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Your first question honestly has me flabbergasted.
--Houston is the 4th most populous city in the US behind New York, LA, and Chicago. (Denver is 27th).
--It is diverse both racially and culturally.
--There are 19 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Houston. (Denver has 7). Houston attracts world class talent and ability.
--the schools are excellent
-- traffic is very bad
-- Houston itself, like most cities in Texas, is politically liberal.
This is not 1840. Texas is not filled with rootin tootin cowboys. For all that "intelligence" is important to you, it seems you could do some basic research first.
Speaking of research, mine showed me that Denver is not the 27th largest city, but 19th by city proper, 19th by MSA, (that for some reason does not include Boulder) and 15th going by CSA. Kind of a big difference.
Last edited by Bellside High; 01-26-2020 at 10:52 PM..
Reason: Extra characters
Speaking of research, mine showed me that Denver is not the 27th largest city, but 19th by city proper, 19th by MSA, (that for some reason does not include Boulder) and 15th going by CSA. Kind of a big difference.
It looks like 19 and 27 are not that far off, the difference is trivial.
Also the population of the entire Denver urban area is 2,374,203.....Houston city is about to pass that number, and of course there are over a million more people living in the 10,000 square miles of metro Houston than in the 104,000 square miles of the entire state of Colorado.
This is precisely why using city population for comparison makes no sense. Denver is slightly above DC and Boston and well ahead of Atlanta in city population but would we consider Denver
on the same level of those cities? Of course not. Jacksonville Fl. has nearly 1 million residents but do we consider it on the same level as Denver? Of course not. On the MSA level OKC 1.3 million.(41st) Denver 2.9 million.(19th), small compared to big bad Houston,(4th) yes but dont act like the true size of these cites are trivial. My post was about you claiming that Denver was the 27th largest city, trivial or not so why are you throwing all these Houston numbers around? Im aware of how large Houston is, Losfrisco.
Speaking of research, mine showed me that Denver is not the 27th largest city, but 19th by city proper, 19th by MSA, (that for some reason does not include Boulder) and 15th going by CSA. Kind of a big difference.
Point taken that population has increased in Denver and it is now ranks higher than 27th.
However, my point is still valid that outsiders still look at Texas as being full of hicks and cowboys and every other stereotype. Texas has one of the strongest economies in the country. Growth is explosive, cultures from all over the world are well represented, housing is booming, and so forth. For OP to worry that there are no "intelligent people" in a city the size and scope of Houston is odd.
Last edited by calgirlinnc; 01-27-2020 at 09:05 AM..
Point taken that population has increased in Denver and it is now ranks higher than 27th.
However, my point is still valid that outsiders still look at Texas as being full of hicks and cowboys and every other stereotype. Texas has one of the strongest economies in the country. Growth is explosive, cultures from all over the world are well represented, housing is booming, and so forth. For OP to worry that there are no "intelligent people" in a city the size and scope of Houston is odd.
I also find it odd if not insulting that the OP would ask that about Houston particularly because he said that people in Denver didn't seem to be intellectual and that when people came from Houston to his job that they seemed more intellectual and sharp than people in Denver? What gives? Also, having a large corporate presence in a city doesn't automatically equate to people being overall more "intellectual" or "intelligent" which is subjective anyway.
I think I understand what the OP is looking for. He is not necessarily looking for intelligent people. What hes looking for is a social scene that is fueled by open minded intellectuals who are also creative minded. This environment can STIMULATE a like minded person.
That is why I offered the comparison to a Doctor who is foreigner. That doctor is intelligent but hes not likely to go out and have a drink with you or hang out and chat about creative ideas.
The OP is probably concerned that if he comes here he may run into a freeze and not find a group of friends that he likes. Basically not find what hes looking for. That is a real concern. I mean I had to make adjustments and really open up to hanging around with a diverse group where many of the folks have a foreign accent and adifferent culture. If someone's been living in Castle Rock, Littleton or Columbine all their life this may be a bit of a shock for them. I totally understand.
Now if you live in Aurora then that is similar but still has far less foreigners.
Your first question honestly has me flabbergasted.
--Houston is the 4th most populous city in the US behind New York, LA, and Chicago. (Denver is 27th).
--It is diverse both racially and culturally.
--There are 19 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Houston. (Denver has 7). Houston attracts world class talent and ability.
--the schools are excellent
-- traffic is very bad
-- Houston itself, like most cities in Texas, is politically liberal.
This is not 1840. Texas is not filled with rootin tootin cowboys. For all that "intelligence" is important to you, it seems you could do some basic research first.
Incorrect. The average public school in Houston is quite bad. The few good ones are either in expensive areas or magnets. That's why most professionals live in suburbs.
It's hard to define whether a city is 'intellectual' or 'smart'. Sure, Houston has more white collar transplants from all over the US, and maybe the world, but it does not have large, independent bookstores like Tattered Cover or cool reading venues like Bookbar. The advanced degrees you'll find here are more likely to be science, engineering or finance related.
I have lived in Denver for the past 11 years and am thinking about making a change. I feel like my career has plateaued and that wages here do not allow for comfortable living. At the very least, with where I am at now in my job, and what I see as realistic in the short term, Denver doesn't seem to make sense financially. It seems like if I made $80k in Denver, I'd live like I made $60k in Houston... and that given that Denver has so few actual corporate HQs, many of the big offices here lack adequate opportunities for advancement.
