Dallas vs. Houston (Fort Worth, The Woodlands, Atlanta: travel, companies, agent)

[Midway_FUBAR]

Originally Posted by SpeedyAZ

How can you possibly say that NYC and Chicago are not tourist cities? I mean NYC is the BIGGEST tourist city in the US.

I'm pretty sure that Vegas and Orlando are going to lay claim to the title of tourist city long before NYC does...

[Midway_FUBAR]

Originally Posted by mpope409

Are you serious?? Uptown Houston is one of the most popular areas in the south, known worldwide. Our Uptown is even larger than Atlanta's downtown.

Which Houston "Uptown" area are you talking about? You've got Gallaria, Kirby District, Mid-Town West Gray area, Mid-Town Westheimer, Montrose, River Oaks, etc... One of the problems with generic uptown, mid-town, downtown terms in Houston is that they could be accurate and still describe areas 15 miles away from each other... This is a big place

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by Midway_FUBAR

I'm pretty sure that Vegas and Orlando are going to lay claim to the title of tourist city long before NYC does...

Perhaps, and then again maybe not. I wouldn't know for sure. But, to say that NYC is too residential (which it's not, but what does that have to do with tourism?) and not a tourist city when millions flock there from outside the US alone every year simply isn't true. NYC is a huge tourist destination in the US.

[Midway_FUBAR]

Originally Posted by Robzherenow

We are considering a move to either Dallas or Houston.
friends in Dallas tell us that Dallas is a better place to live.
while other frields in Houston tell us that Houston is better.

Can anyone share experiences on either?

We are looking to relocate to a nice area with good schools, employment opportunity, low crime, affordable housing, not too humid, etc.

I am actually in the middle of considering a move from Houston to Dallas but not for any reason other than being closer to family. In fact, I would much rather that my family move down here but that may have more to do with not wanting to box up the house

As for your question here are my thoughts...

Nice Area: Both cities have nice areas, both have affordable areas, with a little searching and figuring out what is important to your family you will find the right part of either town to be in.

Good Schools: When you are talking about the largest and second largest school districts in the state you are going to find both great and horrible schools in the list. It goes with the nice area thing, patience and research are your friend. My girls aren't public school age yet but I would not put them in my area's (Alief ISD) schools because my wife used to teach there and it is one of the horrible areas IMHO... For those that went to Alief, a lot has changed here in recent years I promise!

Employment Opps: I own an insurance agency that employees three people and a trucking company that employees 4 part-time drivers. In my opinion Houston is a great place to be looking for work because I have such a hard time finding quality people to fill slots when they come available. Granted, I'm not looking for rocket scientists but as far as general labor and support personnel there are not near enough of them... I just saw a sign on a McDonalds that advertised positions there at $10.50 per hour... That is just nuts to me...

Low Crime: Again, nice place kind of thing... Scratch that, there is no such thing as low crime anymore Just because you don't live in the ghetto doesn't mean that you aren't subject to random acts of violence... I live in what was a great part of town 10 years ago (Mission Bend) but in the past 5 years we have had tremendous growth in gang activity, violent crime (home invasions and driveway robberies) and property crime (burglaries and vehicle break-ins)... Funny thing is that it all started to spiral downhill when Metro brought the bus lines out to our neighborhood and several apartments were built to house Section 8 HUD families (draw your own conclusions here...)

Affordable Housing: I like Houston for this one, but be careful, if a home seems too cheap there is a reason. When I bought my house I felt like I was stealing it but my property values haven't increased a penny in the 6 years I've been here for the reasons mentioned above... My recommendation is rent for a year or so until you have a firm idea of what direction a potential neighborhood is heading. And for goodness sake, go knock on doors and ask the current residents what they think of the area. If they aren't willing to talk to you then you might not want them as neighbors anyway

Not to humid: Lol... that's a loaded request right there... I grew up in the Permian Basin (West Texas, Odessa/Midland area, hot and dry) so it took me a while to get used to Houston. But after a couple of months you grow gills and don't even notice it anymore. That is until you go back to an arid dry climate and you are sucking down a ton of water just to stay hydrated... Yes Houston is hot and sticky but Dallas is cold and windy... I went swimming on my first Christmas in Houston in my backyard non-heated pool... Yes it gets to 100+ in the summers with 90% humidity but that's why every home and vehicle has air conditioning...

