Should I move to houston?

[jfall]

Anyone here live or has been to Houston? I currently live on a small island on the east coast of Canada Population 130k. I got a job offer in Houston making much better money, a working visa, a free place to live and a free car to drive. I'm seriously consdering moving, but it's a hugh move for me, moving from one of the smallest cities in the world to one of the largest. What is Houston like? Is there a lot of crime, is the heat unberable?

I'm not married nor have any kids. I would be losing some close friends and moving far away from my family, but other than that I have no ties here, so now is as good of time as any for me to make a move, but it's a really big discision to make regardless

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Asking what Houston is like is like asking what Rhode Island is like. Houston is huge, what it's like depends on where in Houston you are. Some parts very industrial, some are typical downtown office sector, some are very rich, some are suburban sprawl filled with middle-class houses and strip malls and some parts are crime-riddled slums. The heat is pretty bad in the summer, but just about every car, house, apartment, office, store and dog house is air-conditioned and the people learn not to go outside much in the summer.

Houstonites like to think that Texas and Houston are special. They're not. Houston is just like every other superlarge American city. Get stuck in a traffic jam on I-10 or I-45 and it'll be just like a traffic jam on the 405 in LA or I-95 in New York. Visit a Home Depot strip mall in Houston and it'll be exactly the same as the Home Depot strip malls in Chicago and Detroit.

What part of Houston are the job and housing in?

 

[jfall]

It's in "North Loop West". The housing is apparently 5-10 minutes away from where I will be working. I've seen pictures of the place I will be staying and I must say that it looks fairly nice

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Ahhh, can't help you out, don't know too much about that area. The friends I visit are southeast in the Clear Lake section, that's a long way from the North Loop West area.

 

[Pliablemoose]

It's hot

There are lots of women

 

[Malfeas]

Yep, lots of women. And even though it's in the bible belt, houston has a sh*t-ton of stripclubs. Umm......not that I'm the type of person who would hang out at a stripclub..........(sneaks away)

 

[neonerd]

Do you like BBQ?

 

[conjur]

Houston's an armpit.

 

[CPA]

North Loop West is not a bad area of town. The Compaq campus is in that area. 290 traffic is a pisser though.

As Gag said, the heat takes some time to get used to. I'm from Ohio, been here 10 years and I'm still not used to it.

BTW, Houston is special, it's the only major city with no zoning laws

 

[CPA]

Originally posted by: neonerd
Do you like BBQ?

and mexican food?



edit: there are a bunch of ATOTers here in Houston - myself, DevilsAdvocate, saltboy, Elfenix, and some others I can't think of right now.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Well I wouldn't if you offered me ten million dollars...but that's me. I have no idea what you should do.

 

[Otaking]

Go to Houston! I grew up there

Edit: It'll definitely be a climate shock for you, but it sounds like the benefits of the job are good. I'd take it if I got the same kind of offer in Canada. :thumbsup:

 

[neonerd]

Originally posted by: CPA

Originally posted by: neonerd
Do you like BBQ?

and mexican food?

:thumbsup:

 

[elevated]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
Well I wouldn't if you offered me ten million dollars...but that's me. I have no idea what you should do.

i would

 

[Ornery]

When I was there for about a week, it was unbearably humid. I can live with heat, but the humidity whips the crap out of me.

 

[Sluggo]

If you like traffic jambs and mind numbing humidity, Houston is a spectacular place to live.

All kidding aside, it has as many issues as any other large metro area, but isnt a bad place to live.

Texas..it's like a whole nother country. And YES, that is proper grammar and spelling for Texas.

 

[HOML]

Houses are cheap so if I had a the chance to move there I would go in a heart beat.

 

[Descartes]

Its climate is as close to hell as I've ever been. I don't think there's really any amount of money that could get me to move to Houston.

