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As a native Bostonian, I like Houston. The cost of living here is GREAT. You get alot of square-footage for your dollar here.
Being from Taxachusetts,it is of course my opinon that no one here can EVER complain about taxes...unless you spend a year in New Jersey,New York or Massachusetts. It's a KILLER.
Great climate, the economy here seems to be very robust...even in slow times. In my time here..going back to 2001, I've seen nothing but growth. It's slowed at time,but nonetheless steady growth over my time here.
Alot of large companies are headquartered here. The big airport has shown nothing but growth ( which is a great thing ) a city that adds service or continues to recieve service is a great indicator of local growth.
I can never figure out why some people here are always trying to stack up to New York or LA. It's always seemed in talking with some of my co-workers there's this need to 'prove' something to the rest of the country.
I can tell you as a Bostonian, I LOVE Boston. I'm extremely proud of my hometown. But it's not New York. It's not LA.
And neither do I care. We're good at what we're good at. I think the local school system is one of the best in the country. I think the local colleges there are some of the tops in the country and world. But no we don't have a broadway or hollywood or nice sunny beaches.
Be proud of what Houston does have. A strong corporate community. Low taxes ( comparable to New York, San Fran,and LA ) I mean do you REALLY want to pay what they pay in Taxes ? Do you know what a 1 bdrm, 1 bath will run you in Boston ? Do you know what the median home price is in the Boston area ? You have a great school in Rice which is considered a TOP university in the country ( I still think BC is better ) I live in Houston but I hear people say all kinds of things about Massachusetts and Boston,but I don't care. Most have either never been there, go on what they've heard or seen on TV, or visit/drive through and figure they know all about the place. Same with Houston..don't sweat what other people think.
Houston is just fine. I think it's a hidden gem and you should too.
Last edited by BCEagles01; 07-25-2010 at 06:12 PM..
As a native Bostonian, I like Houston. The cost of living here is GREAT. You get alot of square-footage for your dollar here.
Being from Taxachusetts,it is of course my opinon that no one here can EVER complain about taxes...unless you spend a year in New Jersey,New York or Massachusetts. It's a KILLER.
Great climate, the economy here seems to be very robust...even in slow times. In my time here..going back to 2001, I've seen nothing but growth. It's slowed at time,but nonetheless steady growth over my time here.
Alot of large companies are headquartered here. The big airport has shown nothing but growth ( which is a great thing ) a city that adds service or continues to recieve service is a great indicator of local growth.
I can never figure out why some people here are always trying to stack up to New York or LA. It's always seemed in talking with some of my co-workers there's this need to 'prove' something to the rest of the country.
I can tell you as a Bostonian, I LOVE Boston. I'm extremely proud of my hometown. But it's New York. It's not LA.
And neither do I care. We're good at what we're good at. I think the local school system is one of the best in the country. I think the local colleges there are some of the tops in the country and world. But no we don't have a broadway or holloywood or nice sunny beaches.
Be proud of what Houston does have. A strong corporate community. Low taxes ( comparable to New York, San Fran,and LA) I mean do you REALLY want to pay what they pay in Taxes ? Do you know what a 1 bdrm, 1 bath will run you in Boston ? Do you know what the median home price is in the Boston area ?
Houston is just fine. I think it's a hidden gem and you should too.
You are a transplant with a good attitude and would probably find a way to be happy no matter where you lived.
AcresHomes44 is not saying that Houston is perfect - only that he/she gets tired of the constant bashing that continually goes on from the same few people. It is not allowed in other city forums to the extreme extent that it is allowed here.
People are moving here from other places and come on the forum for answers - but instead get these guys who immediately trash the city. It's not helpful and it's inaccurate 99.99% of the time, reflecting their unhappy life more than the city's faults/strengths. I don't care for one particular city in the USA (going to keep it to myself) but would never dream of trying to monopolize it's forum and trash/trash/trash.
