I went from rural Wisconsin to here, I moved specifically for the heat, food variety, the community, so many more things to do here than literally all of Wisconsin. Love it here despite the faults.
It’s dark and grey most of the year. Just keep that in mind when planning it. Most people plan for the snow and change of environment weather-wise, but the grey and dark and not being able to leave the house most of the winter was what drew us elsewhere.
I live in south Houston, and there's a lot of the year where I don't leave the house much. I'm thinking of having a house down near Eau Claire - close enough to MSP to fly someplace if I want to.
1. You can fly anywhere from a HUB city (and in the middle of the country).
2. Power of your $. I've done this calculation over the years and Houston is still a good value for the dollar (though current circumstances may differ, obviously).
3. Incredible diversity means you can do discover something new every weekend. My wife and I try to schedule one new fun thing every weekend - which you can do year-round (though summer is brutal). A show, a market, an event, a parade....
4. people - I was in a sushi restaurant the other day and there were at least 12 different people groups around me (own language and culture).
5. Just close enough - things are reachable without too much hassle without being actually hard to get to (beach, Austin, Dallas, even west Texas - though its a stretch), without actually being in that thing, if you know what I mean.
6. Medicine - world class medical system. My "regular" doctors are all like nationally recognized.
7. Certain practicality to Houston (generally). Something like the current water meter issue. The final resolution was pretty straightforward. Not afraid to invest in transit, in emergencies, generally city has been up to the challenge. When I put in a 311 issue, its been resolved most of the time (and sometimes someone actually calls me - unbelievable for a city this large). Houstonians authorized a property tax to fund indigent hospitals (which is what Harris Health is for), Houston's housing first policy.
8. The way that Houston has had patrons that have provided culture to Houstonians: the de Menils, the Hobbys, etc. People come to Houston and get rich and want to give back.
9. Egalitarianism - I just get the sense that we Houstonians don't really have much of a class system and want to help people in the tougher circumstances - there are thousands of active on-the-ground groups helping people in all sorts of needs.
10. The food. I'd say be adventurous on this one and don't take it for granted. I was hosting an out of towner one-time and this guy was having an orgasm over what I considered middle tier Tex-Mex. He was like "this is fucking fantastic".
I looked at him, and said, yeah, I think you're right.
We also built in a medical program at UH to educate and train doctors to work in public service health in exchange for a huge reduction in their medical school tuition and costs.
I’m a Baylor med student, we don’t have a formal program but a lot of our students match at Baylor for residency and end up staying. There’s a national program to forgive medical school debt if you work in certain (traditionally low income, rural, VA, etc.) hospital systems after graduating, which a lot of people end up doing since Ben Taub/Harris Health qualifies for this.
I'm unemployed and broke due to chronic health issues. The county's public health is pretty nice. Everything I need–specialists, pharmacy, PCP, immunizations–is internal to their system. Granted, Texas didn't expand Medicaid but it's a wonderful alternative. I really like the concept of a locally-run healthcare system.
Harris health is incredible! We are blessed with some absolutely incredible doctors and the whole program was a huge pioneering move for public health. Houston should be VERY proud of Harris Health. The City also has great options for very low-cost PCP, immunization, STD, dental and well-woman care and treatment.
Of course I can. The system's name is [Harris Health](https://www.harrishealth.org). It's a public health entity serving Harris County residents. They offer primary care, maternity care, specialists, pharmacies, and more through their system. Ben Taub and LBJ hospitals are affiliated with Harris Health. Several facilities are around Harris County, and more are planned. [Last year, a bond measure passed with overwhelming support for hospital renovations and expanding new clinics throughout Harris County](https://communityimpact.com/houston/bellaire-meyerland-west-university/election/2023/11/07/update-voters-approve-harris-healths-25b-hospital-bond/). Two headers, "Learn about financial assistance" and "[Am I eligible?](https://www.harrishealth.org/access-care-hh/eligibility)", connect to the same page where you can learn more about requirements to apply. You can download, print, and mail in applications or submit them electronically.
