Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The downsides of Houston FOR ME are those often repeated (and perpetually debated here in CD). Again, these are the things I personally dislike about H-town (everyone has their own opinion, so Houston boosters there are just MY OPINIONS ONLY...dispute them all you want but they are my opinion about Houston)
1. too much crime and violence, much of it random and too much of it found even in middle class suburbs. The constant parade of random shootings, murder-suicides, domestic violence, child abuse, kid-accidentally-shot-to-death-while-playing-at-a-friend's-house, the pool drownings, the kids dying after being locked in blistering hot cars....it's just awful and never ending. Yes, yes, to some extent this is result of Houston being a big city with millions of people. But it's not just size--the facts bear it out: Houston has a lot of crime and violence, even considering its size. The Boston metro area has 5+ million and yet the amount of crime and violence here is much, much less than Houston. Yes, it happens here. But not nearly as much. I have some extended family in Houston and when we visit them -- or they come to visit us -- the siege mentality that pervades them (lock your doors, hide your stuff in the car, watch out for "those people") is just awful. A local Houston TV station used to run a TV show called "City Under Seige" that was a litany of the incessant crime and violence and that title was correct..."city under siege"
2. Too hot and humid. I despise the long, hot, sweaty summers. I like four seasons (yes, I even like cold, snowy winter)
3. the flat, boring geography and lack of natural beauty. No water, mountains, scenic beauty, but lots of monotonous sprawl. Yes, there are lovely trees and vegetation. But with only a few exceptions (the Rice/West U area being the most notable) Houston is a flat, bland, sprawling visually monotonous metropolis.
4. too much "ain't everything great in Texas?" boosterism, most of it coming from people who know virtually nothing about other states and/or the world. Related to this was an arrogance and defiance that I often encountered toward other states, even to U.S. political institutions. In some ways I found Texas to be the least patriotic place in the U.S. Gov. Perry recently stoked this ugly Texas nativism by hinting (for political purposes, of course) that Texas should leave the union. I find this separatist mindset to be very off-putting, very troubling.
5. too much fundamentalist religion for my taste. It's just not my cup of tea, and I don't like the idea of suburban school boards being pressured by fundamentalists on all sorts of issues (along with too-often compliant fundamentalist teachers). Ran into this issue more than once in Houston -- it's no big deal to some folks, and highly desirable to others. But it makes my skin crawl.
6. Bugs. Too many roaches, mosquitoes, ants.
7. a lifeless downtown that is home to office workers in the day but largely silent at night. Though I live in the 'burbs, my wife and I enjoy the occasional trip to downtown Boston -- sometime with the kids, sometimes just grown-ups -- to enjoy some culture/nightlife/fun. There's not as much of that in Houston's downtown (though, to be fair, Houston has it more spread out in the burbs)
A couple of very recent examples (i.e. the past 2 days) to follow up on my points above, see:
re: Point # 1: Man exposes himself in Katy (http://www.click2houston.com/news/22183286/detail.html - broken link) (and Katy is considered one of the nicer, better areas in Houston), mall worker in the Woodlands is robbed at gun point in broad daylight (again, the Woodlands is a NICE suburban area...this isn't a person in a bad part of town in the middle of the night "asking for it", this wasn't some nefarious deal between two thugs gone bad), High school kids murder mom, woman apparently randomly abducted, her dead body dumped near the airport. Just another awful day in the life of the City Under Siege.
My experience was that people in Houston just shrugged this stuff off, falsely consoling themselves by saying "it happens everywhere." I was flabbergasted by their blase attitude toward it all. While it is true that crime does happen everywhere, the severity and frequency and widespread nature of it in Houston does NOT happen everywhere. It is BAD in Houston, much worse than in a lot of places in the U.S. (even when controlling for the size of the Houston area). Yet people there seemed to think that it's all normal. News flash: it's not.
While it is true that crime does happen everywhere, the severity and frequency and widespread nature of it in Houston does NOT happen everywhere. It is BAD in Houston, much worse than in a lot of places in the U.S. (even when controlling for the size of the Houston area). Yet people there seemed to think that it's all normal. News flash: it's not.
Here are just this week's headlines for Boston - just this week.
Man, Woman Found Dead in Home in Murder-Suicide (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/22191511/detail.html - broken link)
Rapist Who 'Walks Like A Duck' Threatens Women (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/mostpopular/22191594/detail.html - broken link)
Teen Rape Probe Widens On Cape (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/22187132/detail.html - broken link)
1 Stabbed During Store Robbery (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/22187073/detail.html - broken link)
Body Found Near Train Tracks (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/22185831/detail.html - broken link)
Firefighter Shot In Road Rage Incident Out Of Hospital (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22053696/detail.html - broken link)
Police Identify Woman Found In Trash Bag (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22054740/detail.html - broken link)
Police Probing Fatal Bar Shooting (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22147231/detail.html - broken link)
Police: Woman Run Down In Teen Facebook Feud (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22148262/detail.html - broken link)
Ex-Court Clerk Guilty Of Soliciting Sex (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22128804/detail.html - broken link)
Man Admits Raping 4 Prostitutes (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22130542/detail.html - broken link)
Ex-Firefighter Charged In Fatal Hit-And-Run (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22130754/detail.html - broken link)
Man's Body Found In Trash Can (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22135535/detail.html - broken link)
1 Shot Dead; Teen Shot In Leg In Brockton (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22145207/detail.html - broken link)
Man Accused In Cop Killing Heads To Trial (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22116822/detail.html - broken link)
Woman Assaulted In North End (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22120820/detail.html - broken link)
I have no reservations about moving, at all. Texas is great and although my real estate taxes are higher comparing the houses and the community (Texas house vs Michigan house) is like apples vs oranges. I'm sure I could locate a comparable Michigan house , area, price, sq ft, in Houston and have around the same real estate taxes (because the house would be valued much lower).
