Allergies to life! Dallas is bad, is Corpus Christi + ocean breeze any better? (Houston: place to live, restaurant)

[Bunkerboot83]

Hey! So I may have a job offer in Corpus Christi... And I have HORRIBLE allergies to anything airborne, primarily grasses, dusts etc... And a little mold to boot.

Anyway I have lived in Dallas for over a year and have found it MISERABLE for allergies, am able to "poorly" control my symptoms here - zyrtech only puts a dent in them, and inhalers are like life support, I spend most of my time indoors "watching the pollen blow by" (that is a slight exaggeration) wishing I could enjoy being outdoors!

And to boot - I am not a native Texan, not to be stuck up but I really dislike the general attitude of DFW, I hate this place, no culture, people are stuck in their ways... no I am suprisingly not crazy liberal or crazy conservative, just a "older kid" with a family who loves to work hard and then relax in the sun with board shorts and flip flops...

I used to live in upstate New York which was miserable due to high ragweed.

I lived in Seattle a quarter mile from the ocean and it was great / allergies were reduced / non existent, too rainy for my wife, I loved it there - growing up I used to spend time in the ocean and canals around the area.

Used to live in Montana... Did ok except for grass allergies, no ocean - but the winters were fun!

So what is Corpus Christi like? I have heard the Houston area is bad, does this affect Corpus also? How does Corpus rate vs. the DFW area air quality / pollen wise?

And then... maybe a dumb question... But what's up with the winter "red tide" and does it really affect asthma? Is it a big deal or no?

If you got a second take my "allergies" poll also I would love to see the results from people who live in Texas!
Which city is the best in Texas for allergy sufferers? Dallas / Fort Worth? Austin? San Antonio? Corpus Christi? Houston? El Paso? It will be interesting to see the results!

[ohmanon]

Hi, I grew up in Texas and had what would be considered mild allergies but I'm now in the same boat as you. The inhalers don't even help. I live in Houston amidst the pines and oak trees and am practically 'dead girl walking.' I can't even visit Austin during certain times of the year due to the cedar. Spent my teen years in Corpus but never had problems - was there in October and no issues other than I've now become allergic to sand!! The salt water always helped clear the sinuses for me. Don't know about Dallas but Corpus doesn't have nearly the green growth as where I currently live. There's plenty of mesquite in South Texas so that could possibly be a consideration.

I do like the folks around Corpus and always thought it was a pretty unpretentious place. As far as culture, someone who currently lives there could probably give you more insight. Not sure about job opportunities either. I've just always thought of it as a laid-back smaller city with most activities revolving around the outdoors. Lots of people like you doing the balancing act - working hard while enjoying the coastal lifestyle.

Definitely worth the trip down there to see if it might work for you, your allergies and your family.

[Bunkerboot83]

Hey thanks for your reply! That gives me a little bit of hope that Corpus may be better! It's kind of too bad that I have a job offer there and may not be able to visit before we accept it, so either way could be stuck! haha!

Originally Posted by ohmanon

was there in October and no issues other than I've now become allergic to sand!!

Do you think the "sand" allergies were due to the "red tide" Corpus had last year in october? I have "heard" (not an expert lol) that Red Tide can cause respiratory difficulty, skin irritation and burning eyes in sensitive individuals.

Red Tide Status

[CptnRn]

I live in Austin and have allergy problems a lot of the year. We kept a boat near Corpus for 3 years and I generally had less problems there. It is humid so mold can be a problem. If you live in an area with lots of oak trees its pretty high right now. Highest Pollen Levels & Activity; Most Active Allergy Triggers

If you can possibly find a place to live where it gets a good breeze from off shore it should help keep the air clear.

[jbtx]

My wife suffers from allergies and trips to San Antonio, Austin, and Houston during certain times of the year are tough on her, my sister is so bad she cannot drive through a county that has poison ivy, oak, or sumac and not get a rash, yet both gals have no trouble here in CC. I chalk it up the almost constant southwest breezes that keep the air pretty clean. Although we occasionally get a storm and the winds will shift, that's when we get to smell the refineries, but that generally doesn't last.

As far as CC culture goes, that pretty much revolves around Mexican food and the beach, not too much else to do. A New Yorker would die of boredom here.

[augiedogie]

My wife suffers from a serious allergy problem. Trees mold, and dust. This poll is like asking where is the best place in Wisconsin if you don't like cold weather. We've been in Texas and like Texas a lot except for the heat(which I have adjusted to somewhat), but the allergies are just really hard on her. Retirement means a move out of state unfortunately. West Texas has actually been worse than DFW, probably because of the blowing dust.

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by Bunkerboot83

Hey! So I may have a job offer in Corpus Christi... And I have HORRIBLE allergies to anything airborne, primarily grasses, dusts etc... And a little mold to boot.

Anyway I have lived in Dallas for over a year and have found it MISERABLE for allergies, am able to "poorly" control my symptoms here - zyrtech only puts a dent in them, and inhalers are like life support, I spend most of my time indoors "watching the pollen blow by" (that is a slight exaggeration) wishing I could enjoy being outdoors!

And to boot - I am not a native Texan, not to be stuck up but I really dislike the general attitude of DFW, I hate this place, no culture, people are stuck in their ways... no I am suprisingly not crazy liberal or crazy conservative, just a "older kid" with a family who loves to work hard and then relax in the sun with board shorts and flip flops...

I used to live in upstate New York which was miserable due to high ragweed.

I lived in Seattle a quarter mile from the ocean and it was great / allergies were reduced / non existent, too rainy for my wife, I loved it there - growing up I used to spend time in the ocean and canals around the area.

Used to live in Montana... Did ok except for grass allergies, no ocean - but the winters were fun!

So what is Corpus Christi like? I have heard the Houston area is bad, does this affect Corpus also? How does Corpus rate vs. the DFW area air quality / pollen wise?

And then... maybe a dumb question... But what's up with the winter "red tide" and does it really affect asthma? Is it a big deal or no?

If you got a second take my "allergies" poll also I would love to see the results from people who live in Texas!
Which city is the best in Texas for allergy sufferers? Dallas / Fort Worth? Austin? San Antonio? Corpus Christi? Houston? El Paso? It will be interesting to see the results!

I am a Corpus Christi native and I go down there every 2-3 weeks or so. The allergies seem to be worse to me than San Antonio which is pretty bad. El Paso is supposed to be the best. I went to a restaurant there once where the server from New Jersey said that she moved to EP for the good allergy climate. Who knew?

[shoe01]

Apparently El Paso is okay, except for March/April.

[rednax]

West of 35 is always better, in general. CC is a better choice than any of the big three metro areas, easily, as the breeze (stay in Bay Area) is superb.

[augiedogie]

Rednax. We lived in Dallas and thought it would be better in west Texas. It isn't. Its much worse. We know more people than you believe who have serious allergy problems and my wife's are worse since we moved here. We think the high winds and the dust are the major problem.