Post by bullygirl979 on Jan 9, 2019 12:03:42 GMT -5
DH and I live in NY. We both grew up in this town and separately said we never wanted to live here our whole lives. On and off we contemplated moving away but for various reasons it never came to fruition.
My BIL and his family live outside Houston and on more than one occasion have asked when we are moving down there. For various reasons, we are now considering it. For those who live in/around Houston, I'd love to hear what you like/don't like about living there.
So, I don't live in Houston. But my parents moved down there 2 years ago, along with my sister, BIL, and their kids. They live in Rosenberg, which is a little far out but is between Katy and Sugarland.
They love it. We are from Chicago area originally so they have been raving about the weather. It's SUPER hot in the summer, but it's pretty hot everywhere in the summer anyway. The winters are mild, though they do have some cold days but no real snow (I think the had a dusting once last year) and they are outdoors a lot. My parents have a pool and they are all out swimming in it multiple times a week for like 7-8 months of the year.
They liked the diversity, and that there are lots of good restaurants of all ethnicities (thought admittedly they don't take advantage as much as I would!). There is plenty to do - lots of national tours of concerts and theater, major sports teams, a great zoo (which I can confirm - I just visited for Christmas!), and the downtown area seems nice. Their houses were affordable - much more affordable than in Chicago area, which was a major drive for moving. There is also no state income tax, though I think their property taxes are relatively high.
It's also pretty liberal, at least by TX standards. Their town/neighborhood is a little more mixed so they do run into some ultra conservatives, and my sister has said that basically everyone she meets asks where they go to church (they don't) so that's an adjustment. But they've met a lot of like minded people as well and seem happy there.
Downsides: traffic, it's a huge sprawl, and it's not super close to a lot of other places (Austin is only 2 hours or so away though, and San Antonio isn't too far either). They have lots of options for flights but some of them have been more expensive than they were when they lived in Chicago (for example flying to the Dominican Republic cost 2-3x more) though I'm sure that varies a lot by destination.
My BIL is a real estate agent, so if you decide to move and would like help finding a place let me know!
I've only been to Houston a couple of times so don't know much, but I do know it's now considered one of the best foodie cities in the US. Apparently the sprawl (and low COL) helps with the food scene, as up and coming chefs can afford to open restaurants.
So, I don't live in Houston. But my parents moved down there 2 years ago, along with my sister, BIL, and their kids. They live in Rosenberg, which is a little far out but is between Katy and Sugarland.
They love it. We are from Chicago area originally so they have been raving about the weather. It's SUPER hot in the summer, but it's pretty hot everywhere in the summer anyway. The winters are mild, though they do have some cold days but no real snow (I think the had a dusting once last year) and they are outdoors a lot. My parents have a pool and they are all out swimming in it multiple times a week for like 7-8 months of the year.
They liked the diversity, and that there are lots of good restaurants of all ethnicities (thought admittedly they don't take advantage as much as I would!). There is plenty to do - lots of national tours of concerts and theater, major sports teams, a great zoo (which I can confirm - I just visited for Christmas!), and the downtown area seems nice. Their houses were affordable - much more affordable than in Chicago area, which was a major drive for moving. There is also no state income tax, though I think their property taxes are relatively high.
It's also pretty liberal, at least by TX standards. Their town/neighborhood is a little more mixed so they do run into some ultra conservatives, and my sister has said that basically everyone she meets asks where they go to church (they don't) so that's an adjustment. But they've met a lot of like minded people as well and seem happy there.
Downsides: traffic, it's a huge sprawl, and it's not super close to a lot of other places (Austin is only 2 hours or so away though, and San Antonio isn't too far either). They have lots of options for flights but some of them have been more expensive than they were when they lived in Chicago (for example flying to the Dominican Republic cost 2-3x more) though I'm sure that varies a lot by destination.
My BIL is a real estate agent, so if you decide to move and would like help finding a place let me know!
The bolded is funny as I didn't want to outright say this, but that was one of my concerns. Of the research I've been doing, a lot of people say "if you don't like guns and God, you won't like Texas". We don't go to church and we are pretty liberal. While our current neighborhood is pretty...vanilla, where I lived previously was very diverse and I loved it.
And we couldn't get over the affordability of the houses. Given we are in NY, we pay A LOT for property taxes and income taxes. Houses in Texas that are selling for 200k more than our current house have the same property taxes. It's insane.
