Minnesota to Houston? (Minneapolis, St. Paul, St. Louis Park: best city, houses, construction)

[The Search Continues...]

Hello,

I'm from Minneapolis and am contemplating a move to Houston. Can any Minnesotans who made the move tell me their candid impressions of Houston? To move, or not to move?



My primary reasons for considering Houston are as follows:

It satisfies the condition of being warmer than Minnesota while still being

1.) A big metropolis with cultural amenities

2.) A place where young people go (unlike FL or AZ for example)


I would LOVE to hear your candid thoughts! Let me know!

[Hate Minnesota]

C'mon down! Making the move from Minneapolis was the best thing I've done careerwise, family-wise, and healthwise. My son is involved with NASA's Little Astronaut program and has been exposed to far more diversity than anything Minnesota could offer. My daughter has a ton of opportunities as well. The extracurricular activities are endless. Culturally, Houston is the best city of the three big Texas cities, as it is within a reasonable driving distance of Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas/Ft. Worth. Houston is definitely the most Cosmopolitan city of them all. It's larger than NYC, but as diverse as San Francisco. Always something to do, eat, see, or experience. Dallas is a lot like Minneapolis and is stereotypical Texas, Austin is weird for all of the right reasons (SXSW) and is a huge 20-something hotspot, and San Antonio is a sh-thole with charm. I own an IT consulting business and routinely drive or fly (very cheaply) to all three of these regions. I'm amazed at the diversity, volume and quality of opportunities that reside in this great state and I wouldn't change a damn thing.

Weather is nice (68 degrees and sunny right now...and has been for the past few weeks), but sweat and heat are a real thing here in the summertime. So, wherever you go...make sure you have access to a nice pool.

[Hate Minnesota]

Also, weather-wise...it still gets chilly here (lows in the upper 30's and highs into the 40's and 50s) during the winter. And there are changes in the seasons. But July - early September are hot and great if you enjoy swimming or bumming by the beach :-)

Houston itself has awful beaches on the canal. However, Houston is only 1 hour from Galveston and 4 hours from South Padre Island (Texas Tropics). So, you don't have to go too far for a nice Gulf Side beach.

[toobrown]

Agree with Hate Minnesota. I too H8 MN.

[Socalgurl-stuck in-Mnpls]

I too agree with previous posts! MN is horrendous place to live! I reckon that even Boise, ID or Billings, MT would be much more pleasant & sophisticated (culturally, aesthetically...etc) places to live compare to this awful place.

[Socalgurl-stuck in-Mnpls]

Originally Posted by toobrown

Agree with Hate Minnesota. I too H8 MN.

I am curious, how do you like Dallas so far? A friend of mine is moving down there this summer.

[mkdude_08]

I'm also in DFW now coming from Minneapolis. To me the biggest change was the weather (duh), the people, and the size of the city (again, duh). The weather is actually more seasonal than I expected as it was no longer 800 degrees outside in early-to-mid October (but the summer was horrific). The fall and winter (at least winter thus far) basically feels like Minneapolis in October and November - cold but not the crazy below zero business. The size of the city is enormous and it seems like everything is under construction, perhaps given the sheer amount of people moving here (especially the Plano/Frisco area). I will also say that the people are absolutely amazing - I have never encountered people who are so purposefully nice in my life - whether it's little things like changing lanes while driving, ordering food at Taco Bell, or the big things like helping out those in need. Example: A friend of ours from church had a friend (who we have never met) whose house was essentially wiped out by a tornado a few weeks ago. We volunteered to help this person clean things up but we were turned away because most of this woman's own church had already started helping her and there wasn't sufficient room for others to join in. In our own area after the same storm passed (but no tornadoes near us) everyone got out of their houses and checked on each others' houses to see if everyone was ok. People in Minnesota aren't jerks by any means but I do notice a different level of warmth and kindness here that I've not experienced up north.

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by Socalgurl-stuck in-Mnpls

I too agree with previous posts! MN is horrendous place to live! I reckon that even Boise, ID or Billings, MT would be much more pleasant & sophisticated (culturally, aesthetically...etc) places to live compare to this awful place.

"...she's a Valley Girl and there is no cure"...

[TxTnVtMn]

Originally Posted by The Search Continues...

Hello,

I'm from Minneapolis and am contemplating a move to Houston. Can any Minnesotans who made the move tell me their candid impressions of Houston? To move, or not to move?



My primary reasons for considering Houston are as follows:

It satisfies the condition of being warmer than Minnesota while still being

1.) A big metropolis with cultural amenities

2.) A place where young people go (unlike FL or AZ for example)


I would LOVE to hear your candid thoughts! Let me know!

I grew up in Houston, lived there through age 18 and then off-and-on until 24. Also did a lot of business travel in the area while living elsewhere. I have now lived in Minnesota for almost 3 years (my wife grew up here, so here I am...the usual pattern, more or less).

