San Antonio or Houston, that is the question (Sugar Land, Galveston: apartments, credit)

[Grimacus]

Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate all the info. If we move to Houston, we would be looking around the areas of Sugarland, Pearland, League City. San Antonio we would be looking around from downtown, north. Staying near the hospital/nursing schools.

[Grimacus]

Originally Posted by Aquajox

We moved to San Antonio from the Seattle area (Lynnwood) 14 months ago. San Antonio is very laid back. It's a great city to raise a family.
San Antonio is 30 miles wide in any direction, so it's like many towns in western WA put together. Think Seattle to Marysville, and Lynnwood to Bellview but WAY less dense and better traffic.

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Hey I lived in Everett probably half of my life, then last year moved to Puyallup. Thanks for the info

[Grimacus]

I forgot to add, since this might affect where we live, but me and my wife filed for bankruptcy couple months ago. So I am not sure how nice apartment complexes feel about those.

[noplacelikeWA]

I moved to SA with Aquajox my DH and I although there is a lot to love about SA if you must be near water or the beach then go with Houston its the biggest difference I see in your list of criteria. You will find plenty of sunshine and heat in both cities but I have heard it is more tolerable in SA because there is less humidity and a nice breeze that blows almost all the time. Basically I really love the beach and wish we could be closer to it so Houston would be good for that. Also I am struggling with the "small town feel" of SA it's really spread out and not very sophisticated, I imagine the density of Houston makes it better organized?

[Grimacus]

Well I wouldnt call any of the beaches here in the Puget Sound great, I usually travel to Washington Coast or Seaside Oregon to get to a nice beach. So usually takes 2-3 hour drive to get to a nice beach. I just would like to be closer to one. From SA to CC google maps says its a 2 hour drive. From Houston it says depending what part of Houston from an hour to a 10 minute drive. From the pics i've seen, Galveston beaches look dark, similar to some WA beaches, but CC seems to have a lighter tan sandy beach, and further down towards South Padre Island has more of the white sandy beach feel.

[noplacelikeWA]

CC beaches compared to PNW beaches are amazing! The sand is clean and the water is warm and the sun is awesome! We've made 3 trips there so far and one time was even a day trip on 12/31 and the temps were in the 70's! Right now there is a lot of seaweed on the beaches but apparently it is a temporary problem and doesn't happen every year. From the "far west-side" of SA it is at least a 3hr drive to Padre Island where we like to hang on the beach.

SA is not as dense as Houston so maybe you would be happier in SA and just drive to the coast when your in the mood. The crime in SA is better, and you will get a lot more house for your money here compared to WA but I wouldn't expect many other savings. Be warned the taxes in TX are CRAZY!!

[tgannaway89]

I too was faced with the dilemma of moving to Houston or San Antonio for college. Both cities are similar in a lot of ways. I loved the fact the Houston was close to the ocean and had much better public transportation. I liked that San Antonio had a lot more fun things to do for a person my age. I suggest you make a list of the most important things to you, and assign each one to the city that would meet them best. It was a hard choice, but in the end I decided on San Antonio. After all, it isn't too far a drive to Houston if I would like to visit. Good luck!

[Grimacus]

Well I am 33 and my wife is 22, but we love the same things but im not a huge fan on country music like she is

Well I made a list.

1. Employment (higher paying jobs for non-college grad).
2. Good neighborhoods near a nursing school / hospitals.
3. Lower cost of living and low crime.
4. Many parks and recreation areas open year round.
5. Short distance to the ocean (willing to drive hour or two to the ocean if needed).
6. Warmer weather in the winter months.
7. Laid back asmophere but not to the point where nobody cares about anything.
8. Great shopping areas.
9. Great food.
10. Theme parks and museums etc. etc.

[Guerilla]

Originally Posted by Grimacus

Well I am 33 and my wife is 22, but we love the same things but im not a huge fan on country music like she is

Well I made a list.

1. Employment (higher paying jobs for non-college grad).

Houston has the nations fastest job growth. You could easily find a job here.

2. Good neighborhoods near a nursing school / hospitals.

There are many good neighborhoods around the Texas Medical Center. If you want the inner-city lifestyle, there are many nice areas on the west side of the TMC that you could choose from. If you want the suburban life, Pearland is not too far away. Many nice communities there.

3. Lower cost of living and low crime.

The cost of living is about the same. Crime is higher in Houston (I think), but Houston's metro is more than twice the size of the San Antonio metro, so it is almost a given.

4. Many parks and recreation areas open year round.

The hill country in San Antonio has a lot of hiking trails you might like. Closer into Austin, there are some canoing options. Houston has its fair share of parks though. Memorial Park is the largest in the Houston area.

5. Short distance to the ocean (willing to drive hour or two to the ocean if needed).

Galveston is not too far from Pearland if you decide to move there. It is little over 40 miles to the island.

6. Warmer weather in the winter months.

Yeah, Houston gets the warmer weather.

7. Laid back asmophere but not to the point where nobody cares about anything.

SA is more laid back, but Houston has a "nobody cares attitude". It isn't all uppity like Dallas.

8. Great shopping areas.

Houston wins.

9. Great food.

If you enjoy Tex-Mex, SA wins. If you want to try out a new international meal almost every night, Houston wins.

10. Theme parks and museums etc. etc.

SA wins in the theme park department, but Houston has more museums. SA has Sea World, Schlitterbahn (the first one), and Six Flags, while Houston has the Galveston Island (with Schlitterbahn, the newest and Moody Gardens) and Kemah Boardwalk (new roller coasters being built there).

[AnthonySA]

generally lower gas prices in SA

www.sanantoniogasprices.com
www.houstongasprices.com