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
4,084 posts, read 12,685,220 times
Reputation: 1974
Quote:
Originally Posted by RocketSci
No one comes to Houston with the "intent" of criticizing the city, but honestly there is no place else in the US like Houston, and it is almost a foreign country and culture to most Americans.
Are you for real??? LOL I don't even know what to say..."a foreign culture"? Really?? Exaggerate much? You'd think you were on Mars.
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
4,084 posts, read 12,685,220 times
Reputation: 1974
Quote:
Originally Posted by BCEagles01
To AcresHomes44.......
As a native Bostonian, I like Houston. The cost of living here is GREAT. You get alot of square-footage for your dollar here.
Being from Taxachusetts,it is of course my opinon that no one here can EVER complain about taxes...unless you spend a year in New Jersey,New York or Massachusetts. It's a KILLER.
Great climate, the economy here seems to be very robust...even in slow times. In my time here..going back to 2001, I've seen nothing but growth. It's slowed at time,but nonetheless steady growth over my time here.
Alot of large companies are headquartered here. The big airport has shown nothing but growth ( which is a great thing ) a city that adds service or continues to recieve service is a great indicator of local growth.
I can never figure out why some people here are always trying to stack up to New York or LA. It's always seemed in talking with some of my co-workers there's this need to 'prove' something to the rest of the country.
I can tell you as a Bostonian, I LOVE Boston. I'm extremely proud of my hometown. But it's not New York. It's not LA.
And neither do I care. We're good at what we're good at. I think the local school system is one of the best in the country. I think the local colleges there are some of the tops in the country and world. But no we don't have a broadway or hollywood or nice sunny beaches.
Be proud of what Houston does have. A strong corporate community. Low taxes ( comparable to New York, San Fran,and LA ) I mean do you REALLY want to pay what they pay in Taxes ? Do you know what a 1 bdrm, 1 bath will run you in Boston ? Do you know what the median home price is in the Boston area ? You have a great school in Rice which is considered a TOP university in the country ( I still think BC is better ) I live in Houston but I hear people say all kinds of things about Massachusetts and Boston,but I don't care. Most have either never been there, go on what they've heard or seen on TV, or visit/drive through and figure they know all about the place. Same with Houston..don't sweat what other people think.
Houston is just fine. I think it's a hidden gem and you should too.
Not to mention the cost of public universities for in-state students. My sister almost fainted from sticker shock when they were looking at colleges for my niece last year. In Mass. in-state tuition is considerably more expensive than in Texas.
Are you for real??? LOL I don't even know what to say..."a foreign culture"? Really?? Exaggerate much? You'd think you were on Mars.
Mars is not a foreign country...
Sure, you could go an any side street in exurban Houston and it looks pretty much like any exurban side street elsewhere in the US.
But, to a Houstonian, NYC is like a foreign country, and many people act like it is. To hear some Houstonians talk about NY or California you would think they were speaking of Mexico City or Lagos. Or Soddom and Gomorrah.
I'm just sayin' that it goes both ways. It truly was a culture shock arriving in Houston after growing up in the Northeast. Based on comments from arrivals from California and the Northwest, they also experienced a great culture shock. I have also had many foreigners here say that Houston (and Texas) is not like the rest of the US, and almost like another country.
I'm just sayin' that it goes both ways. It truly was a culture shock arriving in Houston after growing up in the Northeast. Based on comments from arrivals from California and the Northwest, they also experienced a great culture shock. I have also had many foreigners here say that Houston (and Texas) is not like the rest of the US, and almost like another country.
It certainly has been a great culture shock. I've lived in several states but none have been so different from one another as Houston. Its interesting. The biggest challenge is to effectively communicate with so many different dialects and speech patterns. Thats the biggest difference from the rest of the country in my opinion. It ain't easy! I think Houston is slowly undergoing a tremendous change in the past ten years. Eventually it will become more homogeneous and we'll all be happy to live here together with less culture shock! One can hope!
Last edited by honestabe1776; 07-25-2010 at 09:38 PM..
