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If you had to decide between moving to San Diego, Orange County or Houston TXusing the criteria listed below, which one would you pick and why? It would really help if you could elaborate on each criteria. Thanks in advance for your comments! (Note - I am in IT and so most probably my new job would be in San Diego downtown, Irvine or Houston downtown)
Housing (rent vs. own 2 BR condo)
Leisure activities
Cultural options
IT Job growth
Weather
Commute time
Health care access
Beaches
Education
Crime
If you had to decide between moving to San Diego, Orange County or Houston TXusing the criteria listed below, which one would you pick and why? It would really help if you could elaborate on each criteria. Thanks in advance for your comments! (Note - I am in IT and so most probably my new job would be in San Diego downtown, Irvine or Houston downtown)
Being in IT you will probably not be working in Downtown SD. More likely you will be in the Golden triangle area (sorrento Mesa, Mira Mesa, etc)
Anyway:
-- Housing (rent vs. own 2 BR condo)
San Diego and OC are brutally expensive to own and rent. SD is a bit less costly than OC and has a whole lot more entry level 2BR condo conversions (mostly in the 350k) range.
Houston beats both hands down.
-- Leisure activities
SD and OC are probably the best places in the country for year round leisure options ranging from sports to hiking to aquatics etc. SD is less congested and built-out than OC and has easier access to beaches, mountains, and sports facilities.
Given the heat and humidity in Houston in summertime, I think SD wins this one.
-- Cultural options
Can't speak for the H on this one but both OC and SD are similarly cultural backwaters compared to the big leagues of LA, SF, or NYC.
Given OC's proximity to LA, OC wins.
-- IT Job growth
Again can't really speak for the H-town but the entire SoCal region is booming for IT right now, especially the Costa Mesa / Irvine area. SD is hot but has a smaller, less varied job market. SD also lacks the corporate HQ's that OC has.
Advantage, OC.
-- Weather
C'mon now. 100+ temps and 80% humidity in summertime vs 70's, no humidity and Sunshine year round?
Tossup: OC or SD
-- Commute time
SoCal commutes are for pros only. OC is worse than SD.
Advantage: H-Town
-- Health care access
San Diego is a renowned medical center with numerous hospitals. UCSD churns out bio grads and the biotech industry is here.
Advantage: SD
--Beaches
Im partial to SD beaches because they are relatively uncrowded and easy to access. But OC is no slouch either.
advantage: SD
-- Education
Well, OC and SD have good and bad schools. Can't speak about the H. I'll have to take a pass on this one.
-- Crime
San Diego, hands down, although most of OC is pretty safe too. Houston, no thanks.
I'm curious why you would want to move to Houston. That's kind of a crime-ridden area, although, I must say, there are some nice suburbs. I would choose San Diego over Houton in a heartbeat. It is much nicer. There's the beaches, surfing, biking, and in general a more active lifestyle. Oh- If you consider taco shops culture, San Diego is a pretty good fit. San Diego in general is a safe city. The suburbs north of La Jolla are even safer. The commute can be tough, but non-commute hours are very good.
Orange County is the safest of all three. Four OC cities have had the honor of being America's Safest City. (Irvine, Huntington Beach, Lake Forest, and Mission Viejo.) Traffic on the freeways is pretty congested during rush hour. It depends on the direction you travel, but overall pretty congested. Surface streets aren't that congested except in Santa Ana and parts of Irvine. Irvine has won many awards for it's schools. The education level is very high in all cities with the exception of Santa Ana, parts of Anaheim, and parts of Garden Grove. In healthcare, the OC has UCI Medical Center(multiple locations), Hoag Hospital(Newport Beach, award-winning), and Saddleback(Mission Viejo). All very good. For cultural opportunities, the zillion dollar Segerstrom Concert Hall just opened. You can visit artshows in Laguna Beach, parades, The Asian Cultural Center in Irvine, Irish Celebration in Irvine, OC Fair, Little Saigon("OC's Chinatown"), and many new museums will open after the opening of Orange County's Great Park.
Overall, OC is a very nice area. I would choose between San Diego and Orange County.
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newportbeachsmostwanted
I'm curious why you would want to move to Houston. That's kind of a crime-ridden area, although, I must say, there are some nice suburbs. I would choose San Diego over Houton in a heartbeat. It is much nicer. There's the beaches, surfing, biking, and in general a more active lifestyle. Oh- If you consider taco shops culture, San Diego is a pretty good fit. San Diego in general is a safe city. The suburbs north of La Jolla are even safer. The commute can be tough, but non-commute hours are very good.
Orange County is the safest of all three. Four OC cities have had the honor of being America's Safest City. (Irvine, Huntington Beach, Lake Forest, and Mission Viejo.) Traffic on the freeways is pretty congested during rush hour. It depends on the direction you travel, but overall pretty congested. Surface streets aren't that congested except in Santa Ana and parts of Irvine. Irvine has won many awards for it's schools. The education level is very high in all cities with the exception of Santa Ana, parts of Anaheim, and parts of Garden Grove. In healthcare, the OC has UCI Medical Center(multiple locations), Hoag Hospital(Newport Beach, award-winning), and Saddleback(Mission Viejo). All very good. For cultural opportunities, the zillion dollar Segerstrom Concert Hall just opened. You can visit artshows in Laguna Beach, parades, The Asian Cultural Center in Irvine, Irish Celebration in Irvine, OC Fair, Little Saigon("OC's Chinatown"), and many new museums will open after the opening of Orange County's Great Park.
Overall, OC is a very nice area. I would choose between San Diego and Orange County.
