Question about weather in The Woodlands/Houston

[I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA]

Originally Posted by jww223

I have read many posts about the unbearable heat in the summer and my wife and I visited Houston last summer but even though it was hot, it was for only a few days so it never seemed that bad.

We may be moving to Houston due to our son's medical condition where humidity is better for him (we are also looking in Raleigh and Charlotte - there are many reasons why other cities aren't considered). Anyway, we are coming from Boston where one is literally locked inside for 5 months of the year because its so cold. What we don't want to happen is if this scenario is reversed in the summers of Houston - where one is locked inside for 5 months because of the heat.

Our son would be better off in a place where he can be outdoors most of the time. Do many people (kids, especially) still "get out" in the summers or is everyone in their air conditioned home most of the time.

Anyone move from North Carolina to Houston and found the heat even more unbearable or pretty much the same?

Everyone handles the heat different. I HATE it, I cannot handle it at all. I am locked into my house for at least 5 months because of the heat and humidity.
Kids seem to handle it better. Come visit in August and spend a few weeks and see if you can take it.

[snowbody]

Ok tstone, glad to know what I missed! That was when the Smokey Mountains were in the high 90's during the day and high 80's at night and very humid! Obviously, the reason she told me the heat came from Texas was the temperature in Houston! The weather often moves in that direction, depending upon the Gulf Stream!

Bottom line, why move from snow and ice to more snow and ice in North Carolina. It gets hot in North Carolina, as well! We all suffer from too much rain, or too little! However, the great thing the Piedmont area, as indicated earlier, being close to the mountains! Oh, how I loved the "Kodak Moments", aka the digital freezes in my camera!

If I were to move for more humidity and great weather, why not Hawaii! If you want humidity, try Seattle, or the Olympic Peninsula! However, they were not on the list! Besides, both Houston and Hawaii have a possibility for hurricanes! The Woodlands is inland, but still can have some winds, but nothing like the coastal areas! Besides, we hope they stay in the ocean and go the other way! About 20 years ago, a hurricane swept through the Piedmont area . . . Many of the trees around the farm became match sticks! Regardless of where we settle our lives, the most important consideration would be a place to enjoy and be happy!

Obviously, jw233 is trying to get the people's choice, trying to get a bit of insight about the areas! That is great! North Carolina means a farm with cows, horses and the loudest donkey I have ever heard in my life! "Hee-Haw" is not a donkey sound, for sure! My North Carolina is country, not the city!

Houston, on the other hand, is a huge metropolitan city with all the good and bad attached. The Woodlands is not far away and certainly not country!

Texas is my Home! Live here long enough and we will accept you as an "almost-native"! The owner of the farm moved to Houston in 1953 to go to photography school; he has only been back to North Carolina to visit! He does miss the old rice fields where the Galeria now resides!

So, sorry about the weather report. Guess, the reason to check the average temperature, was to be sure you were correctly informed!

Snowbody!

[migee]

I lived in NC (north of Charlotte) for about 5 years, and now live in The Woodlands.

I cannot say I see a difference in the heat (even though it may be a few degrees warmer here for a little while longer). You adapt.

The Woodlands is a more unique place to live. Many communities have pools here, and many of the apartment complexes, and some of the gated communities also have pools.

The Woodlands is very nice (physically attractive) - The mall itself (like Market Street) is a nice place to go to in the evenings (for the whole family).

There seems to be more family oriented activities here in the Woodlands area.

In NC if you live in Charlotte it is about a 6 hour drive to the beaches and about 2 hours to the mountains.

Here in Texas...The beaches do not compare to the Outer Banks...And I am not quite sure where the mountains are. Though it is a big state with plenty of diverse destinations. San Antonio is really nice, and there are some really incredible outdoors destinations (like Palo Duro, though it is a long, long, long drive)...

I liked NC...I have not yet made up my mind about Texas - Though day by day I find something else (new) that I like.

The people here (at least in the Woodlands) are definitely more diverse than in NC - They are from all over. And, they are pretty friendly here. The people in NC were polite...But not friendly. They socialized with family and church. (though I did not live in Charlotte, and it may have been different there).

I do not know your economic/job situation...But, there is definitely more opportunity here (in the event that things change in your life, and you need work).

Also, for the money, I think that you get more in buying a house here. The construction may leave a little to be desired (make sure that you get an engineer to inspect anything that you buy). But, they have some nice places here for the money...no property (at least in the Woodlands itself) but a nice looking house.

The energy costs I find to be about the same as in NC (I had Duke energy there). The auto insurance is about the same...