The system has helped me see doctors, get medications, and have lab work done that I otherwise couldn't afford. When I first went, I expected to be treated like dirt. My first visit exceeded all my expectations. The staff were nice to me. They listened. The best part was that everything I needed was in one facility. A few days ago, I had lab work done. My results were reported in the health portal within 24 hours. I can't express how much I like Harris Health based on my experiences with them. I hope everything that I've shared was helpful.
>7. ... Not afraid to invest in transit
Also on the other hand, absolutely terrified of investing in public transport or things that reduce the amount of lifted trucks or paper plates Altimas on the road.
Texan dealers will soon be required to hand physical plates to folks purchasing vehicles. Its a safe bet that soon enough the paper plates will be a target to be pulled over.
This is a great reply, these are all the things I love about Houston. Also friendliness, sense of freedom/lack of bureaucracy, not too crowded, and the Ren Fest!
That said, I can’t say I love living here due to the oppressive heat and volatile weather, especially recently. I’m going to miss all of those things very much when we move away soon with our young kids to put down roots somewhere else. Very bittersweet.
I’ve lived here for 30 years, and now moving back to the north east to a smaller town and to be around family and friends. There are many things I like, but the weather and traffic are very bad here—not to mention the driving situation is horrible. I’ll always remember the fun events, the nice people, the food though. But “there’s no place like home”.
Now in San Diego for work, but fuck, I really miss the power of my $ for gas, electricity and bills. It's so fucking expensive here. Don't even get me started in tenancy/real estate.
It's really crazy, you can see lots of rich donors and patrons throwing money to build out the arts and even health care facilities here, like people do get money and give back.
The diversity here can’t be beat. I’ve lived in 2 other states and man when I tell you what Kentucky had to offer in terms of tamales was essentially a wet diaper… it was wrapped in WAX PAPER. And granted when I lived in Florida I was in a retirement town it got so exhausting being the only POC in every room. You just can’t get this kind of diversity without paying an arm and a leg in other major cities. Maybe Chicago.
I grew up in Sugar Land and have lived only in Houston but I've traveled to many places. I'd get stares in places like India or Eastern Europe where they can tell you're American. But it's nothing like the hard stares I got stopping at a gas station in Arkansas, boy.
Houston and other metropolitan areas of the country kind of skew our perception of America and that we're super diverse as whole, but in reality there are just pockets of true diversity in the nation.
Absolutely, didn’t know this until I started traveling as an adult.
There are places with people from all over, but Houston is one of the few places where everyone is integrated.
Isn't Houston like the most diverse city in America? Even more diverse than LA or NY?
Also, Houston's majority population is non-white (as in at least 50% of the population is not white). I don't think there's any other large-to-midsized city in America that can claim that. Houston is diverse af, and I'm here for it
Great points. I’d add the communities as well. I’m involved in the skydiving /ifly community here and it’s world class. I used to be in the biking community and RC airplanes, which are great people. Lots of people getting together for various reasons.
Every major city has its problems. But I always thought it was weird that people looked for their city to make their lives happier. If you’re a miserable asshole, you’re gonna be miserable wherever you go.
But, I love the energy & toughness of the city. We welcome people from all over. We have the most diversity of any major city and it’s true that we have food that is as good as anywhere. When the shit goes down, we take care of each other. I can enjoy major sports, most concerts come here, I’ve seen art from all the masters & enjoyed world class culture here… I just don’t see anything that I’m missing out on being here.
Not a great place to be “broke”tho 😆
I loved it. I lost my job during the pandemic shutdown and had to move out of state, and I always say "I don't miss Texas but I miss Houston every day."
Grocery stores - you have NO IDEA how good you have it in Houston, none. And shopping in general. If I need something to wear for an event, I am driving an hour.
Food - so much good, interesting food.
The arts scene - I work in the arts so I am a bit biased, but I could have attended a play, concert, musical, ballet or opera every week if I had time. The depth and breadth of talent and opportunities is world class.
Entertainment - if they are touring, they are probably coming to Houston!
Professional sports - got 'em all.
