Texas

Flying_Nun

Flying_Nun

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Flying_Nun
What's it really like living there? In particular, the Houston area?

Asking just in case.
 
Its terrible. Traffic, heat, and more traffic.

But there are lots of airports, great food, water sports, cheap housing and a decent jobs market. And winter weather is awesome.
 
Southern Climate...warm hot summers but temperate winters...flat. Low cost of living and GA friendly all the things that you want in a big city... sports, arts and food. Strange as it may seem the most diverse city in the US according to the LA Times...No viable public transport and spread out...traffic is better then most big cities...Two Airports that make domestic and International travel easy...Best Texmex food and worlds biggest Rodeo...$3.85-$4.50 100LL most area airports...
 
Prior to being stationed at Ft Hood (Killeen), I always pictured Texas to be nothing but rednecks and cowboys. I really didn't find it to be that way at all, at least not in the major cities. Austin is a neat little city. I used to hang out there on weekends.
 
Depends on where you decide to live. I'd advise figuring out the work location, if you are transferring there, and then work on which direction and how long you want your commute, before you settle on a place. When we moved there in '65, West Belt Road, ( Now it's Beltway 8) was the city limits. It would take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour or more to get downtown, depending on the day of the week and time of day. Now, I think you are looking at a solid hour, no matter what time or day. Houston has swallowed almost all of Harris County and is in several other counties too.
Visit and rent for a while before you set down permanent roots...

Sac: Austin is the weird part of Texas....unfortunately, we haven't figured out how to cure that yet.:confused:
 
Warlock said:
Southern Climate...warm hot summers but temperate winters...flat. Low cost of living and GA friendly all the things that you want in a big city... sports, arts and food. Strange as it may seem the most diverse city in the US according to the LA Times...No viable public transport and spread out...traffic is better then most big cities...Two Airports that make domestic and International travel easy...Best Texmex food and worlds biggest Rodeo...$3.85-$4.50 100LL most area airports...
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Having lived in Chicago for a decade, I can't imagine getting around a city the size of Houston without light rail.

Sac Arrow said:
Prior to being stationed at Ft Hood (Killeen), I always pictured Texas to be nothing but rednecks and cowboys.
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This is exactly my uninformed prejudice toward Texas.
 
Here's something I've been curious about. As far as I know Houston absorbed a lot if not most of the folks driven out of Louisiana by Hurricane Katrina. Has that changed the beat of the city?
 
steingar said:
Here's something I've been curious about. As far as I know Houston absorbed a lot if not most of the folks driven out of Louisiana by Hurricane Katrina. Has that changed the beat of the city?
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In my opinion, not significantly. I think there was a bump in crime the next year. I wish there was more good cajun restaurants as a result, but i dont think that really happened.
 
Craig said:
Depends on where you decide to live. I'd advise figuring out the work location, if you are transferring there, and then work on which direction and how long you want your commute, before you settle on a place. When we moved there in '65, West Belt Road, ( Now it's Beltway 8) was the city limits. It would take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour or more to get downtown, depending on the day of the week and time of day. Now, I think you are looking at a solid hour, no matter what time or day. Houston has swallowed almost all of Harris County and is in several other counties too.
Visit and rent for a while before you set down permanent roots...
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The job is downtown so the commute would probably suck regardless.
 
As a part timer who lives in between Houston, Austin, and Dallas? I prefer Houston to the other cities. My traffic woes are related to using roads under construction, and they’re everywhere it seems. I spent a week in Phoenix last winter with a friend. I’ll never forget how good it felt to fly back into Houston and see all the green. I’ve spent my life in Alaska and that green in winter is my favorite sight.

My niece got transferred to downtown Houston several years ago. She does the urban lifestyle thing, even with a big dog. She absolutely loves it there. My daughter’s story isn’t much different, but not an urban dweller.
 
I live in the JSC/Clear lake Area and it still retains some of that early NASA feel even though it is a minority of jobs in the area....highly educated, diverse and easy place to live and raise a family...I still leave my doors unlocked unless I am traveling. Not one of my neighbors is from here although my family footprint in the area is from the mid 60's as my father was a ballistic missile guy from England when we move to the US, as part of the early brain drain world wide for Apollo and the Moon...Next door is a NBA retired player with 17 years in the leagues...across the street a Navy O-6 who ended up with the FAA here and a female Plant Manager married to a fishing guide on the other side...and that's typical of my community. Most of us at or close to retirement and have the means to live almost anywhere. I am three min from my boat and 10 min to the airport...I travel 3-4 months a year if I want a change but really enjoy where I live...I left once 34 years prior to join the Army and fly, but returned back home when I found no better place to raise a family...affordability and schools was the driving factor then.

