Houston thoughts from someone who lives in DFW (Dallas, Post: how much, house)

[Mr. Clutch]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

I live in DFW and visited Houston for the first time recently and wanted to share my thoughts.

1. I like how everything is centered around downtown. In DFW, nothing really feels centered around Fort Worth or Dallas downtowns, it's just suburban sprawl in every direction. Of course Houston has sprawl but at least everything is orbiting the city.

2. The highways are less confusing than the ones in DFW. I didn't see too many complex and congested interchanges like we have in DFW. The ones near downtown Dallas are a nightmare to navigate.

3. A lot more trees than Dallas and palm trees made it feel like Miami a little bit.

4. Houston seems a lot more ethnically diverse than Dallas. In most places I went, there were a ton of Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians.

5. The Houston city limits are HUGE. IAH is in Houston, downtown is Houston, Chinatown is Houston, and the NASA stuff is Houston. You can drive for an hour and still be in Houston. In Dallas I could have been 2-3 towns over in that time.

6. Downtown Houston was kind of boring and was a deadzone. I don't think Fort Worth and Dallas have great downtowns, but they definitely have more foot traffic and touristy things to do than Houston downtown.

7. The tolls seem disorganized. I saw several lanes closed for toll booths that look like they haven't been opened in years.

8. The humidity makes a huge difference. Similar temperatures as DFW but the humidity makes it feel so much hotter.

9. Drivers were better than DFW. Maybe it was just a good day, but I didn't see as many crazy drivers as I see on a regular basis in DFW.

Overall it's a nice town, but I think I prefer DFW for less humidity and more things to do.

Regarding the tolls, the difference between the two is that Houston still had tollbooth operators on several toll roads pre-pandemic, while DFW had already gone (completely?) to electronic tolling at that time. All of the lanes that were previously manned by operators have been closed since early 2020. HCTRA is in the early stages of rebuilding the tollbooth areas to eliminate the manned toll stations and expand cashless lanes to smooth things out, so this should improve over time.

Regarding the drivers - yeah it was probably a good day, trust me.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by Mr. Clutch

Regarding the drivers - yeah it was probably a good day, trust me.

I’m going to have to side with those that say DFW drivers are a bit worse. Difference isn’t huge but definitely noticeable. Now which has worse traffic is a different story. But DFW drivers are some of the worst I’ve seen in the US outside of Miami

[dallasboi]

Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag

I’m going to have to side with those that say DFW drivers are a bit worse. Difference isn’t huge but definitely noticeable. Now which has worse traffic is a different story. But DFW drivers are some of the worst I’ve seen in the US outside of Miami

Yeah...DFW Drivers are probably a smidge worse and Houston Drivers will pull out a gun and kill you before DFW drivers......just a fun fact.

[Raider Scott]

You nailed it...except for the good drivers thingy. LOL

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by dallasboi

Yeah...DFW Drivers are probably a smidge worse and Houston Drivers will pull out a gun and kill you before DFW drivers......just a fun fact.

Is that because Houston drivers are just better shots or are more likely to pull a gun in the first place?

[crone]

When you are sitting at a Dallas red light and it turns green, must you wait while 5 additional cars pass before proceeding to avoid being t-boned?

[lepoisson]

Originally Posted by Raider Scott

You nailed it...except for the good drivers thingy. LOL

I'm not saying Houston drivers are good, I just didn't see as crazy of stuff as I see in DFW. They also seem less aggressive. I've lost count of how many lifted pickup truck drivers in DFW riding my butt and flashing high beams for driving the speed limit in the far right lane or middle lane. I did see someone in Houston merge two lanes across to highway to avoid missing the exit which is a common behavior in DFW.

Dallas recently won an award for "most dangerous city to drive in the US" and this really wasn't surprising to me in any way.

I did see a lot more "ghetto" looking cars with big rims and spikes coming out of the side of them. Never seen those in DFW, just mostly beat up Altimas with paper license plates.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

I'm not saying Houston drivers are good, I just didn't see as crazy of stuff as I see in DFW. They also seem less aggressive. I've lost count of how many lifted pickup truck drivers in DFW riding my butt and flashing high beams for driving the speed limit in the far right lane or middle lane. I did see someone in Houston merge two lanes across to highway to avoid missing the exit which is a common behavior in DFW.

Dallas recently won an award for "most dangerous city to drive in the US" and this really wasn't surprising to me in any way.

I did see a lot more "ghetto" looking cars with big rims and spikes coming out of the side of them. Never seen those in DFW, just mostly beat up Altimas with paper license plates.

I personally find Miami worse than both but I agree with Dallas just edging Houston out in more dangerous drivers.

[dallasboi]

Originally Posted by Jack Lance

Is that because Houston drivers are just better shots or are more likely to pull a gun in the first place?

[lepoisson]

Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag

I personally find Miami worse than both but I agree with Dallas just edging Houston out in more dangerous drivers.

Miami is the worst place I've ever driven. I can't think of a worse combination of drivers than Haitians, Cubans (nothing against either of these places, but they aren't exactly known for following the rules of the road like a place like Germany), lost tourists, and old people.