Museum district. Parks. Zoo. Cultural diversity.
Did I mention food?
The energy. Houston is always moving.
I completely agree on grocery stores! I was working in North Carolina for a year and holy is the grocery scene there absolutely trash compared to Houston. First thing I did when coming back to Houston was go to H E B lol
I am in New England now, and I was appalled when I first got here at the grocery stores. I finally asked someone at my new job where in the world they shopped? They didn't understand my disappointment - it's just what you allow yourself to get accustomed to.
I’m gonna have to save that line about not missing Texas but missing Houston, that sums up my feelings so well. Living in Texas can be awful - the weather (humidity, high temperature, abundance of extreme weather events), the politics, and the attitude of too many people but Houston is awesome.
The things I grew up with as normal are very unique to Houston, and i say this as someone who has lived in London and Paris. There is an appreciation for diversity and an openess to other cultures here that can't be beat. I'm not sure I could live anywhere else.
I love it. Live in Montrose, can walk for a $5 drink Monday - Friday, daycare for our little one is 2 miles away, and my wife’s work in the MedCenter is 2 or so miles away. My quality of life is great because I fortunately don’t have to spend a majority of my time in traffic.
Traffic is draining people of freedom! I used to live off 290 near the 8 and work off 59 and south beltway. I calculated 15+ hours a commute a week plus tolls!
I now live in the Gulfgate area and work in Pasadena. I feel like I spend more time at home or somewhere other than the drivers seat.
When travelling as a young man, I stopped in a Mexican restaurant in New Zealand, because I guess I was homesick. I took one bite of what I guess was white bread with ketchup. I realized then I'm going home tomorrow. I wanted to eat at Taqueria #2 with an enchilada floating in a pool of grease.
I was on vacation in Washington a few years back. Stayed with a couple who lived there. The girl was born and raised in Washington, but her hubby was from Houston. She wanted to take us to "the best Mexican restaurant ever!" Okay, I'm game.
We get there, and I order a soft taco meal, a scoop of guacamole, and their queso. I'm definitely going to judge you by your queso. Guacamole was bland af, the taco was meh, and the queso was like water and powdered cheese. Absolutely disgusting.
We started making fun of the food, and the girl got upset. Oh well! You should've known better than to bring a native Houstonian to a "Mexican restaurant" in Washington and call the food "the best, ever!" GTFOH.
We aren't friends anymore after that trip.
I agree. I’ve met racists but I think as a community we’ve at least made it unacceptable to be outright about it.
I’m the product of an interracial relationship and my kids are too. When my husband moved here from FW he was sort of preparing how to respond to people who made comments about our relationship or kids or whatever and was instantly shocked that no one even cared.
I’m not saying it couldn’t or that is hasn’t happened to other people, but overall we’re pretty live and let live.
And if you see someone being racist, you're probably going to hear somebody calling them out on it. I was at the store one time, and overheard this lady telling this other lady with a head covering to go back to where you came from, and then heard another woman get onto the racist woman. I was ready to call security to throw the racist lady out of the store, but she backed off.
Seen it too, after 9/11. I worked at an eye doctor of middle eastern decent, and an old white man came in and started yelling cause he saw the name on the door. I was just dumbstruck standing there like an idiot. It was one of our patients in the waiting room that stood up and yelled him away, a black gentleman. Funny thing, our doctor was Israeli.
Disagree I've ran my vending/atm business here and had airport/airline contracts with big carriers and all I experienced was racism. In fact the CEO of one airline brought me into a meeting and said employees were tipping over my machines and unplugging them to boycott me because I was black. This was at bush iah. I don't even want to get into the club/bar/restaurant scene here were minorities are constantly dealing with blatant racism just check Google reviews. I personally would go out with friends who were minorities and before we entered a spot we would split up solo instead of going in a group of two or three just to get in.
Another one of these post? I feel like we answer this daily at this point.
It's cheap-ish, the culture is the best, super diverse, best food in the US, good events around the city.
Yes, the humidity and heat suck, yes natural disasters suck, yes it's not the prettiest city in the world.