I have one kid who went to school in Belgium and France and worked for ABinbev at there world headquarters in Leuven...when she figured out the tax system and the bureaucracy of being more than a student after five years she returned to Houston and live in Midtown where all the hipsters congregate and loves it, tons of under 30 professionals pouring into the city...she works for Foreflight intown and could not be happier.
 
Flying_Nun said:
The job is downtown so the commute would probably suck regardless.
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There are plenty of very vibrant and comfortable areas that you can live in “inside the loop” that are easy commutes with plenty of walkable eating, drinking, and recreation opportunities. Some of those connected by the light rail. I have many folks work for me that only drive their cars to go outside the urban center. It’s relatively more costly than far out in any of the burbs, but ultimately that’s the trade off - all relative.

FWIW - we turned down 3 moves to Houston in the early 90’s until we finally did it in 1996. It’s a great metropolitan area IMHO.
 
Craig said:
Sac: Austin is the weird part of Texas....unfortunately, we haven't figured out how to cure that yet.:confused:
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The best way is for people to stop moving here, stop visiting, or just go away! We're weird and we like it. It's getting a little crowded though!
 
Roaches. Great big huge "palmetto bugs" (roaches). Other than that I love Texas. I love the people. It's not just (white) rednecks and cowboys, there are also a ton of multi-generation Hispanics, unlike other areas of the country with more first generation arrivals. Houston has a good sized black population too.

What I love most about Texas is that it has attitude. And no state income tax.

I live about 3 hours west of Houston and it's a bit hotter and drier here. But I imagine Houston is similar. Here's a site you can play around with:

https://www.wunderground.com/history/monthly/us/tx/houston/KMCJ/date/2018-7
 
Houston is a geographically large area. Diversity in/of everything.

Just drive thru there on the way to Galveston this past weekend.

Texas as a whole is much the same, but most long-time native Texans I know are a somewhere on the scale of uncomfortable with how the culture is changing due to domestic immigration.
 
Flying_Nun said:
What's it really like living there? In particular, the Houston area?
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Hot, humid and sticky..

And that is just in winter....:lol::lol::lol:

I was born and raised in Texas, pretty much lived there until I was 36. As much as I loved living there, I just can't take the heat and humidity anymore.

You can get anything you want in Houston. Don't like one area, go a couple blocks over and it will be different.
 
Anyone want to read a Ravioli True Story? [too bad]

I've always said Austin is the best city in Texas. Someone said to me, "You want to move to Austin?" I said, "Hell NO! There are 50 states, each with a best city, Austin isn't even in my top 10!"

That said, I've lived in Texas for 14 years. Half of that in Ft. Worth which I like much better than Dallas. I've been commuting to Houston every other week this year... don't really dig it down there.
 
When I was in high school in Houston, I could load up the saddlebag on my bicycle with a brick of ammo, targets and a stapler, sling a rifle over my back and ride from West Belt Road, to Eldridge Road, down the I-10 service road, and over the dam to our gun club and never get a second look from anyone. Now days, I wouldn't have a chance, just due to the changes in traffic levels.
 
I love it....lived in the Heights and now in The Woodlands 25 mile north. Moved from the dreary Northeast in 1981 and never looked back. Water sports in the summer...sailing, water skiing, and a pool to beat the heat. Golf and tennis year round, not to mention flying. No different than living in a cold climate...you adjust. 95 from June to Sep....if you are not willing to adjust to that, stay away.
 
Everything is bigger there. Stop by a local Hooter’s and you can see what I mean.
 
Davecat said:
I love it....lived in the Heights and now in The Woodlands 25 mile north. Moved from the dreary Northeast in 1981 and never looked back. Water sports in the summer...sailing, water skiing, and a pool to beat the heat. Golf and tennis year round, not to mention flying. No different than living in a cold climate...you adjust. 95 from June to Sep....if you are not willing to adjust to that, stay away.
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But when it's 100 all day and the sun goes down? 90 feels chilly. Humans acclimate very quickly. Humidity is harder to get used to. You just have to pick your days for outdoor physical exertion. At least I do.

Love the Woodlands. What a nicely developed area!
 
If I ever move to another state it would be TX or AK, it feels relaxed in places like those.

Only issue I had with TX was the lack of lakes and rivers and peaks.


Stewartb said:
But when it's 100 all day and the sun goes down? 90 feels chilly. Humans acclimate very quickly. Humidity is harder to get used to. You just have to pick your days for outdoor physical exertion. At least I do.

Love the Woodlands. What a nicely developed area!
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Also a good multi zone AC/swamp cooler and window tint helps
 
Take your definition of hot and multiply it by 5 billion. Nice flying weather though. But it's hot. Really great food. But it's hot. Generally very nice people. But it is HOT.