The company I work for is out of Houston and I am considering asking to transfer. I am not very familiar with Houston but have driven around enough to understand the city as a whole feels much less urban than Denver in terms of having actual neighborhoods with dozens (at least) of places to walk to and active street life. Ironically Denver has less of this than almost every other city in its peer group.
Anyway, my suspicion is that Denver is not better than Houston in any "city life" aspect outside of density. Denver is thoroughly acceptable, middle, adequate, uniformly mediocre. Although this is not bad and is even sometimes quite nice. I also don't think people in Denver seem particularly intellectual, and always feel like the people visiting my work from Houston seem more intellectual and overall just sharper. The weather seems to be a wash or slight tilt to Denver but I am not into snow sports at all. The mountains are of course beautiful but over the 11 years I've been here I rarely actual go into them.
My main concerns are whether the move would present a massive downgrade in terms of people or career... and I'm wondering what my life could look like there.
- Are people in Houston intelligent? Are there decent pockets of people that value intellectual conversion, analytical/thorough thinking, progressive attitudes? Do analytical programmer-type extroverts have a noticeable presence in Houston, or is it mainly cowboys and cowgirls, people obsessed with guns and trucks and MAGA etc?
- Do people in Houston seem to want to live there, or are they looking to get out?
- Are there decent chances for career progression? How competitive is the job market?
- Is it possible to live close to downtown (less than 15-20 minute drive) in a decent sized new-ish 1BR apartment for <$1,500 (in Denver this would be $2,300 likely... insane).
It's interesting reading this because I'm actually considering a move to Denver.
I don't think Houston's cultural amenities are much better than Denver's. The number and size of the museums are about the same while the bigger theater district doesn't really produce that many award winning productions. There would be a lot more ethnic options here and they're better, the the breweries here aren't comparable to Denver's. Houston also has a very mediocre tech scene for a city of this size, and if you want to learn AI using Python for example it wouldn't be easier to find a group here than in Denver. Programmer types are present here but they're aren't as noticeable as in certain Denver neighborhoods.
To help answer your question it would be helpful to have more details. The answer can be different depending on things like age and profession. Houston is great for some fields but not the best in others.
What kind of things do you have in mind when you said intellectual and smart? If you think, for example, that the typical Houston professional is knowledgeable or even curious about any particular Ted Talk you're mistaken.
I think rent wise it's possible to find something in your price range. Check out Montrose or Rice Military areas.
I have lived in Denver for the past 11 years and am thinking about making a change. I feel like my career has plateaued and that wages here do not allow for comfortable living. At the very least, with where I am at now in my job, and what I see as realistic in the short term, Denver doesn't seem to make sense financially. It seems like if I made $80k in Denver, I'd live like I made $60k in Houston... and that given that Denver has so few actual corporate HQs, many of the big offices here lack adequate opportunities for advancement.
The company I work for is out of Houston and I am considering asking to transfer. I am not very familiar with Houston but have driven around enough to understand the city as a whole feels much less urban than Denver in terms of having actual neighborhoods with dozens (at least) of places to walk to and active street life. Ironically Denver has less of this than almost every other city in its peer group.
Anyway, my suspicion is that Denver is not better than Houston in any "city life" aspect outside of density. Denver is thoroughly acceptable, middle, adequate, uniformly mediocre. Although this is not bad and is even sometimes quite nice. I also don't think people in Denver seem particularly intellectual, and always feel like the people visiting my work from Houston seem more intellectual and overall just sharper. The weather seems to be a wash or slight tilt to Denver but I am not into snow sports at all. The mountains are of course beautiful but over the 11 years I've been here I rarely actual go into them.
My main concerns are whether the move would present a massive downgrade in terms of people or career... and I'm wondering what my life could look like there.
- Are people in Houston intelligent? Are there decent pockets of people that value intellectual conversion, analytical/thorough thinking, progressive attitudes? Do analytical programmer-type extroverts have a noticeable presence in Houston, or is it mainly cowboys and cowgirls, people obsessed with guns and trucks and MAGA etc?
- Do people in Houston seem to want to live there, or are they looking to get out?
- Are there decent chances for career progression? How competitive is the job market?
- Is it possible to live close to downtown (less than 15-20 minute drive) in a decent sized new-ish 1BR apartment for <$1,500 (in Denver this would be $2,300 likely... insane).
The stereotyping in your first question is extremely pretentious. I mean, wow lol. People of different political persuasions, different beliefs, and different socioeconomic/career statuses can be intelligent. In terms of the literal meaning (not political meaning) if the word "progressive", your statement was extremely narrow-minded. Gauging by that paragraph alone, I think you would struggle is an area that actually has diversity of thought. If you can't stand the mere thought of being around others who choose to where a certain hat, don't vote like you, don't think like you, or don't believe like you (you know..."tolerant"), maybe Houston isn't the place for you. Trust me, there are plenty of other metros in the U.S that have plenty of people who think like you where you would probably be much happier. The true test for tolerance is your reaction to others who don't think like you, not simply proclaiming your tolerance. Your borderline obsession with intellect points to a very judgemental personality trait that values one's self-absorption rather than the wisdom to respect others for who they are, especially if they're not like you.
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I dont think the OP is looking for intelligence