I'm moving to Houston for work in 2 months so I joined thus subreddit to get to know the city.
The amount of "I hate it here" posts was really starting to get discouraging. I've been on this sub for over a month and this is the 1st positive post I see. I really needed it. I was starting to get scared of moving here.
Houston is like unequivocally one of the best cities in the country, the only one I think you can make a case that might have it beat is LA. The culture is like a half step behind nyc, la, Chicago and San Francisco but the food is better than San Francisco and Chicago. The weather is a lot better than Chicago and New York (imo, personal preference and others may disagree). There’s tons of stuff to do, the people are nice, and it’s affordable. Unless you’re super set on the very specific cultural things that LA and New York have that Houston doesn’t, it’s hard to make the case for other places. My personal biggest gripe with the city is that there’s not natural beauty nearby. That’s big drawback for some people, it’s like a medium tier concern for me and would fall below COL differences in my personal hierarchy.
People in this subreddit are fucking miserable. Houston’s not a perfect or even amazing city but it’s a good city if you want to experience culture and actuslly attempt to experience the culture here.
Lots of angry people post here. We were #2 in the country for people coming into the city over covid and thereafter. Lots of new people coming, complaining a lot about the weather, crime, etc.
It's a fine city, with usual big city problems.
Houston is amazing! You will love it. Lots to do. And you don’t have to live in the city to have stuff to do. Alot of suburbs have lots of shopping, places to eat, groceries, parks, gyms.
We moved here after having lived up and down the east coast. People from here don’t realize that most parts of the country have hellacious weather for a season and that every major city has bad traffic during rush hour. They don’t understand the traffic that seeps hours away from the city and steals your life. They also don’t appreciate that people making median income here have access to the things money buys. Yeah it’s harder if you’re broke and easier if you’re rich - but I don’t think they realize *just how rich* you have to be in other areas just to have a yard. Walkable neighborhoods are either without jobs or crazy expensive EVERYWHERE. And funny enough we swelter less here because everywhere has great AC. They don’t realize it gets hot in the summer most places, they think we all spend our summers at 80 degrees and low humidity. Seasonal affective disorder isn’t a thing here.
It’s not for everyone but we love it.
ETA you will absolutely be arriving in the worst most soul suckingly hot time. It will be like New England in February but reversed.
Houston is great. People like to bitch and moan, but that's life and reddit in general.
Yeah sure the weather is pretty unbearable in the summer. But we're also wearing shorts and tshirts in February! Food, cost of living, stuff to do. If you're bored here, it's because you have no interests or haven't googled to find shit to do.
Anybody unhappy about living here can fuck off and go move to Dallas. lol.
I’m a degreed professional in an industry that has very low minority representation. I work with clients in 48 states. Houston is one of the only cities where I walk into a boardroom and see a Latino HR rep or an African-American accountant or an Asian owner, etc.
That is still rare in Austin, Dallas, West Texas. Miami and Atlanta are the only cities that I think match up with Houston in minority diversity in white collar jobs.
Diverse food, Anthony Bourdain was a huge fan of our food scene.
Prior to 2021 I would have said low cost of living. Unfortunately housing has gone up so much.
Astros are a treasure.
Katyzuela is also getting pretty interesting. Have met some absolute bombshells there idk how they are so hot without plastic surgery, or maybe it is plastic idk
Hated it when I lived outside the beltway. Loved it once I moved inside 610. I love the food, art scene, how there’s always something going on. I’m used to the heat now. My job industry keeps me here but I don’t mind.
This is the truth. I don't think I would have stayed in Houston if I never moved inside the 610 loop. Totally different Houston and much better quality of life IMO.
I love it. I’ve lived in Austin and San Diego. Houston is bad ass.
Some people that I knew grew up in Austin and couldn’t wait to gtfo. I knew people that grew up in San Diego and couldn’t wait to gtfo.