I hope to never go back. I am a midwesterner at heart (born in Houston, raised in Chicago) and prefer 4 seasons, even if winters are brutal.
 
Lack of lakes in Texas? What part has that problem? Texas has a crap-ton of lakes. Man made, yes, but lakes just the same.
 
In Texas a pool is a must. I’ve been here on and off since 2000. I finally retired near San Antonio. We like it, but, I’m open to moving. Thus far, no place beats where I live for what I like.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Prior to being stationed at Ft Hood (Killeen), I always pictured Texas to be nothing but rednecks and cowboys. I really didn't find it to be that way at all, at least not in the major cities. Austin is a neat little city. I used to hang out there on weekends.
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I’m here at Ft Hood now and love it here and the area. Just get used to the heat and humidity.
 
Davy Crockett said: "You may all go to Hell, I will go to Texas."
Come to think of it, it didn't work out all that well for Davy, either.
 
I grew up in Dallas, Then moved around in the military. When I go back to visit Im reminded why I like my sleepy little town in MS. And when I go to Houston Im reminded why I never want to be there at all. The traffic is horrific in houston, much more than Dallas (and dallas is bad). But Its Texas and I still have Texas pride, but id never move back. Yeah its hot, it is in MS and Id rather have HOT and HUMID any day over cold and snow and yeah I lived in Fairbanks, AK for 4 years so I know what winter is. As to the no state income tax, yeah they will get you in property tax. Trust me the state will always get their money. hahaha But you gotta live in Texas at least once in your life. Go embrace it and enjoy it!
 
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Houston is gross. It smells, the air is too thick and sticks to you.
Texas in general is a horrible climate with exception of about 60 days out of the year but anything south of Waco, and the miserableness just multiplies.
 
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Stewartb said:
Lack of lakes in Texas? What part has that problem? Texas has a crap-ton of lakes. Man made, yes, but lakes just the same.
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nly one natural lake in all of Texas, on the eastern border.
 
Spent 20 years in Dallas working for the airlines. Got out as soon as I retired. All the drawbacks of LA, traffic, etc without the ocean or any culture. Houston the same with rain at 6 pm every day and the gulf is nasty up there.
 
Paulie said:
Spent 20 years in Dallas working for the airlines. Got out as soon as I retired. All the drawbacks of LA, traffic, etc without the ocean or any culture. Houston the same with rain at 6 pm every day and the gulf is nasty up there.
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I'm assuming not an airline pilot. I'd think the whole benefit of airline pilot life is the allowance to live where you want and not be tethered to work location, like the rest of the disheartened laborer cohort we call the American proletariat. :D The senior airline guys I know are def taking advantage of that allowance. National income scale with the flexibility to live where you want. #winning. Only probably telecommuters and other knowledge workers with the ability to negotiate their hours would have such a QOL allowance. Oh and the Hawaii homeless/unemployed. LOL

But yeah airline pedestrian worker? Yeah not so much.
 
Nope, not a ********, aircraft maintenance. But I did take at least 8 vacations a year. Actually got a negative paycheck once.
 
Flying_Nun said:
Having lived in Chicago for a decade, I can't imagine getting around a city the size of Houston without light rail.
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Old cities versus new cities. The demarcation line is cars. Was the city big before or after cars. The reason is another 5 miles down the road is no big deal in a car. On foot, you're simply not going.

London, Paris, NYC, Chicago were all big before cars. So they built very compact; everyone on top of everyone else. New cities spread out. The population density is too low for it to ever be NYC or Chicago. Something akin to the LIRR might work, but not the metro.

Come to Atlanta some time and go up to the 30th floor of a highrise. You'll see trees in every direction. Miles and miles of trees. You won't see that in NYC or Chicago.

Or go to Rome, Italy. Their mass transit rail is no better than Marta in Atlanta, and Marta might be slightly better.


Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
Daytonabch04 said:
I’m here at Ft Hood now and love it here and the area. Just get used to the heat and humidity.
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That was a little bit of a shock to me initially, but only because I came there from Germany. I grew up in the tropics mostly, so I got used to it pretty quick. I'll take sweat over frostbite and hypothermia any day of the week.
 
The "Houston area" is about 600 sq miles. It's hard to say what life will be like unless you know where you'll be living.

Generally, don't expect any scenery. Expect to make good money and have low expenses. Carry uninsured motorist protection on your auto policy. The flying is cheap with plenty of places to fly to.
 
Flying_Nun said:
The job is downtown so the commute would probably suck regardless.
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I work downtown. My advice is to live in the burbs and take the Metro Park and Ride downtown. Cheaper than parking and it's an express route.
 
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