 

[jfall]

The company is offering to fly me down for a week to check it out, if I like it I may just stay

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: jfall
The company is offering to fly me down for a week to check it out, if I like it I may just stay

Can't complain there! Enjoy yourself and good luck! :beer:

 

[Crazee]

I have lived in the Greater Houston area for quite awhile. Here are some of the pros:

1) For a large city, the population is very friendly. People say hi when you walk by and ask you how you are doing. If you break down on the side of the road you won't wait too long for an offer of assistance.
2) In most areas crime is much lower than it was a decade ago and isn't as big a problem as it is in many other large cities.
3) The night life here is good. There are many good bars and restaurants here. For those who said get used to BBQ and Mexican food, they don't know what they are talking about. Some of the best seafood anywhere is readily available. There are great Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Brazillian, Italian, Cajun and just about any other food you can think about here. Not mention some of the best steakhouses anywhere.
4) The arts and culture here are excellent. The opera, ballet, symphony as well as museums here are ranked among the best in the country.
5) You can play golf or other outdoor sports in the middle of winter here. As bad as the heat is here it also means no harsh winters and usually shorts for a lot of days in Dec, Jan, Feb, etc.
6) It is more diverse than most Southern cities. Houston is a giant melting pot of cultures.
7) Lots of women. Favorable ratio for a single guy.

Now for the cons:

1) It does get hot and humid here particularly from mid May to Mid September. It is the most air conditioned city in the world so most people stay inside during this time. This of it as a reverse of Canadian winters.
2) It is very flat here and you do not get season change. These things might not be important to you, but some people really miss them.


Oh and Conjur people from Kentucky should never bring up armpits

 

[SuperSix]

Why not? Sure - it's hot, and you may want to learn how to speak spanish..

But when are you going to get another chance like this?

It is hot as fsck (this coming from me - I live in Tampa FL), there's a traffic, but as said earlier - no different than any other metropolis.

 

[lastig21]

I live in Houston and would definitely move here under the conditions that you are being offered. A higher salary with free a place to live and a free car are untouchable. You could pocket enough money that even if you didn't like Houston, you could move after a couple of years and come out far ahead.

Houston is hot, but I've lived in Texas all my life. The heat does not really bother me. I find Houston to be a fairly ugly city, and the construction is outrageous. Like any major city, Houston does have tons of things to do and I doubt you would ever be bored. From your side of town, you would have to make a drive to any of Houston's hot spots. You could probably get to anywhere you wanted to go within 20 minutes (if you are not driving in rush hour traffic).

I don't believe Houston's crime is any worse than most major cities. It does have a fair amount of theft, but I don't hear of too many bad crimes. Most of the houses I see in your side of town do not have garages. You would need to ensure that you bring in everything from your car if you are not parking in a garage. After a few nights, that stuff would be missing.

 

[StageLeft]

Do it. I moved from Halifax, NS to Alabama and now live in Birmingham. I miss my family and parts of the city, as it's got tons more character than any city in the South (they're basically all urban sprawls), but otherwise I don't miss a darn thing...well, besides like maybe Tim Hortons and what not. Yes it's hot in the summer, but go through one winter and you'll know why people move down here.

I should warn you that immigration can be a pain in the ass. I guess your working visa may be an H1B...? If so try and get on the track for a green card as soon as possible.

Anyway, I was personally glad I made the move (four years ago). I will never return to the economic cesspool of eastern canada. Even if i go back to Can I'll not go further east than Ontario. I feel now free from the grip of the maritimes. Nice to visit, sh*ty to work in! eh!

Regarding women you will see a lot of hot ones. The hot weather and sun make them nice.

BTW I Hope you like driving. You can get around charlottetown walking here and there or a 5-10 minute drive, but these cities in the US require 10 minutes just to get to a gas station, 15 to go shopping, 25 to get to the movies, etc. Of course location can affect that, but everyone in the south drives everywhere, because it's all set up for driving with the sprawl effect.

Regarding culture shock, I've been to quite a few countries and although you'll get it anywhere (heck, you'd get a bit going from the east coast to toronto), it will be pretty tame. Besides the accents and subtle differences in foods eaten (like sweetened ice tea being the big thing to drink in restaurants) you won't find it a big shift.

If the company is offering to fly you down I have to say you'd be daft not to take it up on the offer. if you are interested in saving money you will do it with far more power than whatever heavily taxed canadian income you're making now.

 

[imported_Lucifer]

Join me and Synthdude2001 here in San Antonio.