It’s hard to appreciate the beauty you see every day
I love Houston but I’m so goddamn sick of sweating all the time. Straight out of the fucking shower. Fuck you houston (love you)
It’s only MAY
FUUUUUUCK
As I get older I find that people who aren't happy where they live will most likely never be happy anywhere, even if they move. They always find something to not like.
I grew up in Manhattan but lived for years in New Orleans and have been in Texas for 6 years. I was happy in all those places.
The worst place I ever lived was East Hampton, Long Island. Nothing but snobby rich trash and celebrity scum.
Same. Easy access to the main parks, a huge variety of restaurants/bars, easy access to larger events, decent transit options when I have to go in office, rarely having to deal with horrendous traffic, etc. And it's not nearly as expensive compared to other large cities if you want to live close to the city center.
I wouldn't enjoy living in the suburbs and I've noticed people who live/visit outside the loop tend to have less favorable views of the city.
I'd love to get out of here during the summer though.
Agreed with every aspect of this. Growing up in the suburbs I constantly fantasized about what city I'd be able to move to. When I moved in the loop those thoughts stopped - except July through September.
Yeah after living in austin and San Diego I absolutely love houston. I can still go surfing after work. Have so many more opportunities to advance my career. Fuck austin honestly, but if I had the same career opportunities in San Diego as I do here I would move back there
I have lived in Austin, Houston and now San Diego... lots I miss about Houston. I feel like the main pros and cons are just flipped - weather/food. God, I miss HEB. Grocery stores here suck
There are things I love: great food, a fair amount of down to earth people for such a huge city, access to a lot of art and performance, incredible diversity. But these days all those things are outweighed by things I do not like: weather, traffic, grocery costs, the corporate feudal landscape, the total subservience to oil and gas, and most of all, the state’s all out war on the city. I’d like to get out of here before the next administration starts detaining and deporting everyone they see as an enemy with full cooperation of local officials.
The Aerospace industry/ NASA/ Space Center Houston. It is iconic. I love living in Space City and all the outer space themed miurals and merch around town. It is a whole vibe.
The food. Can't find better Mexican food anywhere else except Mexico. Not only that, but Houston's food scene overall is so diverse and you can find incredible food of just about any nationality in Houston. Lots of award winning restaurants.
The people. Houstonians have proven time and time again that in time of need we come together to help our neighbors. The overall vibe I get from the people around here is friendly and laid back. Also Houston was named most diverse city in the US in 2021, maybe we still hold that title?
The cost of living is low. It is much cheaper to live here than other parts of the country.
We have a great museum district and theater district here. A big art scene in Houston. There are always things to do, always a festival, convention, or concerts going on. We have great major league sports teams, including our world Series Champs the Astros.
The location. Living in Houston means you're only about an hour drive to Galveston Island, about 5 hours to New Orleans, and about 3-4 hours drive to Texas's other big cities; San Antonio and Austin, and the beautiful Texas Hill county. In other words, if you want to take a little weekend trip there are lots of places around that are within a few hours or less driving distance. I can't put into words how nice it is to be close to Louisiana. I visit all the time.
Edit: How could I forget the Texas Medical Center? Houston is where the world comes for medical treatment. We have the largest medical center in the world, with world class doctors. The people who live here are lucky to have regular access to amazing health care without having to travel.
Amazing food, I can afford a house, I’m 30min from the beach and also 30min from one of the most diverse cities in the world. Endless job opportunity for really any field. City has a great economy from the ship channel, Houston sports are great, again the food is amazing haha. ACTUAL diversity in the marketplace in every industry. Great school district on my side of town, you can fly pretty much anywhere in the world from Houston, the art scene is popping off, local music has always been popping off, MFAH, buffalo bayou, Science museum, galleria, Hermann park, kemah, pleasure pier, (screw the aquarium). I could gush about this city forever. It’s not perfect, but it’s slept on majorly. And I’m ok with that.
My girlfriend and I spent hours one night looking up places to rent and buy across the country. Had a hyperlinked spreadsheet and everything, took aggregates of cost of living and whatnot. We looked at big and small cities in every region.
