Moving from Seattle to Houston. Need advice. (Austin, Galveston: buy, pros and cons)

[Mscamx]

You right about that@ PTSD. Only thing I like about the Northwest is the Air quality. Before I moved to Washington, I was in California for 5 years big difference in the air quality. Born and raised in Tennessee and the spouse is from New York neither of us want to move back to our home state but don't want to be a great deal away like the far west coast or Northwest.

Originally Posted by Topaz

Welcome. We moved to the Houston area after 10 years in the Pacific Northwest. The biggest difference is that Seattle is more scenic but Houston has more SUN. I could never go back to living in gray drizzly weather. If the sun doesn't come out for two days straight here, I start to have PTSD type flashbacks about living in Seattle.

[cheryjohns]

Originally Posted by Gregofcanada

Alright, my first time posting on this site so go easy on me. My parents and I are moving down to Houston on a super tight budget (about $2000) to be with the rest of our family. We're gonna be staying with my sister on Conroe until we find jobs and get our own place. And to top it all off, we're doing this within the month before our lease is up. Any advice on moving tips would be greatly appreciated. And what's it like living in Houston?

The advantage you have is a place to live while you get on your feet here. You did not mention what the job skills were - but a home base is great while you get adjusted.

[robertpolyglot]

Originally Posted by Gregofcanada

Thanks. I can't wait to go. Kinda tired of the ” Seattle Freeze”.

I've gotta pretty good sense of judgment, but do heed the advice of those who live there over my observations as a visitor on an interview who stayed over the following weekend.

I doubt there's anything like a "Seattle Freeze" in Houston, or any Texan city. I think, though, that you will find Houston more "working class" and affordable, but there have to be professionals as well to staff health care, oil and gas, financial services. Every kind of person lives there and seems to find their place. The climate is to be expected, since its latitude is aligned with that of northern Florida.

It will be very different from Seattle. And, if you're Canadian, it will be very different from Canada.

[HtownLove]

What is a Seattle Freeze?

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by HtownLove

What is a Seattle Freeze?

//www.city-data.com/forum/seatt...on-thread.html

[Gregofcanada]

Originally Posted by cheryjohns

The advantage you have is a place to live while you get on your feet here. You did not mention what the job skills were - but a home base is great while you get adjusted.

I work in the self storage industry as a property manager. Have been doing so for the past three years while going to school.

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by Gregofcanada

I work in the self storage industry as a property manager. Have been doing so for the past three years while going to school.

AH!!!! Those are all over the city, which means your job may be anywhere

[analogkid84]

All of the folks moving here from the Pac NW must not have been into hiking or similar activities very much. That and the backpacking in the mountains is what I will very much miss. I'm not sure how I will come to grips with a place where folks duck inside for A/C during the summer, but one has to follow the jobs and provide for a family.

I just moved down from Marysville, WA, for a position at MD Anderson, a month ago, after experiencing my first layoff in biotech in 18+ years. From what I have seen, and from talking to people in various neighborhoods in the region (wife and kids still in WA to finish school), property taxes are high - very high; gas is pretty high given the proximity to the finished, refined product; most grocery items are a wash cost-wise with dairy being pretty darn expensive right now (I'm hoping that is drought related). Your electric bill will be severly high for about four months of the year I'm assuming. Overall, I would rate the transit system a C-, for a city so large and for as much $$ as there seems to be in this area.

The people are extremely friendly, helpful, and hospitable. They don't seem to walk around with a complex like I've seen of most folks in Seattle. I suspect gardening here would be fabulous compared to the NW, as long as your fruits/veggies don't get pummeled by hail. There are some pretty good eats here too. Drivers don't -bleep- around on the roadways either here. Things move pretty quickly, not much in the way of at speed or under speed drivers in the LH lane, and people aren't timid when they merge. If you've driven in the Seattle area, you know what I mean by those statements. There are people here from just about everywhere, and not just the U.S. It is a very diverse city, much to the chagrin of some, I'm sure. The weather has been a mixed bag so far, with some warm and very humid days, some intense rains, and some days like today, which was a sparkling 78 with about 20% humidity. It was fabulous out.

I am currently looking at the Kingwood area, to the NE of the Houston metro area by about 28 miles or so, and adjacent to The Woodlands. I like the wooded areas up there with very mature trees and vegetation. The two main high schools are both very similar in size to the school where my son is in Arlington, so that will help ease the transition (hopefully).

Overall, my (short term) impression is favorable, but then again it is better to be working than to not be. I miss the Pac NW dearly, even the darker months. As a long distance runner, the weather is ideal for getting out year 'round, and I will miss the hundreds of miles of mountain trails and back country opportunities. I miss the somewhat rural area I lived in, close enough to Seattle for work and highlights of the city (pro and college sports, for instance, and myriad other things to do), but far enough out to get me away from it at the end of the day. Things in life are seldom perfect, but my situation up there was about as close as one could get I imagine. But until I win Powerball or something, it's time to close out that chapter and carve out a new life down here. Good luck with you travels and transition.

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by analogkid84

All of the folks moving here from the Pac NW must not have been into hiking or similar activities very much.

Well when it comes to a choice between putting food on the table or trekking up a mountain, the choice for all the people who DID move was quite clear.

[just4ivaylo]

I moved to a suburb of Houston a couple of years ago when the economy tanked and now I'm back in the Seattle area.

You'll probably hate your first summer or two in Houston. It'll be hot and "sticky"...and you probably won't want to do anything but stay inside where it's somewhat cool. On the other hand, though, you'll enjoy warm winters compared to the NW.

Dairy down there is expensive (about $1 more per gallon of regular milk), but gas is much cheaper. Then again, you have to take these costs into perspective with how much you'll be making. You can most likely expect your salary to be significantly lower than it was in WA. Again, that doesn't matter much if you take the other price differences into consideration.

If you used public transportation in WA, forget about using it in Houston. I'm not sure if the word "terrible" even describes it. In a way, depending on where you live, you will need a car to survive.

I can't say I've personally experienced the whole "southern hospitality" stereotype, but I would say that most people in Houston seem to be a lot more relaxed. This can be a good thing, but there have been cases where it's driven me crazy.

All in all, depending on where you settle, you might find that you like the area (though this is true of all cities). Hope you like the new scenery and change of weather!