I made a similar move (liberal expensive Boston to cheaper conservative Atlanta) over 10 years ago. No regrets at all. These large southern cities tend to have a lot of transplants, so it's not like you'd stick out. And you already have family there so that's a huge bonus. I moved blindly without knowing a single person.
So, I don't live in Houston. But my parents moved down there 2 years ago, along with my sister, BIL, and their kids. They live in Rosenberg, which is a little far out but is between Katy and Sugarland.
They love it. We are from Chicago area originally so they have been raving about the weather. It's SUPER hot in the summer, but it's pretty hot everywhere in the summer anyway. The winters are mild, though they do have some cold days but no real snow (I think the had a dusting once last year) and they are outdoors a lot. My parents have a pool and they are all out swimming in it multiple times a week for like 7-8 months of the year.
They liked the diversity, and that there are lots of good restaurants of all ethnicities (thought admittedly they don't take advantage as much as I would!). There is plenty to do - lots of national tours of concerts and theater, major sports teams, a great zoo (which I can confirm - I just visited for Christmas!), and the downtown area seems nice. Their houses were affordable - much more affordable than in Chicago area, which was a major drive for moving. There is also no state income tax, though I think their property taxes are relatively high.
It's also pretty liberal, at least by TX standards. Their town/neighborhood is a little more mixed so they do run into some ultra conservatives, and my sister has said that basically everyone she meets asks where they go to church (they don't) so that's an adjustment. But they've met a lot of like minded people as well and seem happy there.
Downsides: traffic, it's a huge sprawl, and it's not super close to a lot of other places (Austin is only 2 hours or so away though, and San Antonio isn't too far either). They have lots of options for flights but some of them have been more expensive than they were when they lived in Chicago (for example flying to the Dominican Republic cost 2-3x more) though I'm sure that varies a lot by destination.
My BIL is a real estate agent, so if you decide to move and would like help finding a place let me know!
The bolded is funny as I didn't want to outright say this, but that was one of my concerns. Of the research I've been doing, a lot of people say "if you don't like guns and God, you won't like Texas". We don't go to church and we are pretty liberal. While our current neighborhood is pretty...vanilla, where I lived previously was very diverse and I loved it.
And we couldn't get over the affordability of the houses. Given we are in NY, we pay A LOT for property taxes and income taxes. Houses in Texas that are selling for 200k more than our current house have the same property taxes. It's insane.
Thanks for all the info!
My impression is that the closer you get to the city, the more liberal it gets. They are in a fairly small suburb, so of course it attracts more rural mindsets. Their neighborhood had its mix of Beto and Cruz signs My sister did leave the neighborhood FB page because there were too many conservatives, but she also has made some really good friends (and she's a pretty loud and proud and unwilling to compromise liberal, so there is no way any of them are conservative!). I do think some of them probably go to church, but it hasn't stopped them from befriending her!
I think, coming from super liberal Chicago, it has been a bit of an adjustment, but if she can do it I think anyone can. When she told me she was moving to TX I thought she was completely insane, but as much as I hate to admit it I think it's been a good move for them.
Post by bullygirl979 on Jan 9, 2019 15:18:28 GMT -5
wildrice, his brother lives in The Woodlands so *if* we moved down there we'd look at Spring, Tomball, The Woodlands area. So, close to the city but honestly probably around the same distance to downtown as your family. And I don't mind if other people go to church, I just don't want anyone trying to convert me, lol.
We lived in Houston for 6 years & left because I couldn’t handle the stress of worrying about losing our home to another hurricane. At first we were in the energy corridor and the a suburb (Katy). Most of what we liked to do was in the loop but it was too expensive so we dealt with the traffic.
I've only been to Houston a couple of times so don't know much, but I do know it's now considered one of the best foodie cities in the US. Apparently the sprawl (and low COL) helps with the food scene, as up and coming chefs can afford to open restaurants.
I've heard Houston is a lot like Atlanta although the COL here has gone up a lot in the last 5 years--especially house prices & property taxes. The food scene is supposed to be amazing.
Post by bullygirl979 on Jan 9, 2019 15:58:15 GMT -5
sadlebred , which is hilarious as the population where I live isn't even 250k. I did multiple COL calculators and each one said it was a hair cheaper to live in Houston as opposed to where I live. So.Many.Taxes
sadlebred , which is hilarious as the population where I live isn't even 250k. I did multiple COL calculators and each one said it was a hair cheaper to live in Houston as opposed to where I live. So.Many.Taxes
Wow!!! That is insane! My suburb of ATL is about 80,000 people and about 800,000 in the county. We have some of the lowest property taxes in the metro area, BUT home values have really gone up in the last few years in my area. I was reassessed in 2018 and nearly died. My taxes went up by 20%! I do pay city and county, but it about evens out with just county residents. I don't pay into the county fire or police taxes since my city has their own services.
