Houston VS Nashville VS Orlando...Toss in Pittsburgh too (living, best, state)

[svbusdriver]

Ok, Here is my dilemma...

I currently live in Orlando, so I pretty much know about it, and I used to live, most of my life actually, in Pittsburgh. I have possible opportunities in Nashville and Houston. My son hates Orlando because he hasnt been able to locate work, and honestly, $245 a week isnt enough for me either, so unless something develops, I'm splitting here. He is headed to Pittsburgh and wants me to go, although he is open to Houston, and especially Nashville.

My question is simple...If you had your choice, which of the 4 would you choose and why?

Thanks

Shawn

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by svbusdriver

Ok, Here is my dilemma...

I currently live in Orlando, so I pretty much know about it, and I used to live, most of my life actually, in Pittsburgh. I have possible opportunities in Nashville and Houston. My son hates Orlando because he hasnt been able to locate work, and honestly, $245 a week isnt enough for me either, so unless something develops, I'm splitting here. He is headed to Pittsburgh and wants me to go, although he is open to Houston, and especially Nashville.

My question is simple...If you had your choice, which of the 4 would you choose and why?

Thanks

Shawn

I've been to all except Pittsburgh. Why don't you tell us what type of job, living conditions, attractions, weather and more do you want out of a city. Houston is often seen as being similar to Orlando.

[svbusdriver]

As for a job, it would be a driving position, as I have driven buses for 24 years... I don't really mind winters, and humidity makes life a bit hard, but I'm not a huge snow fan, but a little is nice, especially around the holidays.

I like boating, and would like to get another. otherwise, attractions dont mean a whole lot, as, to be honest, i'm Disneyed out...lol

Shawn

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by svbusdriver

As for a job, it would be a driving position, as I have driven buses for 24 years... I don't really mind winters, and humidity makes life a bit hard, but I'm not a huge snow fan, but a little is nice, especially around the holidays.

I like boating, and would like to get another. otherwise, attractions dont mean a whole lot, as, to be honest, i'm Disneyed out...lol

Shawn

A little snow, but not too much

1. Nashville
2. Pittsburgh
3. Houston
4. Orlando

Nashville typically gets a couple of snowstorms during the winter, and is one of the snowiest cities in the South, but still doesn't get as much snow as cities in the Northeast and Midwest, averaging about two feet of snow per winter. Pittsburgh averages just over three feet of snow per winter, but is susceptible to crippling blizzards once every dozen years or so, and is close enough to the Atlantic coast to be affected by large Nor'easters. Houston rarely gets snow, although Texas is more prone to cold snaps than Florida is. Orlando has only gotten a couple of measurable snowfalls ever.


Sailboating

1. Houston
2. Orlando
3. Nashville
4. Pittsburgh

Houston is closer to the Gulf of Mexico than Orlando is to either the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean, and Galveston Bay is large enough to do some good sailing without having to go very far. I'm sure you could sail on some of the larger lakes near Orlando, but after a while it could get boring in a confined space. Neither Nashville or Pittsburgh are good for sailing, but I ranked Nashville higher since it's a bit flatter than Pittsburgh.


Powerboating

1. Pittsburgh
2. Orlando
3. Houston
4. Nashville

Pittsburgh's powerboating scene is very underrated. There are several launch points along its three rivers, and Allegheny County, PA has a very high rate of registered watercraft ownership per capita. Orlando has bodies of water nearby in all directions, but it's not as heavy on powerboating as Pittsburgh is, probably because sailing is an option as well, and the same goes for Houston in this regard. Galveston Bay seems to be underutilized for recreation purposes, especially given Houston's size. Nashville doesn't seem to have much of a boating culture of any kind, but that's not to say that it's nonexistent. I'm sure there are a couple of launch points on the Cumberland River, and a couple of lakes nearby as well, but it just doesn't seem to be as tied to its bodies of water as Pittsburgh does.


