Where in Texas (Moving from New York) (Houston, Dallas: rental car, rental)

[RoadWarrior]

Hi everyone, I'm a 23 yr old chinese girl, looking to move to Texas later this year. But I have no idea where I should start looking, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I've been living with my parents in New York as long as I can remember, and have finally decided it's time to move out, yet I cannot afford to do that in NYC. I have a traveling job, so basically I'm either on the road or working at home, so where I live doesn't really impact my work. So here's what I'm looking for when it comes to my new home:

1. Must have a sizable chinese(asian) community - My taste buds are spoiled by all the oriental cuisines in NYC (Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Malaysian, Japanese, etc...), and my parents(and relatives) don't speak any English, I want to make life easier when they come to visit me(and trust me, they will come often consider they are very old fashioned chinese people and I'm their only child), so Chinese supermarket, restaurant, video store is essential. In other words, I do not mind living in a Chinatown if there is one.
2. Walkability/Public Transit - I have driving-phobia... I never had to drive in New York.
3. Housing Affordability - Looking to rent the 1st year or two, don't mind having a roommate, then perhaps buy later if there's a good investment opportunity.
4. Anything else pretty much don't matter. I'm single, no kids, no attachments, not exactly a partying animal...

I'll try to narrow down to a few places then visit them first before packing my stuff. Once again, any inputs would be great. Thanks!

[bostoner]

Dallas or Houston. Try using the "search" function and peruse each subforum to get a feel for the differences between the two cities. Dallas has better rail service at the moment. I'm not sure where their Chinatown is located. Houston's is on the southwest side. http://www.chinatownconnection.com/ You will want to conquer your phobia if you plan on living in either.

[love roses]

Houston, but not sure about the rail service in that area. I think there is none. Driving lessons would more or less be needed to get around. Houston has pretty good bus service though, so maybe look into that. In the Houston Asian town area, even the street signs are in Vietnamese. I'm not sure about Dallas, but thats because I haven't lived there, only visited.

[Melissa78703]

It sounds like Houston is your best bet, given that you want some kind of transit. There are no cities in Texas that are 'walkable.' There's no walking a couple of blocks to get your groceries, unless you're lucky enough to live next to the grocery store. But Houston has a fair bus system. It's very slow and cumbersome and designed for ... how shall I put this delicately? ... people who cannot afford a car. It's not designed to get people to work and back.

You're gonna gave to get a car eventually, if you want to leave the city or get from one place to another efficiently. There is very limited bus and train service in Texas. It's all mammoth highways and cars.

[FarNorthDallas]

You might look at Richardson, TX, a suburb of Dallas. Big Asian population and it's on the train line.

[DustyRoses]

Well, there are quite a few Asian students at Texas Tech in Lubbock and it is easy to get around Lubbock. But I think you'll be stuck with Houston or Dallas if you want a whole bunch of Asian persons, and I don't think those are very nice communities for a 23-year-old non-driver away from home for the first time. Just my opinion, a little overprotective here. Honey, have you considered places other than Texas that have lot of support for Asian persons? Just a thought.

[Melissa78703]

Originally Posted by DustyRoses

Well, there are quite a few Asian students at Texas Tech in Lubbock and it is easy to get around Lubbock. But I think you'll be stuck with Houston or Dallas if you want a whole bunch of Asian persons, and I don't think those are very nice communities for a 23-year-old non-driver away from home for the first time. Just my opinion, a little overprotective here. Honey, have you considered places other than Texas that have lot of support for Asian persons? Just a thought.

I was just thinking the same thing. If the OP or her family could drive, it wouldn't be much of an issue. In fact, we have a huge population of Asian families in Austin (lots of restaurants, grocery stores, book/video stores), but the public transportation is practically nonexistent. Living in Texas and not being able to drive would be miserable ...

If it were me, I'd be thinking more along the lines of San Francisco.

[RoadWarrior]

Hi guys, thanks for the input, I did think of San Francisco and Seattle, but the high cost of living would not make too much sense to me, and also most of my work-related travel is in the east coast, the time difference would be aweful. I also thought about Chicago and Boston, but then there's the harsh winter and the snow-shoving... So I would really prefer a place in the south that's affordable.

When it comes to driving, I do have a license(took me 5+ times to pass the road test), but I have never drove since I got it. My company is very cost conscious, so when I'm traveling, we all had to share a rental car(picture 4 ppl in a car), and there's always someone on the team who volunteers to take the driver's seat, so I never bothered...

After reading what you guys have to say, I think it's about time to conquer my fear of driving... But don't I have to move there first before I get a car? Is it even do-able the first few weeks there until I get a car? Or do I have to get a rental car?

If I'm having a car, then I guess I don't have to live in the middle of everything Chinese, as long as the neighborhood is safe and diverse, people friendly, and conveniently located(meaning accessible to good restarants/supermarkets/malls), I should be fine.