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Hi! I grew up in Colorado Springs (I went to Rampart High school) and then right after high school, my dad got a good job in Houston and moved us down there. We only lived in Houston for 5 years but I really enjoyed it.
I'm married now and living in my husband's hometown here in San Diego, but my parents retired and now live in Phoenix.
Even though I have never personally lived in AZ myself, I go there a lot for visits. And before moving to San Diego, I lived in Palm Springs, CA for a short time so I am familiar with desert living and I just don't know if I can do it again. The intense heat and sun pretty much on a daily basis were just too much for me. And not enough greenery...too brown and too much sand. I came to really hate desert landscape.
IMO I feel both Phoenix and Houston are good family oriented cities. My younger brother and sister did VERY well in the Texas school system...I felt they received a better education there than what I got in Colorado.
Yes, both Houston and Phoenix get very hot in the summers...but for me personally, I prefer the greenery and all the trees of Houston more. I like the rain and being closer to the coast.
Both are big cities that offer a lot of fun activities ~ of course, I love the Houston pro sports teams and was thrilled when the Astros won the World Series! I also loved the restaurants in Houston, I thought it was a huge improvement from Colorado Springs.
I recommend living in The Woodlands area of Houston. It is far north of downtown and uptown/Galleria area but its just so beautiful there and those homes are big and gorgeous! Very family orientated, good schools, shopping, entertainment there too. It feels more private as well because of all the forest trees...whereas Phoenix being a desert, the neighborhoods felt less private (at least the neighborhoods that I've seen).
I wish my parents had retired in Houston not Phoenix but AZ was the last place of employment for my dad before retiring so they just stayed put.
Before leaving Colorado Springs, everyone thought we were crazy to leave the beautiful mountains of Colorado for humid Houston...everyone warned me that I'd hate it but the complete opposite happened, we all ended up loving it. I really didn't miss the mountains as I much as I thought I would - maybe because of all the forest trees in Houston that I felt like I was in the mountains, lol. The people in Texas were SO nice and so welcoming that I had no problem whatsoever meeting friends. I miss that southern hospitality too...its certainly not here in SoCal. I would go back to Houston if I could.
Thanks for the info! I live about 10 minutes from Rampart and actually went to Doherty! Thanks again!
Thanks for the info! I live about 10 minutes from Rampart and actually went to Doherty! Thanks again!
Sure thing! And good luck on your decision...you'll have to update us and let us know what you decide.
And if you have any other questions, shoot me a DM and I'd be happy to answer anything you might have (even though you were a competitor to my Rampart Rams, haha!)
I’m only half joking. Summers are long and brutal in each place, and more so for people moving from more temperate locales (I note your wife has spent nearly all of her life in Colorado). Suggest you both make visits to get a sense of each local climate. Now would be a good time.
You mention all kinds of considerations, but not money. I know for me, my primary consideration is the salary I will be making versus the cost of living. I look at the amount of money I will have left over after expenses, and if there is a large difference, I go with the one that will give me the largest amount of "play" money. In many cases, when comparing a HCOLA versus a LCOLA location, often the higher salary in the HCOLA does not make up for the higher cost of living.
The salary you will be making in each city is not a consideration?
I'm looking for a bit of assistance in my job hunt / relocation process. I currently live in Colorado Springs, CO and have some opportunities to move to either Phoenix or Houston to open restaurants. I know some may say "why leave Colorado" but there isn't a whole lot of opportunity in my line of work in Colorado Springs and Denver is getting ridiculously expensive. Most of my friends that lived in Denver have relocated out of state because the cost of living has gone up severely in the past 5 years in Denver. Rent/home prices have doubled, yes doubled in recent years. Most have profited on home sales and got out of dodge. Another reason is my wife has a medical condition in which high altitude isn't great for her. WE currently live at 6200 feet above sea level. She has also lived in Colorado for most of her life (since she was 6) and wants to try somewhere new.
Some questions that I have:
1. What city has the best schools in neighborhoods that range in the 250-300k houses? I'm aware of Texas's higher property taxes so maybe I should say P&I+Tax payments around $2,000mo.
2. What city do you think is best overall for raising a family? Culture, access to education, not to far leaning left or right.
3. If you live in either city, what do you love about it, what would you change?
4. What parts of each city would you avoid?
5. Economy, Do you feel it is growing or retracting. I run restaurants so this matters to me greatly!
Some considerations:
~We have friends in each town that both love where they live. I need an outside opinion as they are both lobbying for us to move to their respective cities.
~My kids are 8 & 11 and their schooling is extremely important to me.
~We are literally the typical middle class family even though I open and operate super trendy restaurants. At home I want to feel like I'm not on show and can relax.
~We love water and Vegas equally (Vegas to the point I don't want to live there and ruin my party place!)
~We may consider Nashville or coastal Florida, but the opportunities are not as lucrative as Houston or Phoenix so if you have an opinion on those please let me know!
I appreciate any feedback on this!
As someone who has lived near both, my take:
1. Best schools - I think Houston would have the edge if you pick the right school district
2. Best city for raising family - Maybe a slight edge to Phoenix
3. Not currently living by have a winter home in Phoenix
4. Not qualified to provide an answer on this as I don't remember all of the areas
5. Houston has a stronger economy though Phoenix is growing. Houston probably will maintain a stronger economy most likely but it might be a bit of boom and bus due to a reliance on oil prices
I personally prefer Phoenix but raising kids makes Houston a pretty compelling case for me possibly in The Woodlands.
Can you share what area these restaurants are located in. Both are sprawling metros and some areas are better than the others.
I had a work assignment in Houston for 9 months, I couldn't quite handle the humidity. I much prefer the desert as at least I can cool off in the shade and the nights are comfortable (sometimes). This is a personal choice though.
I also missed the mountains. Having mountains in proximity and being able to do a ski trip every now and then in the winter was something I missed.
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I also loved the restaurants in Houston, I thought it was a huge improvement from Colorado Springs. 
