Houston-- Moving from North Jersey (NJ) (Sugar Land, Howe: real estate, HOA, crime)

[techieguy]

Hello,
I have bunch of questions around my move to Houston.

1. Weather wise, for someone moving from NJ to Houston , how hot does it get ? Is it unbearable ?

2. How's the houston culture for immigrants ?

3. How do the schools compare to NJ ? Lotta people here in NJ tell me that Houston schools are not that good compared to NJ.

3. How's the job market right now in Houston for IT (even in energy sector) ?


4. Are homes really that affordable and worth it ?


Thanks

[TimBomb]

I moved from the NE

1. Weather wise, for someone moving from NJ to Houston , how hot does it get ? Is it unbearable ?
It gets really hot. Unbearable, if you have some reason to be under the sun out in the open its like killer hot. I was at a local pool area last weekend and forgot my slippers, had to walk my kid around and I got huge boils under my feet after enduring the hot pavement

2. How's the houston culture for immigrants ?
They dont care, as long as you dont mess up their neighborhoods and follow HOA rules

3. How do the schools compare to NJ ? Lotta people here in NJ tell me that Houston schools are not that good compared to NJ.
I cant tell, but people here are more inclined to be aware of oil and gas, than finance/IT as in the NE

3. How's the job market right now in Houston for IT (even in energy sector) ?
not sure, seems getting better. i dont know anyone unemployed. better move when you have a job secured

4. Are homes really that affordable and worth it ?
yes theyre very cheap, but dont be fooled. 'used' houses here can be real money pits and not easy to work on (see #1)

[HoustonRonnie]

1. Weather wise, for someone moving from NJ to Houston , how hot does it get ? Is it unbearable ?

Totally unbearable by comparison. You'll have a bad hair day every day and you'll have diaper rash until you get used to it. It's HOT HOT.

2. How's the houston culture for immigrants ?

We have both legal and illegal immigrants. Some around her complain about illegals, but when they want a new roof they suddenly love them. If you can speak English, you're good to go.

3. How do the schools compare to NJ ? Lotta people here in NJ tell me that Houston schools are not that good compared to NJ.

Some NJ school systems suck and so do some of Houston's. Do your own research on this one. People in Houston will tell you that NJ schools suck, just like NJites tell you Houston schools suck.

3. How's the job market right now in Houston for IT (even in energy sector) ?

IT is hot all over the US and in the oil patch. Don't even THINK about moving here without a job though.

4. Are homes really that affordable and worth it ?

By comparison, yes. You can get a 3,500+ sq/ft home in and around Houston for <$200K in some areas.

Ronnie

[vwgto]

Quality of schools varies, and is relative, but get used to very large schools in the South. Also, Houston/Texas is much more spread-out - - so lots of driving. Lots of new home construction options here vs North NJ. As far as immigrants, there is a comfortable place for anyone/everyone... I would argue more diverse than the small towns of NJ.

[techieguy]

Thanks for the information.
As far as new homes , which locations should I consider for buying ? I may be commuting to the Houston downtown area.

What are the upscale areas in Houston for new homes ?

Thanks

[jaseda510]

As someone who is also from Northern NJ and have been living in Houston for almost two years, here's my take:

1. Weather wise, for someone moving from NJ to Houston , how hot does it get ? Is it unbearable ?

The sun and the heat will be unlike whatever it was in the northeast. Picture the hottest summer day you have in new jersey. It's like that EVERY DAY here for at least 3 months straight. It's not too bad since most of us either spend the time indoors or in our cars.

2. How's the houston culture for immigrants ?

Very diverse. As an Asian American I feel more comfortable living here than in Northern NJ.

3. How do the schools compare to NJ ? Lotta people here in NJ tell me that Houston schools are not that good compared to NJ.

NJ schools are one of the best school systems in the country. In general you will not get the same quality here in the Houston school systems. For quality public schools one must look at the suburbs (Sugar Land, Clear Lake, etc).

3. How's the job market right now in Houston for IT (even in energy sector) ?

Don't know enough to say, but I bet competition is fierce as more and more people are moving here.

4. Are homes really that affordable and worth it ?

You definitely will get your money's worth in housing here as opposed to New Jersey. HAR.com is a great resource for real estate. However property taxes are pretty high here, although they're probably just as high if not worse in NJ.

[jpimus]

I moved here from Brooklyn in 2008. I was born and raised in Connecticut so I should be able to answer your questions rather easily. Houston does have some good qualities. I loved it for my first year, but after that I started to really miss the northeast. The northest is a much better place to live in my opinion. My fiance and I are currently in the process of moving to Washington where she grew up.

Originally Posted by techieguy

Hello,
I have bunch of questions around my move to Houston.

