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Old 05-16-2013, 11:10 AM
 
70 posts, read 111,361 times
Reputation: 48

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris1917 View Post
Hello,
I'm considering moving to Houston to be closer to my family. I also hear there are many job opportunities in Houston, which is very attractive. I consider myself liberal, artsy, I'm also buddhist. I'm wondering if I would be able to find a niche in Houston, since I've heard it's pretty Republican and Christian, and don't know if I will fit in there. I don't mind being around people with beliefs different from my own, I just would to like to know that I can easily find a group of like-minded folks so I can feel a sense of community. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
From my experience in trying to relocate to the Houston area, I can say, 'yes' there are jobs available. But you might want to test your marketability remotely first, prior to actually relocating, if getting a job is your main goal. However, from your post you suggest that your goal in relocating to Houston is just to be close to your family, in that case, you might have to deal with the job aspect as you take up residence, knowing that you have achieved the "primary" goal.

Regarding open-mindedness in the area, I think that since you come across as being open-minded with a well balanced worldview yourself, you will be in a better position to adapt to any situation. The fact that you say, "I don't mind being around people with beliefs different from my own...", is already a winning attitude.
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Old 05-16-2013, 02:56 PM
 
34,619 posts, read 21,615,505 times
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A quote from a recent article:

Houston has surpassed the likes of Los Angeles and New York as the most ethnically diverse metropolitan area in the the U.S., according to a new report out of Rice University.



The report, from the university's Kinder Institute of Urban Research and the Hobby Center for the Study of Texas, drew from census data from 1990, 2000 and 2010.
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Old 05-16-2013, 04:09 PM
 
Location: Spring
1,110 posts, read 2,585,848 times
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So what do you actually do?

there is Oil & Gas all day, but not sure about artsy....
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Old 05-17-2013, 01:38 PM
 
224 posts, read 527,791 times
Reputation: 88
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris1917 View Post
Hello,
I'm considering moving to Houston to be closer to my family. I also hear there are many job opportunities in Houston, which is very attractive. I consider myself liberal, artsy, I'm also buddhist. I'm wondering if I would be able to find a niche in Houston, since I've heard it's pretty Republican and Christian, and don't know if I will fit in there. I don't mind being around people with beliefs different from my own, I just would to like to know that I can easily find a group of like-minded folks so I can feel a sense of community. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Houston is a BIG city, there's virtually all kinds of jobs here, the energy industry is hot right now so if you have experience you should be able to find some interviews. Houston definitely has that Republican/Christian attitude (come on, it's Texas ) but it's more pronounced in suburbia. However, the inner loop (midtown, montrose, rice) is pretty liberal, lot's of young people, I don't think you'll have a hard time fitting in.
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Old 05-17-2013, 04:14 PM
 
Location: Westchase
785 posts, read 1,234,808 times
Reputation: 779
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris1917 View Post
Hello,
I'm considering moving to Houston to be closer to my family. I also hear there are many job opportunities in Houston, which is very attractive. I consider myself liberal, artsy, I'm also buddhist. I'm wondering if I would be able to find a niche in Houston, since I've heard it's pretty Republican and Christian, and don't know if I will fit in there. I don't mind being around people with beliefs different from my own, I just would to like to know that I can easily find a group of like-minded folks so I can feel a sense of community. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
We have a lesbian mayor in Houston, so don’t worry about what you’ve heard – Houston is a moderate city where everyone is pretty much welcome. With the influx of young professionals coming here to look for work, especially from the West Coast, Houston is becoming a hipster and yuppie destination.

I’d recommend you check out Montrose and the Heights nieghborhoods in the city’s urban core, where our liberal artsy types tend to flock together and you’ll find plenty of like-minded people around. Our coffeeshop culture recently exploded – check out at Agora, Bacchus, Black Hole, and Antidote, just to name a few. Get drinks at Poison Girl and walk around all the thrift shops on Lower Westheimer. We have an artists’ lofts near downtown, and our Art Car Museum and the Orange Show support local artists and prominently exhibit their work.

Also, we have plenty of Buddhists due to our large pan-Asian population. If you’re interested, check out the Chung Mei Buddhist Temple (they have a great tea shop and they also accept female monks) and the marble BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (it's a Hindu temple, all hand-carved white marble with no steel, the first that was built in the US). Both are a 30-min drive from the city’s core but they’re worth it!
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Old 05-18-2013, 09:45 PM
 
166 posts, read 446,168 times
Reputation: 89
Thanks for the info, you guys.
I work as a legal assistant at a patent prosecution firm and I'd really like to continue doing this. Do you think I can find a job in this field in Houston.

Also, do you guys agree that Houston would be a better fit for me than Dallas? I've had a few people suggest Dallas to me.

Also, to crono-clone- thanks for all the detailed info. I will be sure to check out as many places as I can when I visit Houston next month. Montrose and the Heights sound great, but are they affordable? How is the commute to downtown? They're very close, aren't they?

Thanks!
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Old 05-18-2013, 11:46 PM
 
Location: Westchase
785 posts, read 1,234,808 times
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We have a lot of lawyers in this town, so you can probably find something in that field.

Montrose and the Heights are gentrifying at an increasingly rapid pace, so they're getting more expensive but it's still worth a look. If you want to be ahead of the curve then start looking at the Northside (near the Warehouse District downtown) or in the East End, where the other yupsters are heading after being displaced by the gentrifiers. Fair warning -- those areas are still rough but in a few years they'll be quite different.

And yes, these are all minutes from downtown.

Of the four major cities in Texas, Dallas is the most conservative. So yes, Houston (and Austin) would be the best fit for you.
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Old 05-19-2013, 12:06 AM
 
2,945 posts, read 4,991,946 times
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I'd be cautious on legal jobs. I swear we have tons of lawyers but the amount of ads for legal assistants, paralegals, secretaries is a trip. I keep thinking they're just collecting resumes and such. With the way people bash going to law school most of those jobs are going to recent JD recipients anyway over associates degree people.
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Old 05-19-2013, 03:38 AM
 
4 posts, read 3,617 times
Reputation: 10
Being in patent field is an advantage. There is a lot of patent activity in the energy sector. Also very large Asian population so wide choice of Buddhist temples. If you family is in Houston a repeated drive from Dallas will quickly get old. Texas is big. It takes more time to cover the distance between the cities than in any other state.
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Old 05-19-2013, 12:27 PM
 
Location: Westbury
3,283 posts, read 6,051,955 times
Reputation: 2950
we have a few fairly large buddhist temples. i am assuming there is a fairly large community to be able to support multiple temples like what i've seen. they all seem to be on the SW side of town.

i dont know if the monks i've seen are exclusively buddists but they are always eating at the lubys by my house
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