Time to Leave Houston? (Austin, Sugar Land: 2014, private school, gated)

[detachable arm]

Originally Posted by WRM20

and traffic is not as bad as the suburbs.

I’ve heard this parroted by some inner loopers. But I used to work all over town, and the absolute most congested part was inside the loop- easily. Yes, some suburbs have choke points but in many cases there was zero commute advantage (in time spent) to living in the loop, and on weekends certain parts were packed solid. Sorry but I’m not buying it.

[Redlionjr]

Originally Posted by S.Allen

Well, we already had the flooding and other issues for decades. Add in the other and yeah...the inner city becomes less and less appealing.


That was my whole point. Where IS the advantage of living in inner city Houston? It seems to be dwindling.

As far as schools go in the inner loop area...you better have deep pockets to swing private schools. Another reason living there is undesirable.

If your single or a young millennial couple with no kids I'd say being in the inner loop is a much MUCH better experience than living outside of it. Cultural institutions, nightlife, best restaurants, plenty to do, commutes are more tolerable, neighborhoods with some kind of character.

Me personally I liked what Houston had to offer better when I was a single 20 something year old. I stayed closer to the inner loop so I got a chance to experience being in and out of the loop daily. It's different and gives Houston much more appeal.

[S.Allen]

Originally Posted by Redlionjr

If your single or a young millennial couple with no kids I'd say being in the inner loop is a much MUCH better experience than living outside of it. Cultural institutions, nightlife, best restaurants, plenty to do, commutes are more tolerable, neighborhoods with some kind of character.

Me personally I liked what Houston had to offer better when I was a single 20 something year old. I stayed closer to the inner loop so I got a chance to experience being in and out of the loop daily. It's different and gives Houston much more appeal.

Yeah but today, I wonder how the younger people afford living inside Loop 610. You have to make some serious bank to do this today, versus when we did it in the early 90s.

[detachable arm]

Originally Posted by S.Allen

Yeah but today, I wonder how the younger people afford living inside Loop 610. You have to make some serious bank to do this today, versus when we did it in the early 90s.

Debt is wealth.

[S.Allen]

Originally Posted by detachable arm

Debt is wealth.

To some maybe.

I was raised to believe debt is the devil and to not pile it up. Hard to live by in your 20s but you see it's benefits in your mid 50s, when you house and cars are paid for and you have a savings.

[Texascrude]

Originally Posted by S.Allen

Yeah but today, I wonder how the younger people afford living inside Loop 610. You have to make some serious bank to do this today, versus when we did it in the early 90s.

I’ve got to agree with this. I would bet that most people could afford a better urban experience living in the heart of a mid sized growing city like Greenville or Colorado Springs than they can in Houston, unless they’re making six figures (which many are). Like another poster said, though, Houston has something for everyone. You don’t necessarily get that in a smaller area, but I think most cities today offer most of what most people want.

[detachable arm]

Originally Posted by S.Allen

To some maybe.

I was raised to believe debt is the devil and to not pile it up. Hard to live by in your 20s but you see it's benefits in your mid 50s, when you house and cars are paid for and you have a savings.

I agree, and I got math lessons from my dad that they didn’t teach in school.

But inner Houston is still pretty reasonable compared to most other very big cities. Many people don’t understand this because they are comparing it to the podunk places they’re familiar with. I know people who spent their 20s in more expensive, more trendy cities and their financial habits then affect them now in their 40s. They paid the price for the memories… Perhaps it was worth it.

Also ANY city with trendy bars/nightlife is going to attract 20-somethings who are trying to get laid. Houston is not unique in this regard. When people get older their priorities change and they usually move. Inner city is all about me, myself and I. Burbs are all about your spouse, your son and your daughter. The previous comments in here prove that and again- it is not unique to Houston.

[Redlionjr]

Originally Posted by S.Allen

Yeah but today, I wonder how the younger people afford living inside Loop 610. You have to make some serious bank to do this today, versus when we did it in the early 90s.

Compared to other major cities in America, Houston is still fairly affordable even within the loop. You can still get a 1 bedroom apt. somewhere in the loop for under $1250. Granted it might not have all the top notch amenities but younger people sacrifice those things to be in the mix of everything. And you can do this without having to depend on a roomate to live in a central location. Is it ideal? No but this is the society we live in now. Where everything IMO is overpriced including the burbs. Especially the burbs.

Originally Posted by Texascrude

I’ve got to agree with this. I would bet that most people could afford a better urban experience living in the heart of a mid sized growing city like Greenville or Colorado Springs than they can in Houston, unless they’re making six figures (which many are). Like another poster said, though, Houston has something for everyone. You don’t necessarily get that in a smaller area, but I think most cities today offer most of what most people want.

Greenville and Colorado Springs are super nice and does have more natural offerings to give than Houston but I think your age and place in life right now are showing. I think most young millennials( 21-33) would probably prefer inner loop Houston to a smaller mid size city. Night life, dating scene, amenities are in abundance more in the loop than those 2 you mentioned. Younger people would be willing to move to a smaller size city that's just as expensive if not more like Austin or Nashville but I don't think your moving to a Greenville or Colorado Springs for a affordable mid size urban experience. Some probably but I still think many would choose the bigger city majority of the time.

Originally Posted by detachable arm

I agree, and I got math lessons from my dad that they didn’t teach in school.

But inner Houston is still pretty reasonable compared to most other very big cities. Many people don’t understand this because they are comparing it to the podunk places they’re familiar with. I know people who spent their 20s in more expensive, more trendy cities and their financial habits then affect them now in their 40s. They paid the price for the memories… Perhaps it was worth it.

Also ANY city with trendy bars/nightlife is going to attract 20-somethings who are trying to get laid. Houston is not unique in this regard. When people get older their priorities change and they usually move. Inner city is all about me, myself and I. Burbs are all about your spouse, your son and your daughter. The previous comments in here prove that and again- it is not unique to Houston.

Exactly! Inner loop when I first moved to Houston had so much appeal just for the reasons above. And mind you Inner loop has more today than it did 12 years ago. But now I'm in a completely different space with a family so I don't care to enjoy some of those added spaces. I can just go to these places every once and a while and call it a night.

[Failed Engineer]

OP, would it be possible to look into an ex pat assignment? That might scratch your itch for a change, likely make you more marketable in the future, and is a great experience for your kids that will serve them a lifetime.

In some organizations it can be challenging to have a fixed timeline to return home but to me that’s the only downside.

[Texascrude]

Originally Posted by Failed Engineer

OP, would it be possible to look into an ex pat assignment? That might scratch your itch for a change, likely make you more marketable in the future, and is a great experience for your kids that will serve them a lifetime.

In some organizations it can be challenging to have a fixed timeline to return home but to me that’s the only downside.

I was actually supposed to go overseas last year, and then Covid hit. They had my assignment picked out and approved and everything. As things stand now, expat assignments are harder to come by simply because they are so expensive for the company — they’ve localized a huge chunk of the expat assignments, and so the chances of getting one have gone down considerably (I’m in the finance function, not engineering or drilling). If I knew for certain I’d be able to get one this year I would probably stick it out, but I’ve got to think the chances aren’t any better than 50/50. I may wait and see what my next rotation looks like, along with what kind of salary treatment we get this year, but I’m not sure. One of the many considerations.