Cool thing i noticed about Houston..... (Dallas, San Antonio: apartments, rent, house)

[TheLastVigilante]

He y'all first off let me say that I was born and raised in San Antonio and have lived in different cities in the American West/Southwest and have noticed this one thing about the wealthier residents of Houston-they aren't as pretentious as other wealthy residents of other cities.To put it another way Houston's rich aren't really afraid to interact with middle and working class people generally speaking.Now I know this is VERY anecdotal but I felt the need to share this because when I was in San Antonio the residents of Alamo Heights(the old money) were some of the most snobbiest and pretentious people I ever had the displeasure of meeting(I used to work at a shopping center in that town).But what's funny is that the locals in SA always joke at what a dump AH looks like.I know Dallas is notorious for its snobs (although I have never visited there,and don't plan to).I've heard Denver is pretty bad as far as the wealthier people really having awful manners.The only other place that I have visited where the city's upper income residents were fairly friendly to non-wealthy residents is....wait for it -Los Angeles,yes,LA.weird.At any rate,is there some city-cultural thing that is indigenous to Houston where the social classes seem to be on friendlier terms?Before you call shenanigans,keep in mind I'm not a local so this might just all be in my head.

[Matadora]

Houston has it's fare share of pretentiousness but for a world class city most folks are very kind and genuine!

Vigilantes are cool in my book!

[AcresHomes44]

That's how we do in Houston, we can vibe with any class of people from the wealthy to rich. To be honest, I think it comes down to how you're raised. If you're raised to see everyone as equal, it carries over into how you interact.

[NigerianNightmare]

I think because the way the city is built with mixed income areas throughout the metro to the point that even Gulfton is only 5 miles or less from Bellaire and West U. Katy borders Alief, so just Sugar Land, Mo-City borders SW Houston. Spring Branch borders some of the Memorial Villages. Wealth is never to far from lower middle class and poor so unless you really isolate yourself, it is very easy to be friends with less wealthy people. Also I think it also has something to do with how easy it is for a poor person to get rich over time. So more of the rich people were formerly poor or middle class. For me because of oil the rag to riches story is very popular, a few of the people I know including my father went from working in a jail and being homeless in 1999 to earning triple digits 2012. Because of this my dad often knows people who can barely afford apartment rent in a place like Fondren and interacts with them.

I also think the fact that the wealthy in Houston includes a lot of wealthy blacks, whites, Hispanics who may have poor relatives (sorts connected to oil).

[Weatherguy]

I think it's really true. I've noticed the same thing over the years. I certainly don't feel the same vibe here in Austin or other places.

[groovamos]

I love Alamo Heights and Olmos Park. There might not be the giant estates that River Oaks has but you know what? The limestone is not a building material you ever see in Houston plus the terrain in more varied. There is some rolling terrain in River Oaks because of the bayou but not to the extent as in S.A. Big old homes in pretty neighborhoods get my attention

[TheLastVigilante]

Originally Posted by groovamos

I love Alamo Heights and Olmos Park. There might not be the giant estates that River Oaks has but you know what? The limestone is not a building material you ever see in Houston plus the terrain in more varied. There is some rolling terrain in River Oaks because of the bayou but not to the extent as in S.A. Big old homes in pretty neighborhoods get my attention

To be honest,limestone looks terrible,and Alamo Heights is an overrated burgh that thinks it's Beverly Hills
Don't get me started on that anti 2ND Amendment hamlet known as Olmos Park.

[hbcu]

Originally Posted by NigerianNightmare

I think because the way the city is built with mixed income areas throughout the metro to the point that even Gulfton is only 5 miles or less from Bellaire and West U. Katy borders Alief, so just Sugar Land, Mo-City borders SW Houston. Spring Branch borders some of the Memorial Villages. Wealth is never to far from lower middle class and poor so unless you really isolate yourself, it is very easy to be friends with less wealthy people. Also I think it also has something to do with how easy it is for a poor person to get rich over time. So more of the rich people were formerly poor or middle class. For me because of oil the rag to riches story is very popular, a few of the people I know including my father went from working in a jail and being homeless in 1999 to earning triple digits 2012. Because of this my dad often knows people who can barely afford apartment rent in a place like Fondren and interacts with them.

I also think the fact that the wealthy in Houston includes a lot of wealthy blacks, whites, Hispanics who may have poor relatives (sorts connected to oil).

those areas weren't designed to be lower class to begin with. Gulfton was a singles area and Sharpstown was a middle to upper middle class suburb. There are homes in Fondren SW that would rival many but the people failed to account for the overbuilding of apartments which changed the areas overnight.

[NigerianNightmare]

Originally Posted by hbcu

those areas weren't designed to be lower class to begin with. Gulfton was a singles area and Sharpstown was a middle to upper middle class suburb. There are homes in Fondren SW that would rival many but the people failed to account for the overbuilding of apartments which changed the areas overnight.

I agree, but that doesn’t change the situation. Most areas IMO were never designed to be poor and I personally think that is an urban designers problem, as people who plan cities are idealistic and so every area is built to thrive and maybe only apartments were actually built to house poor areas.

[Dopo]

I completely agree,
I have also noticed that in Houston