So much depends on the area of town that you move to and how you want to live. The limitations imposed by traffic are real, and much greater than in the Twin Cities. The geographic size of the area is immense. Imagine traveling from Northfield to Forest Lake and it is all fully developed. You cannot just zip across town...even on weekends this is challenging.

I do like the city a lot. The inner loop area (inside the 610 loop) is one of the nicest urban areas anywhere, in my opinion. On the other hand, Minneapolis offers something hard to beat with the chain of lakes.

A big difference I have noticed between the Twin Cities and Houston is affordability and condition of the close-in areas (within 10 miles of downtown). In Houston, to be within 10 miles of downtown is to be in either a very sketchy area, or in an unaffordable area (by middle class standards). There are no St. Louis Park or Robbinsdales where you can get a home with a yard for under $300,000 and be in a generally safe and pleasant area. You have to live further out, which locks you into combating the traffic or just being cut off from the cultural amenities and interesting areas of town.

There is much greater disparity in school quality within the Houston area, and without an open enrollment system (which could never fly in TX because it would be abused to the max for HS football purposes) you are locked into the school serving your area. There are lots of truly great schools in greater Houston, but it is very pricey to "buy in" to the better school zones or districts. So many schools are so new that their reputations and long-term prospects are impossible to know.

You are quite right to have your eye on the great cultural amenities of Houston, though the Twin Cities are no slouch in this area. It is a draw, in my opinion. Houston has superior shopping, dining (in terms of variety, at least), great sports stadia (MSP has caught up, though), and a world-class medical center.

Personally, I had the opportunity to move to either Houston or Minneapolis/St. Paul. While Houston is home, I came to the conclusion that the Twin Cities lifestyle was better for the way I wanted to live. It is a more sane place to raise a family than Houston is these days. If I was a young single with money and no kids, I would probably choose Houston.

[Campeador]

Originally Posted by TxTnVtMn

I grew up in Houston, lived there through age 18 and then off-and-on until 24. Also did a lot of business travel in the area while living elsewhere. I have now lived in Minnesota for almost 3 years (my wife grew up here, so here I am...the usual pattern, more or less).

So much depends on the area of town that you move to and how you want to live. The limitations imposed by traffic are real, and much greater than in the Twin Cities. The geographic size of the area is immense. Imagine traveling from Northfield to Forest Lake and it is all fully developed. You cannot just zip across town...even on weekends this is challenging.

I do like the city a lot. The inner loop area (inside the 610 loop) is one of the nicest urban areas anywhere, in my opinion. On the other hand, Minneapolis offers something hard to beat with the chain of lakes.

A big difference I have noticed between the Twin Cities and Houston is affordability and condition of the close-in areas (within 10 miles of downtown). In Houston, to be within 10 miles of downtown is to be in either a very sketchy area, or in an unaffordable area (by middle class standards). There are no St. Louis Park or Robbinsdales where you can get a home with a yard for under $300,000 and be in a generally safe and pleasant area. You have to live further out, which locks you into combating the traffic or just being cut off from the cultural amenities and interesting areas of town.

There is much greater disparity in school quality within the Houston area, and without an open enrollment system (which could never fly in TX because it would be abused to the max for HS football purposes) you are locked into the school serving your area. There are lots of truly great schools in greater Houston, but it is very pricey to "buy in" to the better school zones or districts. So many schools are so new that their reputations and long-term prospects are impossible to know.

You are quite right to have your eye on the great cultural amenities of Houston, though the Twin Cities are no slouch in this area. It is a draw, in my opinion. Houston has superior shopping, dining (in terms of variety, at least), great sports stadia (MSP has caught up, though), and a world-class medical center.

Personally, I had the opportunity to move to either Houston or Minneapolis/St. Paul. While Houston is home, I came to the conclusion that the Twin Cities lifestyle was better for the way I wanted to live. It is a more sane place to raise a family than Houston is these days. If I was a young single with money and no kids, I would probably choose Houston.

This is a really well informed and measured post.

I grew up in the Twin Cities and have lived in TX for the past 13 years (after spending some years living abroad). I loved Austin and have come to really like Fort Worth. I don't know Houston as well, but I did look into it as a possible place to move to and I found that where I was hoping to live (within the loop) was VERY pricey. Something I've always liked about Houston is the really strong International presence.

I think the weather is less than ideal in both the TC and H-town, with the latter's heat and humidity combo as a real turn off for me. Also, if you're into outdoor recreation, TX, apart from out west (Big Bend) and a few corners of the hill country, is pretty unimpressive to most people. All in all, though, I have found that urban TX is A LOT less backwater than most Minnesotans would think. If you're looking for an affordable, warm-weather place, it deserves consideration.