San Antonio or Houston, that is the question (Dallas, Weatherford: crime, house)

[Guerilla]

What side of League City is the apartment located? Is it closer to NASA?

[Grimacus]

Originally Posted by Guerilla

What side of League City is the apartment located? Is it closer to NASA?

Its next to Nasa basically, next door is the shuttle simulator.

[Grimacus]

Yay saw some posts (another forum) about crime in Houston and saw some articles about people being killed for there car/truck, like this one case some pizza delivery guy was shot in the face for his car, I mean wtf. I might have to take a pizza job when I first get to my new location to just have a job but seeing this got me worried

[Guerilla]

Don't be. You'll be in League City. Also, crime has dropped significantly over the same period last year. The reason is the Hurricane Katrina evacuees have no be better absorbed into the population (150,000 came in about four days). That's a lot to take in, in a short amount of time.

[Grimacus]

Just found this on the internet...
Houston homicide rate tops Dallas' | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle (broken link)

San Antonio is on the rise also.

[polyorchid]

I think San Antonio has a much lower chance of getting hit with a major hurricane.

Hurricane Rita scared Houstonians so much that a huge percentage of Houstonians attempted to evacuate during the recent Hurricane Rita and because so many people tried to leave at the same time many of the evacuees literally got stuck on the highways, while the rest of Texas watched the craziness on the news from the comfort of their homes. The evacuation was a major disaster in its own right, while Houston itself pretty much ended up avoiding any catastrophe due to the hurricane. But next time a large hurricane looms, the result could well be different. The evacuation and the hurricane might both be disastrous.

League City is probably even worse insofar as hurricanes are concerned.

There's going to be more and more large hurricanes in the coming years as the weather warms.

I've never owned a house, but I'd imagine that hurricane and flood insurance is very expensive.

In San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and San Marcos you can be pretty sure there's not going to be a big hurricane hitting anytime soon.

The weather in Houston and all around there is utterly stifling. It's usually very sauna-like. It rains almost every day in the summer for about an hour, and often throughout the year.

It's always been a lot like living in Western Louisiana and not as much like living in Texas, although it's been even moreso since Hurricane Katrina. Many of the folks in Houston originate from Louisiana and have a Louisiana accent which might be annoying and/or difficult to understand.

Apartments in the best areas of Houston are more expensive than apartments in the best areas of San Antonio. You should expect, pound-for-pound, to pay about $100 more for a Houston apartment. And you should expect, if you aren't willing to pay high rent, to have a congested commute, no matter where you are in the Houston area.

And that commute will probably not be a pleasant one. Besides the congestion, both the drivers and the roads in Houston are terrible--some of the nation's worst. The roads are just awful, almost all of them. All of the roads have gaping potholes and huge bumps that come with no warning. No one, and I mean literally no one, ever yields at the yield signs on access roads to highways in Houston, which of course contributes greatly to the clogged highways, whereas in San Antonio almost everyone always yields at yield signs much like you would expect normal people to do. Lights are run often in Houston and there are lots of vehicle-pedestrian accidents.

Some of the intersections with traffic lights are poorly designed, and at some of them there's actually a lane in which a left turn or going straight is allowed but the people who want to turn left are at times forced to stop while the people going straight have a green light, which results in people going straight with a green light telling them that they're allowed to go straight having to wait behind people who want to turn left who are stopped at their red light. If it seems confusing when I try to explain it, think about driving through it.

The road system is miserably run. Large sections of highways are just completely closed at times. The city does a really poor job of managing road construction, and it is confusing. Often there are signs put up claiming that a lane ahead is closed or road construction is being done where there is actually no such lane-closing or road-construction. There doesn't seem to be a single main road in the main part of Houston that isn't littered with huge bumps and potholes. It'd be wise to invest in some really great shock absorbers before moving to Houston, or else just learn to drive pretty slow and memorize all the nooks and crannies of each and every road you ever drive on. Until you do, stay in the middle lanes of all roads whenever possible to minimize car damage.

Generally-speaking, the people in Houston are friendly, until they get into cars, where they turn into uncaring law-breaking monsters.

There's a lot of money and jobs floating around Houston, and it's got an extraordinary amount of diversity, and the people are friendly when they aren't driving, but except for that it's a pretty unpleasant place to live--reminiscent of a Louisiana mosquito-infested swamp. I'm sick of it now after 4 years and I'm moving to San Antonio, or possibly Dallas or Austin, depending on where I get hired.

[Guerilla]

Originally Posted by polyorchid

I think San Antonio has a much lower chance of getting hit with a major hurricane.

Of course it does.

Hurricane Rita scared Houstonians so much that a huge percentage of Houstonians attempted to evacuate during the recent Hurricane Rita and because so many people tried to leave at the same time many of the evacuees literally got stuck on the highways, while the rest of Texas watched the craziness on the news from the comfort of their homes. The evacuation was a major disaster in its own right, while Houston itself pretty much ended up avoiding any catastrophe due to the hurricane. But next time a large hurricane looms, the result could well be different. The evacuation and the hurricane might both be disastrous.

I think you mean Hurricane Katrina scared so many Houstonians. Don't act like it was only Houston that had to evacuate as well. All of SW Louisiana did as well. When you have 2.5 million people leaving town at one time, of course you are going to have traffic jams. People as far north as Livingston got damage. I don't think the evacuation will be as worse as Rita. Rita was as powerful as any hurricane will ever be.

League City is probably even worse insofar as hurricanes are concerned. There's going to be more and more large hurricanes in the coming years as the weather warms.

It depends on what side of League City you are on. Not all of it are in the floodplain (like the NASA side). The only parts by the floodplains are along Galveston Bay. People said last year was going to be bad, too. How many hurricanes did we see then?