1. Weather wise, for someone moving from NJ to Houston , how hot does it get ? Is it unbearable ? The weather here is awful. This summer, which started in April has been ungodly. We have had 50+ days of 100 or higher. Most over night lows have been 80-85. 95 degrees the other day felt like October in New Hampsire. Trust me, you will miss the fall and winter. This past winter was terrible, meaning non existent. We had literally one cold week and then right back into the 70s. There is just no break from summer weather.

2. How's the houston culture for immigrants ? Houston is as diverse as NYC, but is increasingly becoming a Hispanic majority city. I would say Hispanics are about 55% of the population. I would say about 40-50% of the Hispanic population are illegal aliens. There is also a lot of crime here.

3. How do the schools compare to NJ ? Lotta people here in NJ tell me that Houston schools are not that good compared to NJ. Schools in NJ and New England are ten times better hands down. Not even close.

3. How's the job market right now in Houston for IT (even in energy sector) ?
The job market here has slowed, but is better than most places. Houston was the last really large city to get hit by the recession, but it's definitely here now.


4. Are homes really that affordable and worth it ? Homes are affordable, but you will not have much of a yard unless you live way out in the country. You can get big houses here for around 220k ,but your neighbor's house will look exactly the same and be about 6-7 feet from your bedroom window.


Thanks

[techieguy]

In what respect are the schools in NJ better than Houston ???

[testmo]

no, the majority of Hispanics in Houston are not illegal. you can take that kind of thinking back north with you JP

to live in the south you have to appreciate diversity. it will be unlike what you are accustomed to in NJ.

summers here are hot and dry. of course Texans are used to it but it will still wear you down. you look forward to the mild winter and then get bored of the cold and wish for summer again. i was born in Virginia and don't mind not having a fall. i don't mind never having to rake leaves or shovel snow. in the summers you are smart to stay indoors during the day until you are truly acclimated.

no idea about IT in houston. we have the second highest number of fortune 500 companies here and lots of support industries. competition is tough. texas imports a good amount of the skilled work and people are flocking here. anything specific - i dont know

texas is around the bottom for quality education and getting worse with how the US and TX is doing right now. that being said your kid could still graduate from an average school with average grades and get into a university in this state or others. you don't need to graduate from a name brand HS or college to do well in Texas

how schools compare in TX to NJ specifically i dont know. overall the TX education system is often laughed at and ranked low for the US. i dont know where NJ ranks. i am sure there are **** poor schools there ( i have heard about the troubles). you will find the average school here is better than that im sure.

homes are definitely affordable but dont get ridiculous. you can get a cheap (and cheaply made) 4000sqft home for under 200k in some places. doesn't mean anyone should buy it. we have some high utility costs and in the summers you will use your AC all the time. some people pays hundreds and hundreds of dollars in electricity and the same on water in the summers. that plus high property taxes some people moving here find it isn't so cheap. plenty of homes and suburbs to find the right price, size and community. commute is a big deal here. traffic is horrendous. but you are probably used to it

[jpimus]

Originally Posted by testmo

no, the majority of Hispanics in Houston are not illegal. you can take that kind of thinking back north with you JP

to live in the south you have to appreciate diversity. it will be unlike what you are accustomed to in NJ.

summers here are hot and dry. of course Texans are used to it but it will still wear you down. you look forward to the mild winter and then get bored of the cold and wish for summer again. i was born in Virginia and don't mind not having a fall. i don't mind never having to rake leaves or shovel snow. in the summers you are smart to stay indoors during the day until you are truly acclimated.

no idea about IT in houston. we have the second highest number of fortune 500 companies here and lots of support industries. competition is tough. texas imports a good amount of the skilled work and people are flocking here. anything specific - i dont know

texas is around the bottom for quality education and getting worse with how the US and TX is doing right now. that being said your kid could still graduate from an average school with average grades and get into a university in this state or others. you don't need to graduate from a name brand HS or college to do well in Texas

how schools compare in TX to NJ specifically i dont know. overall the TX education system is often laughed at and ranked low for the US. i dont know where NJ ranks. i am sure there are **** poor schools there ( i have heard about the troubles). you will find the average school here is better than that im sure.

homes are definitely affordable but dont get ridiculous. you can get a cheap (and cheaply made) 4000sqft home for under 200k in some places. doesn't mean anyone should buy it. we have some high utility costs and in the summers you will use your AC all the time. some people pays hundreds and hundreds of dollars in electricity and the same on water in the summers. that plus high property taxes some people moving here find it isn't so cheap. plenty of homes and suburbs to find the right price, size and community. commute is a big deal here. traffic is horrendous. but you are probably used to it

To the original poster. Ignore all of this. Complete hogwash. Uneducated info. Also, poor grammar as well.