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I've narrowed my choices down to Houston, Austin and Los Angeles; the move wouldn't take place for another 1-3 years, if it does.
I'm curious to know what the pros and cons are of Los Angeles (a huge general area, I know, it's not all just L.A. proper,) especially in comparison to back east. I was raised in the South and now live in Cincinnati; while I've done A LOT of research on the three cities here on C-D, this still is a tough decision.
I've narrowed my choices down to Houston, Austin and Los Angeles; the move wouldn't take place for another 1-3 years, if it does.
I'm curious to know what the pros and cons are of Los Angeles (a huge general area, I know, it's not all just L.A. proper,) especially in comparison to back east. I was raised in the South and now live in Cincinnati; while I've done A LOT of research on the three cities here on C-D, this still is a tough decision.
Thanks much!
wow, there is no right and wrong answer to this, a lot has to do with your likes and dislikes, political views, attitudes, income, marital status, etc.
Let me start with my view of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas:
Pros: lots of nice towns in So Calif, Glendale, Pasa, SO Pasa, some of the areas within the city itself, parts of OC, parts of the IE. Arcadia, Sierra Madres, Glendora, just to mention a few places. Lots of sunshine after the fog lifts. Laid back, but not as laid back as in days gone by: good access to outdoor activities, lots of pro sports (missing football but that might be there soon) Lots of diversity, both culturally and in other ways.
Cons; some people appear to be plastic. The smog is still bad, just not as bad as days gone by: schools can be good, bad or in-between: Lots of illegals and lots of people on government assistance: extremely high cost of living (mainly property) but taxes as well. Very long commute times unless you live within a few miles of where you work. Depending on where you live, if conservatism is something you are looking for, you may have trouble finding it. Again, this may or may not be a problem. Of course, right now a horrible job market, that can change.
Houston: Pros: lots of good places to live around the city. Pro sports if this is important to you. The people are friendly. There is some great sight seeing, not as much as some places. The cost of living is pretty low compared to many places. The economy hasn't suffered nearly like it has in many areas, including Ca. Lots of greenery. Mild winters. A good mixture of diversity and politics. You can easily find your nitch regardles of your views.
Cons: awful traffic, you have to be very careful where you choose to live as there are some horrible areas, just like any major city. The heat and humidity can be stiffling during the summers.
Austin: great economy right now. Not as humid as some parts of Texas. Great life for 20 and 30 something if the single scene is your thing. Lots of good music. Some great outdoor activities during the summer. Close to San Antonio and Dallas, but still far enough away to be their own city. University of Texas plus the capitol makes it a pretty active area. It is one of the most popular places for young professionals to re-locate right now. Austin has a lower cost of living than many busy metro areas.
Cons: again, depending on your life style, the city is the most liberal of all of the cities in Texas. That can be good or bad. The traffic can be a problem, not as bad as the other two places. You know, for the right person, it is pretty hard to find too many negatives about Austin.
These are my views: many will have totally different ideas.
I apologize for taking so long to return to this thread, I literally forgot all about it.
nmnita, that is an awesome side-by-side comparison of the cities. I want to visit all three cities next yeat to get a feel for each.
I have a feeling already that I will like L.A. the best...but that begs the question, the cost of living! (Of course, if I go military, which I'm considering, and have them pay for my education under Montgomery G.I., that will take care of a huge chunk there.)
I'm originally from Minneapolis, then lived on the east coast for a number of years before moving to LA. Absolutely no regrets, and we'd be there still if my husband hadn't had a job transfer (I still do some work for a LA-based company).
PROS: extremely diverse in every sense of the word. Everyone from everywhere lives in LA. Depending on neighborhood there's great street life, street food, lots of stuff to do. The weather is nice, the mountains are nice, proximity to the ocean is nice. Fresh fruit from the neighborhood is great! Tons of museums, culture, events of all sorts. Good public transportation in many areas. Great food. Lots of colleges and universities. Lots of outdoor activities.
CONS: buying a house is expensive. It can get (too) hot in the summer. Traffic is bad. Earthquake potential. Wildfires. (not so much in the city, but Griffith Park had some pretty major fires that could have spread - thank goodness they didnt') Long flight from the east coast if you need to travel there very often.
As far as cost of living, that's subjective; renting isn't too bad (I don't think rents are bad, but buying a place is), food prices seem average, and you can get great airfare deals to lots of places if you're traveling, thanks to the many airlines and flights to the various LA area airports.
I lived in LA a couple brief times and absolutely loved it. Only thing that got kinda old was some of the people act subhuman, like they are too good to even say "hello" on the street, but not all of them and I think they do that because in LA you look straight ahead to avoid problems. I don't think it's personal they are just busy and protective. On the other side of that is in the midwest people stare too much. Also, once in L.A. after seeing the dudes there it can make you feel like you have alot to do as far as image (if your image oriented), I am not, so it don't matter...but yeah some of the people look pretty good and you can feel small really fast. Chisled cheek bones, perfect abs and a great head of hair make me jealous! haha!
Never been to the other cities you mention, or had any desire to do so so I can't comment.
I don't know you so I can't say you'll like L.A., but it is VERY liberal and diverse. Also never a shortage of things to do 24/7. Whatever your into LA has it. Good luck!