Quote:
Originally Posted by justwaitimthinking
atlantis7...c'mon now, don't scare me away. Texas is about all I have keeping me going, I have to believe that Texas is cheaper than most places and better or else I just give up
I am sick of living in the Pacific NW and have until May to find a new place (our company is closing by May), I've already sold our home, so now we just need to move somewhere we can afford on a single income with three kids. In all the research I've done and places I've visited, Texas seems to be about the most family-friendly economies out there where you can live on single income, have a nice-sized house in a safe neighborhood and good schools, and an overall good job market. We have close friends in Spring who moved from Oregon and they love it there.
Someone please tell me we are looking in the right place!
Here are just this week's headlines for Boston - just this week.
Man, Woman Found Dead in Home in Murder-Suicide (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/22191511/detail.html - broken link)
Rapist Who 'Walks Like A Duck' Threatens Women (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/mostpopular/22191594/detail.html - broken link)
Teen Rape Probe Widens On Cape (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/22187132/detail.html - broken link)
1 Stabbed During Store Robbery (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/22187073/detail.html - broken link)
Body Found Near Train Tracks (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/22185831/detail.html - broken link)
Firefighter Shot In Road Rage Incident Out Of Hospital (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22053696/detail.html - broken link)
Police Identify Woman Found In Trash Bag (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22054740/detail.html - broken link)
Police Probing Fatal Bar Shooting (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22147231/detail.html - broken link)
Police: Woman Run Down In Teen Facebook Feud (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22148262/detail.html - broken link)
Ex-Court Clerk Guilty Of Soliciting Sex (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22128804/detail.html - broken link)
Man Admits Raping 4 Prostitutes (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22130542/detail.html - broken link)
Ex-Firefighter Charged In Fatal Hit-And-Run (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22130754/detail.html - broken link)
Man's Body Found In Trash Can (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22135535/detail.html - broken link)
1 Shot Dead; Teen Shot In Leg In Brockton (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22145207/detail.html - broken link)
Man Accused In Cop Killing Heads To Trial (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22116822/detail.html - broken link)
Woman Assaulted In North End (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newsarchive/22120820/detail.html - broken link)
I know this is really wandering off topic - but I would think that a man who walks like a duck "with his shoulders spinning" would be a cinch to find.
A couple of very recent examples (i.e. the past 2 days) to follow up on my points above, see:
re: Point # 1: Man exposes himself in Katy (http://www.click2houston.com/news/22183286/detail.html - broken link) (and Katy is considered one of the nicer, better areas in Houston), mall worker in the Woodlands is robbed at gun point in broad daylight (again, the Woodlands is a NICE suburban area...this isn't a person in a bad part of town in the middle of the night "asking for it", this wasn't some nefarious deal between two thugs gone bad), High school kids murder mom, woman apparently randomly abducted, her dead body dumped near the airport. Just another awful day in the life of the City Under Siege.
My experience was that people in Houston just shrugged this stuff off, falsely consoling themselves by saying "it happens everywhere." I was flabbergasted by their blase attitude toward it all. While it is true that crime does happen everywhere, the severity and frequency and widespread nature of it in Houston does NOT happen everywhere. It is BAD in Houston, much worse than in a lot of places in the U.S. (even when controlling for the size of the Houston area). Yet people there seemed to think that it's all normal. News flash: it's not.
Often people quote headlines and draw conclusions that don't match reality. This post is a case in point. Crime in Houston is similar to every other major American city of its size, and like most crime, is not generally widespread nor is it generally random (violent crime). It happens in bad areas of town and generally to acquaintances, family members or drug deal *partners.*
But don't take my word for it. Look at Houston Crime Maps and take a look at areas you are considering living in, and to compare neighborhoods.
The roaches in Houston on the other hand, yeah, they are big and disgusting, but mighty tasty!
My house was appraised for 23k less this year compared to 2008, but my tax rate had shot up. I'm almost paying the same taxes this year(2009) as 2008. Sneaky bastards!
My house was appraised for 23k less this year compared to 2008, but my tax rate had shot up. I'm almost paying the same taxes this year(2009) as 2008. Sneaky bastards!
Something is odd - they normally bypass the whole raising taxes bit by appreciating the value. If they depreciated - I don't see how that happened in a vacuum. PM me with your address - let me try to figure out what's going on. Something is not right.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