Authenticity

1. Pittsburgh
2. Houston
3. Nashville
4. Orlando

Being overlooked goes a long way in helping a city maintain its authenticity. Pittsburgh has a sense of place that the other three cities can't quite match, and there's no city quite like it in the United States. Houston is like Dallas with a bit more cosmopolitan flair, which makes it somewhat unique, and its size makes it stand out too, but all the big Texas cities are still pretty similar at their cores. Speaking of Texas cities, Austin is passing the torch to Nashville as we speak. Nashville is becoming the next "bohemian" place where all the weirdos and hippies will gravitate to, which, ironically, is why I'm downrating it: many bohemian people try hard to be different by acting like all the other bohemian people, which is not very authentic when you think about it, and actually quite pretentious. As for Orlando, there's not much to say about it other than it'd be a lot smaller without Walt Disney World, and it feels like a giant suburb in the middle of the central Florida swamp.

[JMT]

I don't know where to begin with the above post. Nashville gets two feet of snow per winter? huh? Nashville averages 9.1" of snow in an entire year, and only twice since 2002 has Nashville had a year with more than 9.1" of snow.

As far as Nashville not having "much of a boating culture of any kind," that is also ridiculously misleading. There are two very large lakes in Nashville, and there are several other large lakes within an hour or so of the city. Boating is a huge part of the Nashville suburban lifestyle. One lake has high rise condo towers adjacent to marinas, other lakes have gated lakefront communities, and they all have public marinas with thousands of boats. There is no way that someone can spend time in Nashville and not be aware of the area's significant boating culture. And, unlike Pittsburgh, Nashville's boating season is more than just a few months long.

I also question your definition of "authenticity." To me, Nashville is one of the most "authentic" cities in the country. There's very little flashiness to Nashville. Even its uber wealthy country music superstars are very down to earth, doing their shopping and running their errands at the same places as everyone else. Even Nicole Kidman said she loves living in Nashville because people are genuine and pretty much leave her alone when she's out in public being a regular mom. You can't get much more "authentic" than that.

[svbusdriver]

So far, looks like Nashville is it...I know I have discovered a lot of great things so far...

I lived in Pittsburgh for 43 years, but, even though the boating is good, the job market doesn't seem to be good at the moment. plus the outrageous property taxes, as well as other taxes, makes it tough to really make it home again.

Orlando, just finding a good job here is tough. I have a job driving a bus for 10 a hour, which seems to be the going rate here...drivers don't get anything here...

Houston, is really nice, but it has the same rough humidity that we have here in Orlando...

Honestly, it seems as though I can't go wrong with Nashville, Plus, I have a job offer...

Shawn

[thePR]

Pittsburgh hands down. It's a nice city and the others are way too hot.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

IN terms of jobs, I say Houston by a long shot.

[bradjl2009]

I'm confused. I swore I read a post from you a few years ago that said you hate Pittsburgh and all this BS about it and that you wanted to move to Florida because it was the "land of opportunity". I know enough people from Florida to know I would never live there because a lot of people make garbage wages and the schools in the state are ranked some of the lowest in the country compared to other states. While the job market may not be great in Pittsburgh, I would consider it ok depending on what kind of job you're looking for and the local unemployment rate is much lower in Pittsburgh than in Nashville and Orlando. I was just in Nashville and it's a nice city but your son wouldn't like it if he's under 21 as a lot of the fun places start carding at 6 PM even though you said he's moving back to Pittsburgh anyway. I also felt like there was a shady vibe in a lot of places in Nashville besides the wealthy areas and as you know there isn't that kind of vibe in a lot of Pittsburgh. Just make the right choice for you and where you can do the best but I'd go with Pittsburgh or Nashville. Also, besides property taxes, I wouldn't consider Pittsburgh taxes outrageous by any means compared to a lot of other areas surrounding Pittsburgh. You could always rent a house or an apartment since it seems like you will be living alone or with one other person and I wouldn't consider it worth it to own a home if I lived alone. While there is no income tax in Tennessee, you will pay an arm and a leg in sales tax with 7.75% for food and 9.25% for everything else. At that rate, the tax burden in TN is about the same as in PA once you consider the 3.07% flat income tax and 6% sales tax.

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

While there is no income tax in Tennessee, you will pay an arm and a leg in sales tax with 7.75% for food and 9.25% for everything else. At that rate, the tax burden in TN is about the same as in PA once you consider the 3.07% flat income tax and 6% sales tax.

No, not really. Yes, we have a high sales tax...but aside from no personal income tax (income from stocks/etc are taxed @ 6%, I believe), property taxes are lower here.

The fact is, Tennessee has one of the lowest tax burdens in the entire country. Last I checked, we were 47th.