In the end you have to visit both and choose what is right for you. In my interviews in Dallas I have seen parts of town that I would have sworn were in Houston so I'm not sure that either one is better or worse than the other, but I know that one will be right for you!

Good luck,
Midway

[Midway_FUBAR]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

Perhaps, and then again maybe not. I wouldn't know for sure. But, to say that NYC is too residential (which it's not, but what does that have to do with tourism?) and not a tourist city when millions flock there from outside the US alone every year simply isn't true. NYC is a huge tourist destination in the US.

Agreed, there are a lot of people that go to New York to visit but in my mind a "tourist town" must be dependent on that tourism revenue and NYC just doesn't qualify. Think about places like Las Vegas and Orlando, what would they be if nobody went to the strip or to Disneyworld? They would dry up and blow away in a matter of months...

Edit: Well, Vegas would dry up and blow away, Orlando would just be reclaimed by the swamp from which it grew

[Synopsis]

By that definition you are right Fubar. I was disagreeing with the earlier post saying that NYC wasn't a tourist town, it was too residential and business oriented (conflicting terms if ever I heard any) to be touristy. Most definitely Orlando would be reclaimed by the swamp. I was there in January and even then it was hot and muggy. As for Lost Wages, NV - I don't see how that city will be able to sustain the growth out there in the desert with the diminishing water resources; something Houston won't lack for a good, long time.

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

By that definition you are right Fubar. I was disagreeing with the earlier post saying that NYC wasn't a tourist town, it was too residential and business oriented (conflicting terms if ever I heard any) to be touristy. Most definitely Orlando would be reclaimed by the swamp. I was there in January and even then it was hot and muggy. As for Lost Wages, NV - I don't see how that city will be able to sustain the growth out there in the desert with the diminishing water resources; something Houston won't lack for a good, long time.

Then you didn't read my post correctly. New York is a city with tourism, but it's not a "Tourist City," and yes it is too residential. Ask many of its residents who feel the same way. Out of all five boroughs only one generally attracts a lot of tourism. That's Manhattan, which encompasses about 12% of the entire city. The Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Queens are basically nothing but houses.

I understand you trying to make your point, but you need to know what I'm talking about before you say I'm wrong.

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by Midway_FUBAR

Which Houston "Uptown" area are you talking about? You've got Gallaria, Kirby District, Mid-Town West Gray area, Mid-Town Westheimer, Montrose, River Oaks, etc... One of the problems with generic uptown, mid-town, downtown terms in Houston is that they could be accurate and still describe areas 15 miles away from each other... This is a big place

Just the official Uptown Houston in general.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by mpope409

Then you didn't read my post correctly. New York is a city with tourism, but it's not a "Tourist City," and yes it is too residential. Ask many of its residents who feel the same way. Out of all five boroughs only one generally attracts a lot of tourism. That's Manhattan, which encompasses about 12% of the entire city. The Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Queens are basically nothing but houses.

I understand you trying to make your point, but you need to know what I'm talking about before you say I'm wrong.

NYC is a "Tourist City." Of all cities in the US, NYC is number three, behind Las Vegas and Orlando. To say it's "with tourism" but not a "tourist city" is a completely subjective observation or argument on your behalf. And all cities are residential, as people reside in those cities (what does that have to do with anything anyway?).
And who cares if only one of our five Burroughs attracts tourism? Manhattan could encompass 1% of the city for all I care, but it still doesn't detract from the fact that NYC is a major tourist destination.

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

NYC is a "Tourist City." Of all cities in the US, NYC is number three, behind Las Vegas and Orlando. To say it's "with tourism" but not a "tourist city" is a completely subjective observation or argument on your behalf. And all cities are residential, as people reside in those cities (what does that have to do with anything anyway?).
And who cares if only one of our five Burroughs attracts tourism? Manhattan could encompass 1% of the city for all I care, but it still doesn't detract from the fact that NYC is a major tourist destination.

You need to send the link in private message or it will be deleted for being off topic.

Moderator cut: off topic/personal remarks