The crime in Houston is overblown, it's not as bad as most people think.
I don't see it on this list of 25 most dangerous, the only TX city on here is Dallas. http://www.governmentguide.com/commu...rouscities.adp
People move to Houston because it's the 4th largest US city having the expected big-city amenities (great culture/arts, restaurants, sports, etc), lots of companies and industries in which to work (the largest medical center in the US, and only NYC has more Fortune 500 companies).... and on top of that offers a very low cost of living where you can get a huge house for a reasonable price.
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
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Housing (rent vs. own 2 BR condo) -- Houston without a question.
Leisure activities -- Basing that just on outdoors/weather, OC or SD.
Cultural options -- This can mean a lot of things, but if you're looking for the world-class, top-notch performing arts, museums, etc then I'd say Houston. Most outsiders really have no idea about the fabulous arts scene.
IT Job growth -- Not sure.
Weather -- OC/SD. There are just more times of the year you can be outside comfortably.
Commute time -- Totally depends on the area you live in and how far you are from your job. But probably Houston.
Health care access -- SD and Houston are both good. Houston does have the Texas Medical Center, which is the largest grouping of hospitals in the country. Many of these hospitals are very highly ranked and you may have heard about the many medical breakthroughs out of these (especially related to cancer, genetics).
Beaches -- SoCal probably has better beaches, but Galveston isn't too shabby. You do have to drive an hour to get to it.
Education -- Depends on the area and school district.
Crime -- Probably OC or SD, but Houston's crime is not nearly as bad as most outsiders make it out to be.
The crime in Houston is overblown, it's not as bad as most people think.
I don't see it on this list of 25 most dangerous, the only TX city on here is Dallas. http://www.governmentguide.com/commu...rouscities.adp
People move to Houston because it's the 4th largest US city having the expected big-city amenities (great culture/arts, restaurants, sports, etc), lots of companies and industries in which to work (the largest medical center in the US, and only NYC has more Fortune 500 companies).... and on top of that offers a very low cost of living where you can get a huge house for a reasonable price.
It is getting worse. Homicides rose 24.5% in 2004. The next year between November and December 2005, the murder rate went up 70% from 2004. The crime has also spiked this year due to relocation of people due to Katrina.
Houston Crime Index(City Data): 655
San Diego Crime Index(City Data):341
It's also a matter of perception. I am from Orange County and find almost any place more dangerous than coastal OC. San Diego is pretty good though. Personally, I found Houston to be big and unsafe.
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
5,429 posts, read 14,836,889 times
Reputation: 3672
Quote:
Originally Posted by newportbeachsmostwanted
It is getting worse. Homicides rose 24.5% in 2004. The next year between November and December 2005, the murder rate went up 70% from 2004. The crime has also spiked this year due to relocation of people due to Katrina.
Houston Crime Index(City Data): 655
San Diego Crime Index(City Data):341
It's also a matter of perception. I am from Orange County and find almost any place more dangerous than coastal OC. San Diego is pretty good though. Personally, I found Houston to be big and unsafe.
There was a recent article about how homicides have gone up in many major cities. So the trend seems to be more nationwide than local.
The relocation of New Orleans residents did cause a spike, but that seems to be subsiding some now.
Yes, OC and SD are safer when you look at stats... but I wouldn't call Houston crime-ridden either. It's not as safe as those places, but certainly better than lots of other cities and isn't near the top of any unsafe city listings I know of.
Houston - too sticky-lower cost of living
OC- very cool but snooty-highest cost of living of the three
SD- friendlier, great weather, lowest, but still high COL
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
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Reputation: 3672
Here's what a few CA transplants were saying recently in the Houston forum, it may give another perspective:
You are going to absolutely love it. I moved to Houston from San Francisco eight years ago . My wife and I came for graduate school in the medical center and had originally planned to leave immediately following our graduation. After being here for 8 years, I would never move back to California. The cost of living and quality of life are very high in Houston compared to other large US cities. The weather in Houston is tropical nearly year round and the food is excellent. Houston has excellent theater, symphony, opera and ballet. Good luck and welcome to Houston!
Another person:
You will find you made an excellent choice. My wife and I are 37 & 35 y/o old San Diego natives with two kids. A job promotion brought us to the Houston area two years ago. We ended up buying a house in Cinco Ranch in Katy. We like it very much. We agreed that we wouldn't want to move back. The job market and economy are both very strong, so finding a job won't be difficult.
Irvine has the best school system in Orange county. It's the only school system worth putting your kids in. However, because of this, the housing is way overpriced and you don't get much for your money. Irvine is also the most bland, cookie cutter city in all of Orange County. Every street, every house, every shopping center looks the same. The weather is great, the beach isn't far, the traffic in Irvine is decent, just don't get on the freeway. Laguna Beach isn't far and there are plenty of art galleries. There is a new Kaiser Hospital being built that is awesome and the Spectrum is good for movies and restaurants. It is also extremely clean and well thought out. The IT business is steady in Irvine because of all the Corporate offices that cover the city.
San Diego is nice to visit, but maybe not to live. It is really spread out and it can be hard to get from one place to another.
I met a man who moved here from Houston. He moved to Newport Beach right on the water...and he hated it here. He ended up moving back to Houston after only a few months. The cost of living is way lower there and the quality of life is higher. The weather is not as good and there is crime everywhere. Santa Ana borders Irvine and isn't a safe place sometimes. You can find good neighborhoods and bad ones wherever you are. I plan on moving to Texas next year so I can afford a nice house and won't have to work 80 hr weeks just to survive like a lot of people do here.
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