I haven’t lived in Houston since leaving for college, but I was born and raised there and visit family and friends a few times a year. I will ditto all of what wildrice mentioned, but do want to caution you about the weather. I love my hometown, but it is HUMID year round and is stifling in the summer. The four seasons may also not be what you’re used to experiencing. I’m a few hours north and it makes all the difference in the weather.
Post by bullygirl979 on Jan 10, 2019 7:49:34 GMT -5
mlkgls, yeah, my H was been warning me about the weather. He wants to plan a long weekend out there so scope it out. I told him if we are serious about it we need to go back in summer as well. I did go visit a GBCNer in Galveston in June and I do recall how brutal the heat/humidity was.
mlkgls , yeah, my H was been warning me about the weather. He wants to plan a long weekend out there so scope it out. I told him if we are serious about it we need to go back in summer as well. I did go visit a GBCNer in Galveston in June and I do recall how brutal the heat/humidity was.
I really do suggest this, but try to spend more than a long weekend there - a couple weeks in the middle of August might be sufficient to give you a good taste of things. I used to live in San Antonio and moved there from the northeast. I had absolutely no idea how brutal summer was down there. Constant high heat and humidity gets as wearing as cold and snow.
Hi there, I live in a Houston suburb. I'm a transplant, and have lived in the area for ~22 years.
Weather: definitely visit in August. It is very hot, very humid. In a huge parking lot, everyone scrambles to get those few parking spots with a tiny bit of shade from some scraggly little tree. And summer is from May to October. On the other hand, January is beautiful! I've been here through a few hurricanes; we had some roof damage from Rita, but no serious damage. I'd be more concerned with flooding, either form hurricanes or just heavy rains. Definitely do you homework about where to get a house.
Traffic is awful. Houston is the epitome of urban sprawl. If you can afford to live closer into the city (or in the city), I'd recommend it.
FANTASTIC restaurants. Really. Huge variety, in a wide range of price-points. Excellent restaurants. Lots of stuff to do - museums, music, etc. There's a beach about an hour away (Galveston); it isn't great, but it's okay.
Houston itself is very diverse. And lots of transplants. I manage a group of ~25 people, and most of them are not from Houston.
Houston is also pretty liberal, but the surrounding areas vary. I live in a pretty red suburb (unfortunately) - for a variety of reason, we can't live in the city.
Cost of living is pretty reasonable, all things considered. Housing is considerably more expensive in the city. You can get very affordable housing in the suburbs, but then there's traffic, less things to do, etc.
I'm happy here, but I don't know if I'd leave NYC for it.
Post by bullygirl979 on Jan 10, 2019 16:38:36 GMT -5
mich1, my sister suggested the same thing. I think we will do a quick "initial" trip to scope things out and look to go for longer if we actually like it initially. Do you feel like you got used to the weather? I mean, DH's brother and his wife are from where we live and it is COLD. They've lived there long enough (maybe 12 years) that when they come to visit and DH and I are in shorts and tank tops, they are wearing hoodies and jeans.
sm12, I'm about 6 hours from NYC so no glamorous city to leave behind Just high property taxes and a sh*t ton of snow, lol. Can I ask what part of the country you are originally from?
Post by notsocreepylurker on Jan 10, 2019 18:38:57 GMT -5
I'm originally from NJ (north Jersey) and lived in IL for 6 years. I have been in Houston (now north Katy) for 11 years and I am STILL not used to the heat/humidity. Others adjust easier but it does get very humid so the heat can be a bit much. Almost everyone has a pool though since they can be used most of the year.
Woodlands/Spring - not a bad area. Woodlands was created as a planned community. It can be pricey compared to other suburbs of Houston. You'll find liberal pockets and more conservative pockets everywhere. Where I moved to in Katy is more conservative than I like but I am hoping it'll turn purple soon.
COL is not bad. No state income tax which is nice. I got gas for $1.71/gallon the other day.
Traffic SUCKS. It sucks SO BAD. And most of the really cool liberal areas are inside the loop and can take an hour to get there and then there's parking.