Sure, you could go an any side street in exurban Houston and it looks pretty much like any exurban side street elsewhere in the US.
But, to a Houstonian, NYC is like a foreign country, and many people act like it is. To hear some Houstonians talk about NY or California you would think they were speaking of Mexico City or Lagos. Or Soddom and Gomorrah.
I'm just sayin' that it goes both ways. It truly was a culture shock arriving in Houston after growing up in the Northeast. Based on comments from arrivals from California and the Northwest, they also experienced a great culture shock. I have also had many foreigners here say that Houston (and Texas) is not like the rest of the US, and almost like another country.
Maybe a slight exaggeration, but not that much...
Ok. I'll bite. What about Texas or Houston is such a culture shock to fellow Americans and foreigners?
I don't mind the criticisms so much (read threads from any other city, all are criticized for something), but many Houstonians get way too defensive, and lash back with talk like "we like our busted up sidewalks just the way they are 'cause that's what makes Houston what it is.." that to me is just stupid.
Houston is a city built on dreams, and defensiveness that rejects valid criticisms to me shows some of that inwardness that can hold places back. If the criticisms aren't valid, ignore or correct them. If they are valid (yes, it is hot) acknowledge them and talk about how Houstonians are dealing with them (or accept them, in some cases).
To say that most cities are like foreign countries is true only to a limited extent - Houston stands different among other cities, not just rural areas.
RocSci, From my observation, (i've lurked on here more than i've posted), it isn't that Houstonians can't take criticisms. It's the baseless criticisms which=bashing that's intolerable.
Grant you, there are legitmate issues regarding Houston that I think we all have criticized and griped about at some point. One being the mass transportation system here. The traffic. The lack of walkable areas. Small sidewalks that are tooooo close to the streets. These issues aren't what surfaces when someone bashes this city. It's usually some ridiculous attack like the city is "ugly" or that "everybody is fat", or "there is nothing to do"... Or they don't like it because it's "too hot" or "too humid", or the coastline is too far, or it's "too flat", or it's a "wasteland" (my favorite ) or no green space........
Houston gets bashed for not being like LA or NYC or SF. Yet what I've seen on here is, someone who's travelled compares some elements of Houston to say, LA, then the response is with the utmost contempt: "Houston will never be like LA!!!"....... Well, either we should be like them, or not.
I mean which is it???? We shouldn't be hated on because folks can't relate to Houston like they can LA, and then turn around and get mad when someone compares elements that (may) resemble that city and be hated on for that. It's crazy!!
RocSci, From my observation, (i've lurked on here more than i've posted), it isn't that Houstonians can't take criticisms. It's the baseless criticisms which=bashing that's intolerable.
Grant you, there are legitmate issues regarding Houston that I think we all have criticized and griped about at some point. One being the mass transportation system here. The traffic. The lack of walkable areas. Small sidewalks that are tooooo close to the streets. These issues aren't what surfaces when someone bashes this city. It's usually some ridiculous attack like the city is "ugly" or that "everybody is fat", or "there is nothing to do"... Or they don't like it because it's "too hot" or "too humid", or the coastline is too far, or it's "too flat", or it's a "wasteland" (my favorite ) or no green space........
Houston gets bashed for not being like LA or NYC or SF. Yet what I've seen on here is, someone who's travelled compares some elements of Houston to say, LA, then the response is with the utmost contempt: "Houston will never be like LA!!!"....... Well, either we should be like them, or not.
I mean which is it???? We shouldn't be hated on because folks can't relate to Houston like they can LA, and then turn around and get mad when someone compares elements that (may) resemble that city and be hated on for that. It's crazy!!
Most succinct post on this topic in a long time. Thanks for de-lurking!
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) I live in Houston but I hear people say all kinds of things about Massachusetts and Boston,but I don't care. Most have either never been there, go on what they've heard or seen on TV, or visit/drive through and figure they know all about the place. Same with Houston..don't sweat what other people think.
) or no green space........
Well, either we should be like them, or not. 
