tree based on google map screenshots? You have got to be kidding. Furthermore, you screenshots exclude most of the lakes in Houston region and you ignore the several state parks that are in close proximity to Houston. I don't what you have against Houston but anyone with half a brain can smell your exaggerations and mischaracterization.

and nobody ever said these other cities didnt have master planned anything, i said they take the environment and vegetation into account more then houston does. being in construction (new construction) to many places (75% of all new construction in houston) just come in and take everything down, bring in some dirt to fill the wholes and start over. these things are fewer and farther between in other cities. and i have worked in all 4 of these cities and seen it 1st hand.

Then you should know that most of west and southwest was clearcutted and farmed for rice and sugar in Houston's earlier history. Most of the trees in Houston were planted by developers and citizens and do in fact cover most of the metro.

[EasilyAmused]

One 70 year live oak> 10 pines anyday.

And I own tons of acreage way NE of Houston with Pines...in the REAL piney woods. Houston is incredible to be the 4th largest city with the foliage it has.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by EasilyAmused

One 70 year live oak> 10 pines anyday.

And I own tons of acreage way NE of Houston with Pines...in the REAL piney woods. Houston is incredible to be the 4th largest city with the foliage it has.

And that's why I call BS when people say we're completely devoid of natural beauty.

California has the hills, but a great deal of it is just barren.

@OP: I'm in a 750 sf 1br, paying ~$550. Honestly, I could survive in a smaller place. I tend to consider the city on a greater level "my space," or at least wherever I happen to be at a given moment, but this is not a prevailing mentality in the Sun Belt where people tend to want big houses and yards. But if you're happy with this, you've got options. Thing is, especially closer in, values are rising. We've largely avoided the housing crisis, if not so much the financial crisis that resulted from the housing crisis nationwide. With these rising values, rents go up, or less expensive housing gets taken down for more "upscale" development, AKA gentrification. You could still get a $500 place in Montrose, but it's not going to be big, and it's going to be old.

"Low crime" can mean different things to different people. If you're from NYC and you have an iota of street smarts, then I really don't see many problems. Leave a GPS or a laptop in the car, and you may well find a missing window and some missing property. If you have more sense than that, then you've made yourself less a target. FWIW, I'm in an area that most people on here will tell you to avoid, and the worst thing that's happened to me is getting my car's backglass busted out by one named Ike. But Ike was a hurricane, not a criminal. People's cars get busted into in the burbs too, including areas that get touted here and elsewhere as "safe."

It comes down to what you want to be around. Do you want to be around museums, clubs, established urban neighborhoods, sports venues and the like? Or do you want something more quiet like you might find in the suburbs? The further out you go, the more driving is a necessity, because in the burbs even a trip to the local grocery store for a loaf of bread isn't easily done on foot, to say nothing of anything in the way of entertainment.

[BoydS]

I've lived in the Houston area for over 30 years, so here's my 2 cents..

The good:
1. Job opportunites
2. Housing cost
3. Entertainment
4. Restaurants
5. Fishing

The bad:
1. Traffic
2. Crime
3. Illegal immigrates
4. Hurricanes
5. Bugs (insects)

[texas7]

Everyone thinks Houston is so cheap and homes and cost of living are compared to the rest of the country but it still costs to live in a decent neighborhood. Garage apts. in Montrose and areas I mentioned are nice. Garage apartments are typically apartments built over someone's detached garage. Sort of like an efficiency. You have a small kitchen & bath. Not bad and you get to live in a nice neighborhood. Other than that - I would look for apt. style condos that individuals rent out - they usually rent those for about $500-600 for 1 BR. You can find those on all sides of town as well.

[theSUBlime]

Many people know nothing about this city (that includes people that live in the surrounding areas and isolated enclaves) and you have to correct them a lot of the time.

Granted this is the third time this has happened this year and I have been attending this school for 3 years, maybe you can see what I mean.

Friend from NH: Hey, so how was your summer?
Me: It was OK...just HOT! I'm in Houston remember? [laughs]
Friend from NH: Oh yeah! Well, it must have been nice and dry at least, right?
Me: [Blank stare] Ummm...

[jfre81]

Actually, June was quite dry, both in the low-rain sense and in the humidity sense, at least compared to usual around here.

Remember, this is still Texas, and a lot of outsiders have this idea that we're a wide open desert or prairie like they saw on an old episode of Gunsmoke.

[westres1]

I have 8 full grown trees on my smallish 1960 built lot. I took out two trees when we moved in. My neighborhood has so many trees you cant see fireworks at LakesideCC which is less than a mile away. Houston has many trees...ever been to Memorial park?