San Francisco to Houston (Austin: to rent, homes, safe area)

[kjohn149]

Hello- Husband and I (along with two dogs) are moving to Houston from SF. Husband will be working in the 77079 area- any recommendations on good neighborhoods to check out? Things to consider:

- Safety (I want to be able to run outside by myself and not have to run in any unsafe parts of town)

- Relatively easy commute- Preferably under 40 minutes

- We have two dogs and would really like to rent a 2 bedroom with a yard. Budget is between 1200-1500/month. Is this doable?

- Doesn't have to be an extremely walkable neighborhood but the more walkable the better!

Thanks a lot! Any information at all would be extremely helpful! We lived in Austin (before SF) for three years but never made it out to Houston, so we have little knowledge of the area.

[westres1]

You will love living in 77079 near his work . Close to terry hershey trails for running and dog walking. Safe area with good schools, dining and shopping. Check out Wilchestrt, Nottingham,westchester,Yorkshire.

[AK123]

You can look for a place to live within that same zip. Should have most, if not all of what you're looking for.

[cheryjohns]

The problem is 77079 has larger homes (larger than 2 bedrooms). The rents are going to start at about $2000-$2200.

If you go to 77077 (adjacent) - you can meet your budget.

[houston-nomad]

Hate to sound like a hater, but all I can is, I'm sorry. I was just in San Francisco and your airport is prettier than anything in Houston.

I genuinely like living here, but you're going to need to prepare yourself to do without any scenic wonderment. I really don't mean to be so negative, but the key to happiness is to lower your expectations. So lower them way down before you move here.

[AK123]

Originally Posted by houston-nomad

Hate to sound like a hater, but all I can is, I'm sorry. I was just in San Francisco and your airport is prettier than anything in Houston.

I genuinely like living here, but you're going to need to prepare yourself to do without any scenic wonderment. I really don't mean to be so negative, but the key to happiness is to lower your expectations. So lower them way down before you move here.

OP said she lived in Texas (Austin) previously. Aside from the west side of town there, it's not significantly more scenic than Houston. Texas doesn't really have a San Fran equivalent. Though I understand the point you were trying to make.

[irishlover]

Originally Posted by houston-nomad

Hate to sound like a hater, but all I can is, I'm sorry. I was just in San Francisco and your airport is prettier than anything in Houston.

I genuinely like living here, but you're going to need to prepare yourself to do without any scenic wonderment. I really don't mean to be so negative, but the key to happiness is to lower your expectations. So lower them way down before you move here.

Wow, way to be a Debbie Downer. Do you really think someone would move from San Francisco to Houston or to 75% of the country that is less scenic than Northern California without thinking the scenery would be different? And, why would you want to start at someone who is obviously engaged and enthused about their move with the notion to "lower their expectations"? Get a life.

[houston-nomad]

Fair enough. There was no need for me to be so negative. I'm just back from visiting SF, so the differences are just very much on my mind.

[westhou]

Originally Posted by houston-nomad

Fair enough. There was no need for me to be so negative. I'm just back from visiting SF, so the differences are just very much on my mind.

That's the way I felt after visiting NYC. I wanted to cry once I landed back in Houston.

[Sunderpig2]

OP - Keep in mind that Houston is less scenic than Austin, more polluted, and huge in size and sprawl compared to Austin. And even once you get to the countryside, the bland Houston flatlands still don't compare to the Hill Country region. You talked about running and walking the dogs, so I'm guessing that you value outdoor activities and quality of life stuff like that (plus SF and Austin are known for that).

Here's a link to an image that I previously posted, with Houston on the left and Austin on the right, both images at the same scale:

//www.city-data.com/forum/attac...n-aerial-2.jpg

You can see the sheer size of the Houston mega-metropolis. A virtual shrine to man and man's concrete kingdom

If you are serious about moving to Houston, you really owe it to yourselves to get a reality check, and personally see what it's like. No offense, but I'll never understand how people could move to an area that they've never personally seen and experienced first-hand.

houston-nomad and westhou have great points. Those fresh images of comparison (even being in two towns on the same day) are very revealing.