I've never owned a house, but I'd imagine that hurricane and flood insurance is very expensive.

It probably is.

In San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and San Marcos you can be pretty sure there's not going to be a big hurricane hitting anytime soon.

Yeah, but in San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas you have to worry about flash floods a lot (you could even say more than Houston). Especially in the hills, when the water can't be absorbed by the ground because it is all rock. Dallas has a lot of tornadoes (severe thunderstorm warning have been going on all week again). A major hurricane hasn't hit Houston since Alicia in 1984. People like to believe that Houston gets hit by a big one every other year or so. That isn't the case.

The weather in Houston and all around there is utterly stifling. It's usually very sauna-like. It rains almost every day in the summer for about an hour, and often throughout the year.

LOL, no it isn't. The closer you are to the water, the more humidity there is, but it isn't close to being sauna-like. It doesn't rain almost every day either. Houston has a lot of sunshine days. I won't say it never rains, but it doesn't rain all day when it does.

It's always been a lot like living in Western Louisiana and not as much like living in Texas, although it's been even moreso since Hurricane Katrina. Many of the folks in Houston originate from Louisiana and have a Louisiana accent which might be annoying and/or difficult to understand.

I never once felt like living in Louisiana when I was in Houston. Some parts of the far eastern suburbs feel like Louisiana. But suburbs like League City, Sugar Land, Katy, Cypress, The Woodlands, Atascosita, Humble, well basically a semi-circle around the eastern suburbs, don't feel like Louisiana at all. There are a lot of people with accents in Houston, too. You have to remember that Houston is Texas' most international and multi-cultural city. You will hear more here than anywhere else in the state.

Apartments in the best areas of Houston are more expensive than apartments in the best areas of San Antonio. You should expect, pound-for-pound, to pay about $100 more for a Houston apartment. And you should expect, if you aren't willing to pay high rent, to have a really annoying commute, no matter where you are in the Houston area.

I doubt it. They aren't that far apart.

And that commute will probably not be a pleasant one. Both the drivers and the roads in Houston are terrible--some of the nation's worst. The roads are just awful, almost all of them. All of the roads have gaping potholes that come with no warning.

With the excellent Park and Ride system, he shouldn't have a problem. The driver's can be bad, but they aren't close to being the nation's worse. The roads are NOT awful. They are very modern (moreso than San Antonio, Austin, and many parts of southern Dallas). Potholes are not a big problem in many places. The city is repaving many roads that have them.

No one, and I mean literally no one, ever yields at the yield signs on access roads to highways in Houston, and if you do the people behind you will actually honk at you for doing so, which of course contributes greatly to the clogged highways, whereas in San Antonio almost everyone always yields at yield signs much like you would expect normal people to do. Lights are run often in Houston and there are lots of vehicle-pedestrian accidents.

Yeah they do. I never once almost got into an accident because someone didn't yield. It has actually only happened to me here in Arlington. There are not a lot of pedestrian-vehicle accidents either. I will have to go and get the stats on that.

The road system is miserably run. Large sections of highways are just completely closed at times. The city does a really poor job of managing road construction, and it is confusing. It has a lot more work to do though, because there doesn't seem to be a single main road in the main part of Houston that isn't littered with huge bumps and potholes. It'd be wise to invest in some really great shock absorbers before moving to Houston, or else just learn to drive pretty slow and memorize all the nooks and crannies of each and every road you ever drive on.

This isn't true. Large sections are not always closed. I don't know how you can flat out lie like this. The roads in Houston are not that bad.

Generally-speaking, the people in Houston are really nice, until they get into cars, where they turn into uncaring law-breaking monsters. My car's been hit six times, but I'd never been the victim of a hit-and-run until I got to Houston.

I have never been in a hit-and-run in Houston at all before. I have gotten into an accident, but we both pulled over to the side of the road.

There's a lot of money and jobs floating around Houston, and it's got an extraordinary amount of diversity, but except for that it's a pretty unpleasant place to live--reminiscent of a Louisiana mosquito-infested swamp. I'm sick of it now after 4 years and I'm moving to San Antonio, or possibly Dallas or Austin, depending on where I get hired.

There aren't even many swamps around here, only by the port in suburbs like Highlands, Texas. The area where the topic starter will be leaving in is clean as can be. Nothing reminiscent of a swamp. The same with the other Houston suburbs I named earlier in the post.

[LookingtoLeave]

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).
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.

Based on your list, I would take Houston. The one thing SA has that Houston doesn't is better theme parks, but Houston I believe has better museums. SA lacks any sort of real art or culture. As far as lower cost of living, I think SA wins. I visited Houston this past summer for an extended period of time and saw some beautiful areas around midtown I believe. SA doesn't have parts like those.

[Grimacus]

Well my wife found a school in SA that she really likes, and found these lofts downtown that she wants to move into. I told her I dont think most places downtown will allow a dog. We have 78 days till we pack our car up and leave this overpriced state. Both cities have there pluses and minuses but me and my wife came to what sounds like a good plan, she wants to goto school in SA then after graduation, move to Houston near the Medical Center where RN's get paid higher. I just have no idea what I am going to do for a job in SA.

[Guerilla]

Originally Posted by Grimacus

Well my wife found a school in SA that she really likes, and found these lofts downtown that she wants to move into. I told her I dont think most places downtown will allow a dog. We have 78 days till we pack our car up and leave this overpriced state. Both cities have there pluses and minuses but me and my wife came to what sounds like a good plan, she wants to goto school in SA then after graduation, move to Houston near the Medical Center where RN's get paid higher. I just have no idea what I am going to do for a job in SA.

I hope it all works out for you. I really think Houston would be the better choice because of the medical center and jobs for you.