What area would you guys be working? I'd figure that out then find a suburb with a commute I could handle. Lots of people do commute south from the Woodlands to inside the loop daily.
Fwiw, DH commuted from Katy (far west Houston) to the Galleria area (inside the loop) for several years. It took him 75-90 minutes each way since he didn’t have flexibility in his hours. The only redeeming thing about that was he WFH on Friday.
mich1 , my sister suggested the same thing. I think we will do a quick "initial" trip to scope things out and look to go for longer if we actually like it initially. Do you feel like you got used to the weather? I mean, DH's brother and his wife are from where we live and it is COLD. They've lived there long enough (maybe 12 years) that when they come to visit and DH and I are in shorts and tank tops, they are wearing hoodies and jeans.
sm12 , I'm about 6 hours from NYC so no glamorous city to leave behind Just high property taxes and a sh*t ton of snow, lol. Can I ask what part of the country you are originally from?
I lived in San Antonio for 14 years. By the time I left, I had had enough of the extreme heat (and I came from upstate NY where -20° was not uncommon). Heat becomes wearing and you find yourself running from air conditioner to air conditioner. Being outside in extreme heat is no more enjoyable than being outside in extreme cold. I got used to it though - but I have lived in many different climates in my lifetime and have always gotten used to where ever I was living.
Perceptions are funny. I just got off of a cruise, and one of our stops was in Bermuda. It was a gorgeous day, temps of around 65-68°. I had on sneakers without socks, a t shirt and khakis and I was comfortable. Locals were wearing jackets, sweatshirts and scarves and were shivering from the cold.
I live in the PNW now, so really don't see those extremes anymore.
Someone mentioned traffic. You really want to pay attention to where you live and where you work. My orthopedic surgeon was in Houston while I was in San Antonio - normally a 210 mile drive. I had one appointment where I did not get out until 3:30. That normally 3 hour drive took me 5 hours and it was 9 pm when I got home. I didn't hit the Houston city limits until 6, the highways were parking lots.
sm12 , I'm about 6 hours from NYC so no glamorous city to leave behind Just high property taxes and a sh*t ton of snow, lol. Can I ask what part of the country you are originally from?
Originally from Midwest (near St. Louis).
woodlands is a nice area- kind of a planned community. Family friendly.
I agree with someone above who suggested that (if you move) to determine where you’d work, and find a location to live where you can tolerate the commute. The fun/cool stuff is “in the loop” (inside the 610 loop).
I am just north of The Woodlands. We’ve lived in Beaumont (east of Houston), San Antonio and now here. I really like the area, except our county is red. However, we have lots of liberal and progressive groups, post Trump. Access to everything is nice and close in Houston, love being close to my family, the airport, hate the humidity & hurricanes. We have a generator and a house on high ground. (We had hail and some flooding in San Antonio, so we chose carefully here). I am happy to answer any questions.
ETA: great medical care options. Our taxes are $7500 on a $350k house for reference. Also Hs new job is an hour commute to the Energy Corridor (I10&Beltway8) so that sucks but we manage and he flies often. Lots of toll roads. I advise scoping out a place to live with multiple routes to your job. Waze is your best friend.
Don’t forget to factor in flood insurance. I’m sure many will disagree but I wish everyday we had it even though we were told we did not need it (USAA actually told us it was a waste of money). None of our neighbors had it either since we were outside the flood plain. I know it was a freak thing but no one I know who still lives in the Houston area goes without it now.
ETA - sorry to sound like a downer because Houston is actually a great city. So many museums, theaters, restaurants and lots of fun neighborhoods to explore for a day. Im clearly still processing what happened last year.
Don’t forget to factor in flood insurance. I’m sure many will disagree but I wish everyday we had it even though we were told we did not need it (USAA actually told us it was a waste of money). None of our neighbors had it either since we were outside the flood plain. I know it was a freak thing but no one I know who still lives in the Houston area goes without it now.
ETA - sorry to sound like a downer because Houston is actually a great city. So many museums, theaters, restaurants and lots of fun neighborhoods to explore for a day. Im clearly still processing what happened last year.
We didn't get it. We are 11ft higher than the highest flooding in Kingwood. I figure if we flood, it's the apocalypse anyway.
I like Houston but I grew up here and moving away is not an option at this point without making some huge changes since DH owns a business here. The heat is bad, yes, but it's doable. LOTS of water and time near water in the summer!
