Florida vs Texas

[Wilshire81182]

Parts of Texas are dry, but Houston is not. I have a friend there and the climate feels pretty similar to Orlando. Both are in a Southern state, close to the gulf but far enough away that there is little relief in the way of breeze.

[2martins]

i survived Houston for 4 years. HATED IT.

it's flat, its brown, it's hot, the beach was an ashtray, the crime was bad, the traffic was terrible the people drive BADLY, and there are no hills. there was gay bashing (i'm not gay, but who wants to live where people KILL people because they are different?) the gun culture is INCREDIBLE. A guy got off who shot and killed someone who was in his YARD. he was drunk and knocking on the door. the guy did not call the police, he shot and killed the guy. um, not necessary. if he breaks the plane of your house with one finger, ok, shoot it off, but knocking on the door? and he totally got off. it's LEGAL in texas to shoot and kill your wife if you catch her in bed with someone else. literally.

they are obsessed with the idea that texas is big. but just mention alaska which could divide in two and make Texas the third bigggest state and they get annoyed. i got lost once i texas and the cop told me-= LITERALLY- not to stop and traffic lights or stop signs while following his directions to get out of that neighborhood and NEVER to come back. it was a very bad neighborhood. so much so that i was scared to go into the convenience store to ask for help- i just drove around until i saw that cop and then waved him over.

i once got stopped going 92 in a 55 and did NOT get a ticket. i did get a warning, but please, how fast do you have to go to get a ticket?!!?? they drive like LUNATICS! i was going that fast because i got used to driving very aggressively there to avoid getting run over. i do not drive like that in nashville.

the humidity hits you like a wet blanket when you get off the plane. they air condition so much that you could freeze in the summer inside and then about die when you go outside. i used to have to take sweats with me in the summer to go to the movie or grocery store in the summer!!!

it rains so hard sometimes that it flash floods. it once rained 20 inches in 24 hours in pearland near houston. the annual rain fall in seattle is about 42, for comparison. at least twice while i was there it rained hard enough to flood large portions of the major roads.

the rodeo was way more fun than i would have thought. clear lake was a nice area and having rocket scientists for neighbors was kind of cool.

the rest of it sucked. if you live in memorial area i think it would be ok as long as you did not have to go anywhere else, or perhaps the woodlands. otherwise, YUCK!!!!

i did my time and got out!!! i have not lived in Orlando, but i am moving there soon and have done a lot of research etc on it. i think winter park is the memorial type area, and there is an art museum near there and a nice park. the downtown is pretty and connected with tunnels so you can get from many buildings to other buildings without going outside which is great may-oct and also when it rains. the rain there can be TORRENTIAL. and then there are the occasional hurricaines, and hurraine straps were not mandated on the roofs as late as 1994, if i remember correctly, so good luck keeping your roof on if one hits. galveston still has not recovered from the hurracaine near the begin of the century!!!

i could go on. the people are nice as soon as they are out of their cars, though.

[gypsychic]

I drove through Houston once 30 years ago and absolutely hated everything I saw. It was just as the above poster described - flat as a pancake, all brown, sprawling, terrible air and lots and lots of "bubbas". I'm sure there are some nice people there, but you couldn't give me a mansion and pay me a salary to live in a place like that. When we got back to Florida I decided Florida was just about the prettiest place I'd seen on my cross-country trip outside of parts of California. I didn't get to visit San Antonio or Austin, but everything I've read about those towns sounds pretty nice and VASTLY different from Houston.

Florida may not be perfect, but damn near.

JMO, of course.

[Wilshire81182]

I agree too. I just got back from Portland, Oregon and while I think it is beautiful up there too. The rain and overcast skies made it seem too gloomy. Even though it is flat, I love the open blue skies and green grass and trees. I think the desert states are very beautiful in their own way, but there are a lot of states in the middle that I do not find quite as stunning and most of Texas is that way to me.

[mg83]

Lest we forget the ginormous 'tude that comes along with TX. I mean - really - at least we Floridians can somewhat laugh at ourselves...