Places Long Islanders could move too. (New York, Boston: month to, houses, job market)

[totallyfrazzled]

Originally Posted by StephM

The problem with most areas LIers would feel most at home, is that they cost as much, if not more than LI.

I completely agree. We went through this entire scenario a couple of years ago (we're in our early 60s). I couldn't tolerate winters any worse than we get here on LI (so CT and Mass are out, as well as anything around the Great Lakes) and my SO can't tolerate heat or humidity worse than we get here. We both have some degree of arthritis which eliminates the Pacific Northwest entirely. We visited North Carolina a few times and agreed that anyplace in the South is just not for us (we felt like a couple of fish out of water in many respects!).

It's very difficult to find the right balance between economic necessity and emotional security. The bottom line often is, how much are you willing to sacrifice financially in order to live in the area that you truly love and want to be in? Or conversely, how much are you willing to sacrifice emotionally by leaving the place you love in order to put yourself in a more secure financial position?

I guess in the end it all ultimately boils down to Love versus Money. I'm using "love" in the sense of what area you feel the most comfortable calling "home".

[AK123]

Originally Posted by AlexisT

Houston is my idea of hell on earth. It is flat, unbearably humid, summer is suffocating (I've been to Houston in July, and NEVER AGAIN), air quality is nil, and schools are not that great (ESPECIALLY in Houston ISD). The nice suburbs are a long commute. It's very conservative, heavily evangelical, especially in the 'burbs.

Flat - aren't a lot of great cities basically flat? What about all the trees and nearby water?
Humid - yes.
Hot summers - all of Texas is this way.
Air quality - again, a lot of cities have major air pollution and Houston is not the worst.
HISD - there are some great schools in HISD, though these are mostly in the wealthy areas of town.
Conservative - aside from the suburbs, not as much as people make it out to be. Houston has never had a Republican mayor, and was blue in the last election.

[AK123]

Originally Posted by StephM

We're thinking Houston, big city, diversity, great job opportunities, a LOW LOW COL. Schools are as good as LI schools for half the price. The summer months are brutal and spent inside mostly. but its no different than the 5 months I spend inside on LI already.

This is all correct.

Houston is very underrated.

If you're really interested, you can go to the Houston forum to ask about specific areas of town.

[StephM]

Originally Posted by AK123

This is all correct.

Houston is very underrated.

If you're really interested, you can go to the Houston forum to ask about specific areas of town.

We've been mainly looking in Sugar Land and Memorial Northwest. We're planning a trip down this year. I want to go 2x, once in the summer so I can see how bad it really is and then maybe again in December.

[dman72]

Originally Posted by StephM

We've been mainly looking in Sugar Land and Memorial Northwest. We're planning a trip down this year. I want to go 2x, once in the summer so I can see how bad it really is and then maybe again in December.

Take the hottest day you've ever experience on LI..it's like that all summer.

100 degrees AND HUMID....not 100 degrees California Central Valley, beautiful in the shade, and dry. 100 degrees- start sweating the minute you step out the door.

[Cardiff Giant]

Originally Posted by StephM

I want to go 2x, once in the summer so I can see how bad it really is

We did that before we moved; visited Austin in mid August to see if we were willing to stand the heat. I opened the door at our hotel and it was like opening an oven door! You get used to it, though.

It doesn't cool off at night either. 10PM is still 95 deg!

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by StephM

We're thinking Houston, great job opportunities, a LOW LOW COL.

Great job opportunities = low low COL

THAT DOES NOT COMPUTE!

The reason buying a house is so cheap in Houston is because the jobs don't pay well. The reason the jobs don't pay well is because there aren't a lot of them available, so the employers know they don't have to pay well. I am not kidding. I know people who live there.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by Crookhaven

Thats what you think.

I think we all suffer from some degree of LI denial.

crooks

No, I actually live part time in VT for work.

I've dealt with endless grey days, tire chains, (and sliding off the road before I bought chains!) XX feet of snow for months on end, the 'joy' of going out in the AM when it's -10, mud season, black flies, knowing that if you need something that you're not running up to the corner to get it like we take for granted on LI.

There's hunting -- on opening day of deer season, life ceases to exist as employees head out to bag food for winter. There's having locals admire the racks on your vehicle and commenting how great they would be for hauling X number of dead animals out with.

There's no street lights, no garbage collection -- we drive 14 miles to the transfer station to dispose of it -- a small local PD which makes zippo, but the officers all know the residents and take pride in their jobs.

Like LI, school taxes are getting run up by people who clamor 'it's for the children' while laying small districts with inane amounts of admin. It's a state which would do well with centralized districts.

It's a different life and I love it. It gets a little harder to come home to come home to LI after having been up there a while. If I could, I would love to move my house here up there.

[Crookhaven]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

No, I actually live part time in VT for work.

I've dealt with endless grey days, tire chains, (and sliding off the road before I bought chains!) XX feet of snow for months on end, the 'joy' of going out in the AM when it's -10, mud season, black flies, knowing that if you need something that you're not running up to the corner to get it like we take for granted on LI.

There's hunting -- on opening day of deer season, life ceases to exist as employees head out to bag food for winter. There's having locals admire the racks on your vehicle and commenting how great they would be for hauling X number of dead animals out with.

There's no street lights, no garbage collection -- we drive 14 miles to the transfer station to dispose of it -- a small local PD which makes zippo, but the officers all know the residents and take pride in their jobs.

Like LI, school taxes are getting run up by people who clamor 'it's for the children' while laying small districts with inane amounts of admin. It's a state which would do well with centralized districts.

It's a different life and I love it. It gets a little harder to come home to come home to LI after having been up there a while. If I could, I would love to move my house here up there.

Im just joking with you, but bottom line...we are everywhere.

Im pretty good at picking us out in a crowd,

crooks

[AlexisT]

Houston is weird. SOME jobs pay really well. But a lot don't. COL isn't really low because of the job market, though, it's because Houston has the lowest real estate costs of any major metro area.

Houston isn't just "bad" air quality--it's near the top of some lists.

And as for "aren't other cities flat", few are as deadly, monotonously flat as Houston. Only Florida can compare. The trees barely seem to break up the landscape.