But...speaking of auto insurance - get plenty!!!! - NIce people here, but by far among the worse drivers in the world. They don't have road rage , it's just the opposite - They don't realize anyone else is on the road (they're too busy talking on their cell phones, or zig-zagging from lane to lane).

***Got to add this - Depending on where you live in NC, there are a lot of above line utilities (phone, electric, cable) and when there were ice storms (at least several times per year) it was a disaster. I lost lights (and heat) at least once each year due to ice, and several times per year due to thunder-storms.

Here in the Woodlands I only lost electric during the hurricane (plus a few times for several hours, for one reason or another). But the point is, many of the utilities are not so subject to the weather...And I never saw ice down here (though according to the weather people it was here occassionally....But, being a northerner, it seemed like nothing to me.

[snowbody]

Talk about the Houston drivers! There was a time when my children were young, the drive to work was a great time to listen to study tapes or just to have some real time alone!

They moved away to opposite sides of the 48 . . . and now the traffic is to be ignored! Work from home as much as possible! It is the only way! Stay off the freeways and learn the byways, not the bayous aka as branches North Carolina! I guess branches in NC are actualy little streams. Country people in NC have the strangest ways of giving directions, like turn left beyond the third branch and right at the old school house (the one burned down in 1924, nothing remains)!

Your comments are great about the hard decision, both places have a bounty of great beauty, except the Houston area is awfully flat . . . go to Big Bend for the mountains! They are beautiful! Never seen the Davis Mountains, but understand they are great as well!

Texas is very diverse! The people seem very friendly, for the most part. Occasionally we have to forgive a few newbies from other places, but they adapt! After all, it is Texas!

Consider an ocean millions of years ago covered the area . . . all the way to the Hill country, perhaps beyond (not sure)!

[jww223]

Thanks everybody for the input.
snowbody: The are many factors why Hawaii, Seattle, etc. is not considered - Medical (our son has a very rare condition and there are only a few hospitals that cater to and research his condition so that's why Texas Childrens and Duke Medical weigh heavily. We are in Boston right now and have Boston Childrens to take advantage of.

In talking with many doctors around the country and doing hours of research it was determined that Texas and NC were the best places - a few other factors came into play like business (I run an investment firm and can, in the short term, run it from anywhere although this will end at some point), culture, climate, housing, etc. - the most ideal place for my son would be a humid place near the ocean BUT it can't be just that. I need specific jobs there and the medical piece is huge. So, Savannah, for example, isn't an ideal place when considering all factors.

I think when we visited Houston last summer we sort of understood about the heat but then again it was only for a few days. We finally just visited places in NC and now we are majorly researching all areas (including Boston...we still may stay here. Not worth moving if I don't have a job and we're all miserable and unhappy). Coming from Boston we actually thought we wouldn't like Houston but was pleasantly surprised, especially when we visited the Woodlands - seemed the most similar to the suburbs of Boston. We did the commute from Houston to the Woodlands b/c we heard such bad things about it - pretty much was what people described, although my commute into Boston, door to door, is 1 hour 20 minutes.

And speaking of crazy drivers - I am from Boston...aren't we famous for being nuts?

[observer]

I live in Miami but have been to Houston several times and I spend most of my summers in Raleigh. Interesting, because these 2 cities were areas that were on the top of my list as far as places to relocate to. Right now, Raleigh is #1 on my list. I would give my pros and cons on the 2 cities.

CLIMATE- In my opinion, Raleigh has more pleasant summers. Houston has better winters. Yes it does get hot in both cities but it seems to cool down after 6:00 PM in Raleigh and it can drop to about 68-70 overnight. That is not the case in Houston. In Raleigh, there are summer days that the highs can only reach the lower 80s, that does not happen in Houston; at least hardly ever if it does. You can expect days in the 90's in both cities, but much much more in Houston. In fact, that is the norm in the summers. Summers in Houston definitely lasts longer than Raleigh.

TRAFFIC- Raleigh wins hands down. You do have traffic during rush hours in the morning and the afternoon. However, nothing compared to Houston. Lets put it this way. I would be willing to live in the suburbs in Raleigh and be willing to commute 25-35 miles a day back and forth to work. I would not consider it in Houston. Both cities have a good highway system, especially Houston.

HOUSING- Prices in homes are cheaper in Houston. However, property taxes are much much higher in Houston. Homes are a little bit more in Raleigh, but very low property taxes.

TAXES- No state income tax in Texas. Houston definitely wins in this category. NC has a state income tax. You also have to pay yearly taxes on your vehicle and boat. I believe vehicle taxes is something like 1% of the value.