I live in LA/Houston and go to school outside Austin so think this is a good question for me!
Houston-its the 4th largest city in the nation with a Texas twist. The people in Austin and Houston are amazing, although Austin is much more hippie. The weather in houston is awsome other than in the summer. It has the best and most diverse food. It has so many trees, when you land at the airports it looks like you are arriving in a forest. As they say everything in Texas really is bigger, from the sports stadiums to the 2nd largest performing centers in the nation(1st is New York), as well as yearly events such as the largest rodeo in the world that is so much fun! Houston is a great place!
Austin: Very hilly and has amazing lakes. As said before the people are really cool here and this is the one city I have been to where there is basically no ghetto. The only bad part about this place is that you do not really get the city feel and it gets even hotter in the summer than in Houston. The entire hill country is very beautiful!
Los Angeles: Probally the greatest city in the world, although living here can be difficult. Traffic sucks so much worse than any other city and it is often very smoggy. Other than that is has everything to offer:great weather,beaches,palm trees,pretty people. This could be a good or bad thing but LA is very trendy and is always changing. But basically LA is paradise in many ways.
In the end I would have to say either choose LA or Houston, depending on your style but you can't go wrong with any of them.
As a Houston native who has spent way too many years in this city, and will soon be moving to California, I'll chime in.
Houston - if you can't stand heat and bloodthirsty mosquitoes, cross Houston off your list. We're getting triple digit temperatures right now with smothering humidity. I've never been anywhere else where mosquitoes will actually follow you and your dog during an evening stroll. The other day after I finished a measly 1 mile run outside at 9pm, I was asked if it was raining, because I was soaked in layers of my own sweat. Don't be surprised to spend Christmas in shorts. Houston's urban sprawl is pretty horrendous, especially if you live outside of the 610 loop. Public transportation is just about non-existent. The land is flat, not very scenic, and I consider the city fairly ugly (ie, driving down i45). I guess you can say I'm biased though.
Austin - I went to school in Austin and loved it. I think Austin's a great city for those in their 20's-30's. Most things are nearby, there's a very liberal and open-minded vibe about the city. Live music is king as evidenced by the performances in popular venues like Emo's and Stubb's, and the yearly SXSW music festival. The food is good, the scenery is nice, and there's lots of outdoor activities to do (Lake Travis, floating the river, cliff diving, etc). It gets hot during the summer, but the humidity isn't as bad as Houston's. I guess you can say I'm biased though.
Thanks again, everybody, for the varied and balanced input.
I'm visiting Los Angeles in November for three days; it's all I can afford, for now, tripwise, but I am (slowly) saving up for move outta Kentucky. Either that, or I'll join the Air Force or Navy (which I've contemplated for some years now,) serve a minimum of eight years as a Reservist, and attend grad school in Texas or California in the meanwhile. Anyway, I'm sure I'll have PLENTY of L.A. questions over the next three months; I'm doing a lot of my own research, but nothing beats the perspective of an L.A. native and/or affectionado. This much I'm confident of: I'll love L.A., but I also know that like any place else that once the rose-colored glasses come off that your perspective often changes.
Location: where the moss is taking over the villages
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Texas versus Los Angeles
Quote:
Originally Posted by EclecticEars
I've narrowed my choices down to Houston, Austin and Los Angeles; the move wouldn't take place for another 1-3 years, if it does.
I'm curious to know what the pros and cons are of Los Angeles (a huge general area, I know, it's not all just L.A. proper,) especially in comparison to back east. I was raised in the South and now live in Cincinnati; while I've done A LOT of research on the three cities here on C-D, this still is a tough decision.
Thanks much!
I heard first hand that Houston could be undesirable. Maybe that would be different by the time you'd be there (a few years). But the reason I heard was that really undesirable people (described as criminals of the worst sort) were displaced by Katrina & relocated to the TX metro areas. The people I heard this from were medical professionals who purposefully relocated here to Eugene Oregon to escape an environment they deemed undesirable to raise their child.
The downside people find to relocating to where I am is mostly the allergy potential. We have terrible pollen counts. Something to consider in your decision if your sensitivity to pollen is an issue... However, our skies are usually quite pretty when the clouds lets us see the blue!
I heard first hand that Houston could be undesirable. Maybe that would be different by the time you'd be there (a few years). But the reason I heard was that really undesirable people (described as criminals of the worst sort) were displaced by Katrina & relocated to the TX metro areas. The people I heard this from were medical professionals who purposefully relocated here to Eugene Oregon to escape an environment they deemed undesirable to raise their child.
The downside people find to relocating to where I am is mostly the allergy potential. We have terrible pollen counts. Something to consider in your decision if your sensitivity to pollen is an issue... However, our skies are usually quite pretty when the clouds lets us see the blue!
Good luck in your quest!
Any city the size of Houston, Los Angeles or even Austin will have a crime element and so much happened after Katrina. Many of those that relocated have since moved elsewhere. I think this is a very poor example of what an area is like, I will add, I do not personally like Houston, mainly due to the weather. I probably would not move there, but some areas are outstanding.
Nita
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Texas versus Los Angeles
