Gay Retirement in Galveston (Houston, Dallas: real estate, condos, high crime)

[Scooter123]

We have heard some interesting/good things about Galveston in terms of gay retirement. We are particularly interested in historical or gulf front homes (not condos). We are wondering what to expect in the 700k - 900k range. Further, we are wondering about the calibre and possibilities of a broad range of a gay support system/network in the area. Comments would be appreciated.

Thanks, Scooter.

[Muhnay]

I think Brokeback Mountain is in Montana.. maybe Colorado?

I Kid, I kid.. good movie either way. So being near Houstin I would think being a large metro area there should be good gay support in areas.. but I dont see Texas as open as lets say San Francisco, or Seattle. and having many manly cowboy type men here, you may have a hard time. Galveston is a small community... as for houses do a google for the area with your price range, you should get some good info that way.

Here is an artical I found on gays in the Galvestin area.. and it looks like you will not have as hard a time as I thought.. pretty open and friendly.

http://www.outsmartmagazine.com/issue/i07-00/queen.html (broken link)

And here is a site that list houses in your price range..

http://www.homesandland.com/SiteMap/...Galveston.html

Good luck on your move..

[notmeofficer]

Try West Hollywood Ca.. it touts itself as the gay all american city.. even deputies have to go thru 24 hrs of mandatory gay sensitivity training every year... the city council is gay.. 80 percent of the residents profess an alternative lifestyle

me.. its just another hooky california lifestyle and place I dont ever want to be around again

I figured Texas was more conservative... who would have thought....

cowboys are ... well the cowboys I knew were true men in all sense of the words... a dying breed and legend.. if what I hear from the reviews are true.. brokeback mountain was just another weird movie producers political statement

When I saw gay,, I thought it meant lively... Im outta touch

[neddy]

Scooter, I have some gay friends that vacation there every year and have a great time and no real problems and they said there is a smallish support system there.

[momof2dfw]

Galveston has a pretty good gay scene. The arts are really big and important there. They also have a large Mardi Gras celebration. I do know that two of the eating establishments that are good in Galveston are owned by gays.

I'm gonna take a chance and say you have never been to Galveston? Why? The main part of the city does not have any buildings ON the beach side of the Seawall. Save for the Ballanese and the Flagship Hotel which both are built on a pier out over the water and a few things at Stewarts Beach but no houses. To the far east of the island close to the ferry over to Bolivar there are two condo buildings one being the Galvestonian. Then to the west as you travel west on Seawall the first building on the beach side is the Seascape Condos (a lowrise condo building and very nice). On down now you will start to see more developments w/ housing on the gulf side. There is a new condo that just opened up a miles west of Seascape. On out and I mean way on out is a new development called West Pointe that has housing on the water and such. You should be able to find something on the west end of the island on the water in your price range. If you want something more on a canal that leads to the open bay or gulf you can find that also around Tiki Island.

[Farouche]

Scooter 123,
Having spent some time in Galveston, (and having traveled through much of the rest of Texas), I have to say that Galveston is one of my favorite places in all of Texas. It doesn't seem to be appreciated for the gem that it truly is by many Texans. From my experience, there seems to be a "live and let live" attitude that prevails. Pretty relaxed and easygoing. It is also the place in the USA right now to invest in for waterfront property, as it really is the last great value for waterfront in the country.
(Actually, 3-4 years ago was the perfect time to buy there. Wish I could have done so.)
Unfortunately, as more people realize this, it will inevitably get ruined. But plenty of people will be making money!
Like Cape Cod, where I live, value will go sky-high as the last lots are sold and the island gets overcrowded.
Its somewhat seedy, faded, sixties charm will be part of the past. Oh, well!
Anyway, the architecture is beautiful, breathtaking, in fact, and with your money, you should have a palace. Just make sure you google Galveston Island Geohazards and look at the map and report by coastal geologists to see what areas of Galveston to avoid building on or investing in, in case of a major hurricane. It's an inevitability, and there are parts of Galveston in the west end that are being developed that are right in the way of washover areas and very vulnerable to storm surge.
Good luck living in a great place!

[Trainwreck20]

I lived in an apt in downtown Galveston for 1.5 years as part of my work, although I traveled back to Austin a couple times a month usually. Anyway, a few observations about Galveston:

- Many, many of the inhabitants are there because they hate the cold. There are many people from Chicago, MN, Detroit, etc. that 'fled' to Galveston. Results in a very interesting mix of people.

- On a related note, it you move solely because of the weather, you are probably not the 'damn the torpedos' type go getter....most of the residents that I knew down there were happily partially or under employed. The jobs did not pay well and were not technical, for the most part.

- What do not-so-motivated people that make marginal money do? They DRINK! There are some great drinking establishments on the island. Try O'Mally's if you are 'older' (post college) or Molly's, across the street, if you are in the younger set. Plus a zillion more dives around the island.

- Politics on the island are probably as close to 1920s Chicago as you can get these days. A few people control the money and the direction of growth/change on Galveston. This has a lot to do with the lack of growth over the past 40 years. I think all but two of the restaurants on the seawall(last I heard) were controlled by one family. Not really a entreupenur environment. This applies to the government as well as business....

There are many other things that make the island interesting, both good and bad...the mix of rich and poor neighborhoods, the drug issues, the beaches, the tourists, the college (UT Galveston). A lot of the students call it 'Galvatraz' - you come and never leave....

[AK123]

I have to say that Galveston is one of my favorite places in all of Texas. It doesn't seem to be appreciated for the gem that it truly is by many Texans.

That's what I've noticed on my trips there... apparently there were problems with dirty beaches many years ago, but it's all cleaned up now. I was amazed at how nice it is after hearing some of the comments from friends in Austin who told me not to go. We got there and I was so mad I hadn't discovered it sooner, being only an hour from where we live in Houston! Anyway... lucky for anyone who can buy a home there now, before the real estate prices go through the roof once everyone from out of state has discovered it...

[TootsieWootsie]

Lived in Houston almost 22 years, left three years ago and know Galveston well.
Galveston is a town with high crime, lots of poverty; and a city of haves and have nots. If you can afford to spend close to $900K on a luxury condo or one of the old pre-1900 hurricane (which killed something like 8,000 plus) Victorian mansions, you will not be in the have not catagory.
Your biggest problems there will be crime and the hurricanes. If this does not freak you out...what a comfortable life you will have in Galveston retired.
I, myself, would not mind living there in retirement: lazy, relaxed, tad artsy, kinda tropical environment, lots of festivals there, very friendly. Really only about an hour to Houston. What is not to like?
Gay friendly? Are you kidding? Houston could care less (and Galveston, also) if you are gay or not.
You might think Texas is conservative, but, when it comes to your sexuality, this part of Texas just does not give a damn (as Rhett Butler would say). Houston is nowhere near so conservative as other parts of Texas--Austin being much more liberal even. Dallas is uptight, lots of religion there. Just my opinion.
If you have any specific questions, pm me and, if I don't know, I can find out from friends who still live right there. Happy to be of help if I can.
All in all, I say go for it. You can live well on little money there and have a wonderful life!

Tootsiewootsie

[txgrl]

Lol people in Galveston also don't care about being a "have" or a "have not". Maybe some of the extremely wealthy are that shallow but the rest of us just don't care. You'd probably like it here because of the relaxed "whatever goes" attitude. There are alot of successful gays living in the area and there is always something to do.