Houston is a much bigger city than Raleigh and has much more of a big city feel than Raleigh. I feel Raleigh is big enough with things to do. If being outside in the summer time is important, I feel Raleigh is more tolerable than Houston in the summer. I personally like both cities. The Woodlands north of Houston is beautiful. Both places has its pros and cons.

[Sampaguita]

Originally Posted by jww223

And speaking of crazy drivers - I am from Boston...aren't we famous for being nuts?

LOL - YES! I hate driving in Boston. Driving in Houston isn't much of a picnic either. Migee is right - drivers here seem to be in the own world between cell-phoning and zig-zagging.

OP - The Woodlands is a picturesque, family-oriented area with beautiful parks, playgrounds, pools aplenty (miss that!), great schools, good local pediatricians (we love Dr. Bhakta at TX Children's Pediatrics on Research Forest Drive; have even driven almost an hr just to see him!) and all your basic shopping needs.

Good luck with your decision.

[JayZ750]

Originally Posted by migee

In NC if you live in Charlotte it is about a 6 hour drive to the beaches and about 2 hours to the mountains.

Curious that you say this; i've never made the drive, but pretty much all mapping programs note the drive from Charlotte to Myrtle Beach, SC comes in just under 4 hours. To Wilmington, NC about 3.5 hours. I think 3 hours is the perfect time-frame for weekend getaways; far enough that you are really getting away, but not so far that in order to do so, you are spending most of your time in the car. The beach seems further than this 3 hour time frame, but just barely so...not nearly the 6 hours you've noted???

Plus, the OP seems to be asking about the triangle area, which is a closer drive to the NC beaches.

I live in Houston and am thinking of relocating to Raleigh, NC.

The Houston pros and cons have been noted. Cheap, large city with all the typical large city offerings (pro sports, restaurants, arts), overall low cost of living (though as noted, watch out for those property taxes) and moderate winters (if that's a plus to you).

But large city is probably an understatement - it's enormous; you don't feel as cramped as you do in the NYC's of the world, but we also have millions upon millions of people, and the city just covers a ton of space. It's a flat, boring landscape. Winters are mild, but summers are hellish (not that people don't get out and do stuff, it's just not comfortable).

The beach is close enough (Galveston), but it's never been that well thought of. The Texas coast is generally more about fishing than about "beach" activities". Nothing wrong with that - in fact, fishing is awesome. But as noted, don't expect to be blown away by the beach.

There is some diversity of landscape in Texas. The hill country can be beautiful, and is probably represents the best of Texas, geographically. Nice rolling hills, beautiful wildflowers in spring, some nice lakes, some surprising caves to explore, famous floatable rivers, etc. Big Bend is great solid, as are other Texas areas, but keep in mind distances in Texas aren't like in other states. It will take you a long long day of driving to get you from Houston to Big Bend or the Panhandle or to the valley in south Texas (great birding there, though). Still, when it comes to "beautiful" states, Texas doesn't immediately come to mind nationally, and most would agree NC has much much better diversity and beauty in landscape, beaches and mountains.

As many have noted, The Woodlands in particular is a nice, family oriented area. Lots of new shopping, tons of growth, etc. I used to be very familiar with the area (early to mid 90's). It has since grown tremendously. I wouldn't say there's a lot to do, really, besides your typical shopping, eating and golf. All the stuff that Houston has to offer is certainly accessible, but as noted, Houston is 25-30 miles away, and the drive can be difficult, made even moreso because youre options are either I-45, which is infamous on the stretch into Houston due to its ugliness (endless concrete, billboards, etc.) or a toll road. But lots of young families, so plenty of soccer leagues, family activities. It's just a fairly affluent, somewhat far out suburban enclave, of which Houston has many. I'd say The Woodlands is Houston's most polished of these enclaves, with Sugarland coming in a very close second, and the Katy area also representing one of the burbs.

I actually live closer in town. I've learned how to avoid the traffic as best I can, but then I'm already living close to town as opposed to driving in from one of the enclaves mentioned. We are definitely looking to move somewhere with more access to the outdoors. There's being outdoors in the hot summer - at the pool, playing golf, all of which Houstonians do, and then there's being an outdoors person - enjoying mountain hikes, mountain bike riding, rock climbing, kayaking, really playing at the beach - all of which you can find in Texas if you look hard enough, but nowhere to the extent of North Carolina. We are looking for 4 seasons. Houston has 2 - amazingly hot summer and not amazingly hot summer. And we're looking for an adventure.

We have considered states like North Carolina, Colorado, Oregon and Washington strongly, and will ultimately end up in one of those areas.

Hope this helps.