You really need to figure out where you will be working and then choose a place to live. We are in Kingwood, which is a good option if you want to be within 20-25 minutes of The Woodlands but don't want to be that far out from the city. It's quieter than The Woodlands. The 59 commute is significantly better than the commute on 45. My DH's offices are in the Galleria area and he can be at the office in about 45 minutes if he pays to take the HOV lane (eta: we live pretty far back in Kingwood, so 10-15 minutes of that is getting out of KW). Coworkers in Spring and TW spend 15-30 minutes longer in the car. There is a bus you can take if you work downtown, though (Galleria is further than downtown). If you want to live inside the loop, I'd look at the Heights and parts of Spring Branch/Memorial. I wish we lived ITL (inside the loop) but DH dislikes it so we chose to live closer to family instead.
Post by bullygirl979 on Jan 11, 2019 12:53:07 GMT -5
Pom, that's so crazy!! Our house is assessed for 240k and our taxes are almost NINE GRAND.
namasteak, I appreciate all of your posts. There are downsides to anywhere you live and I appreciate you sharing the stuff you see as negative as they are definitely things to think about and consider. I'm sorry you lost your home...I can't imagine how that must have felt
(namasteak) I hope things are wonderful in your new city. Good advice though.
I shared because I know sometimes there are estimates of taxes that are not extremely accurate online. It's helpful to plan a budget This is subjective by county and neighborhood even, but I'd say we are in the middle to high end because we are close but not right on the lake. We did fight an increase the first year or it would have been $9k.
We picked where we are based on Mr. P's job which then proceeded to switch buildings locations/campuses 3 times and now he is even further at his new gig. Instead, we sort of chose an easier commute to family. He flies most weeks anyway and we are only 45 minutes from IAH via the Hardy tollway if during rush hour. Anyway, the best laid plans, LOL.
(namasteak ) I hope things are wonderful in your new city. Good advice though.
I shared because I know sometimes there are estimates of taxes that are not extremely accurate online. It's helpful to plan a budget This is subjective by county and neighborhood even, but I'd say we are in the middle to high end because we are close but not right on the lake. We did fight an increase the first year or it would have been $9k.
We picked where we are based on Mr. P's job which then proceeded to switch buildings locations/campuses 3 times and now he is even further at his new gig. Instead, we sort of chose an easier commute to family. He flies most weeks anyway and we are only 45 minutes from IAH via the Hardy tollway if during rush hour. Anyway, the best laid plans, LOL.
I've always been partial to this mindset. For various reasons I've changed jobs every 3-6 years so I'm not one to pick my house based upon my job as it will probably change within a few years. Lol.
(namasteak ) I hope things are wonderful in your new city. Good advice though.
I shared because I know sometimes there are estimates of taxes that are not extremely accurate online. It's helpful to plan a budget This is subjective by county and neighborhood even, but I'd say we are in the middle to high end because we are close but not right on the lake. We did fight an increase the first year or it would have been $9k.
We picked where we are based on Mr. P's job which then proceeded to switch buildings locations/campuses 3 times and now he is even further at his new gig. Instead, we sort of chose an easier commute to family. He flies most weeks anyway and we are only 45 minutes from IAH via the Hardy tollway if during rush hour. Anyway, the best laid plans, LOL.
I've always been partial to this mindset. For various reasons I've changed jobs every 3-6 years so I'm not one to pick my house based upon my job as it will probably change within a few years. Lol.
We didn’t pick based on our jobs exactly but do keep in mind how big houston is geographically. There are major companies on the far outskirts on every side. My BIL took a job with a major international company that is almost in SugarLand. If they lived in the woodlands, his commute would be insane. So, just keep that in mind if you are looking at the far out suburbs.
I've always been partial to this mindset. For various reasons I've changed jobs every 3-6 years so I'm not one to pick my house based upon my job as it will probably change within a few years. Lol.
We didn’t pick based on our jobs exactly but do keep in mind how big houston is geographically. There are major companies on the far outskirts on every side. My BIL took a job with a major international company that is almost in SugarLand. If they lived in the woodlands, his commute would be insane. So, just keep that in mind if you are looking at the far out suburbs.
Oh yes. I wouldn't apply if it's an insane commute. I can't do it.
bullygirl979 Thank you. A large part of my feelings are due to a struggle with anxiety so I try to keep that in mind because Houston is a good city to live in.
Pom It is good to be back in Dallas and near our parents. Despite its quirks I love our little house here.