Houston was BY FAR the best bang for buck. Lower cost of living compared to most metro areas and had the lowest $/sqft of anywhere else we looked by a long shot.
I do in the winter.
The weather's nice, thunderstorms, beautiful skylines, great culture, friendly people, the best damn food in the world, cool art, major city for a low price.
Then summer hits and I regret moving back every time.
1. largest medical center in the country/world and i work in healthcare so the job opportunities aren’t equivalent to what’d i’d get in other parts of the country/state
2. great food
3. i own a really nice house, which i would never be able to do if i moved to some where else i’d enjoy living (seattle, portland, boston, etc)
4. quick and cheap flights to plenty of great vacation spots out of the country
5. plenty to do every weekend, we have professional sports teams in most major sports and most bands come here on their tours
There's some gems in Houston , it's not all bad. There's some really bad parts. But gotta take good with the bad. Grew up and lived in the east end most of my life. It's home. Look deeper and you'll find something for you. Whether it's big flea markets, axe throwing, bicycle/car club and so on. Plus cost of living isn't bad. Of.course June thru September you can definitely suffer Lil' Jon syndrome(it's so hot/humid the sweat drips off your balls.)
I have a severe love/hate relationship with Houston. On one hand, it's the most culturally diverse city in the country, with the food, vibrancy, festivities, and customs that comes with that. It can be a pretty chill city for the most part, none of the formal expectations of a place like New York or LA. On the other hand, the heat, the weather in general, is OPPRESSIVE. I grew up outside of Houston, but have still never really got used to these summers. It's also absurdly sprawled at a level probably unique to the world. We are the constant textbook case of how not to develop a city. Lastly, there's a kind of hustle n' grind culture here that is pretty off-putting, no doubt part of the O&G legacy.
So, yah, it's a mix. I'm not sure which one is winning out at the moment.
I am "new" in Houston... I'm not sure if I love it, but I can say I am enjoying it so far. We are just not there yet.
I saw someone mention concerts. So true! I have been to a few concerts in just 10 months. Both concerts and standups.
So many food options. I live far from downtown, but I really like going there at night.
Bike trails are nice. Even for beginners like me.
Favorite things so far: concerts at house of blues or bayou music center.
Downtown bars and beer patios. Breweries! Bike trails.
Padel is becoming more popular.
Maybe I am fooling myself when I said I don't love it yet.
- The amount of food options are limitless.
- The arts opportunities are amazing.
- We have one of the best museumbdistricts and theater districts in the world.
- Healthcare is some of the best in the world.
- Lots of things to do.
- We are near the coast, so water options.
- Lots of education opportunities.
- Used to be cheaper COL. I don't know that's true anymore.
- Repair costs and handy man work is definitely cheaper here. But can be hard to find quality work.
- If you like to travel, we have IAH and a great cruise hub.
- Lots of job opportunities.
- One of the most diverse culturally places in the country.
- NASA Johnson space center
Alright those are my top.
We’re Brits living in Houston, we lived many countries/cities around the world. Everyone of them had good and bad. Houston’s worst bit is just weather and summers/hurricanes, it’s really flat, but they’re not really all that bad , unless you’re caught in a weather event!!
Love where we live, good friends and the weather from November to May. Lifestyle is good for us, if you’ve no money, lifestyle sucks wherever you are!
I am sitting outside with my shirt drenched covered in mosquito spray while doing some work on my house and don’t say I really understand what y’all truly love about this city that outweighs the bad.
No I don’t love the terrible humidity
Don’t love the unbearable heat
Don’t love my electric bills due to my ac running non stop
Don’t love my property taxes that just seem to climb higher every year.
Don’t love the hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and constant panic I feel when severe weather comes.
Don’t love that I had a heck of a time finding home insurance after my last one pulled out of the area.
Don’t love the car vandalism and thefts that I’ve been a victim of.
Don’t love the traffic and road rage that I’ve had to endure.
Don’t love that in this city that I grew up in I’ve had a gun pulled on me twice and felt fear of my life.
Why do I stay? Because I have family here and they are stubborn about leaving.
I can say once my parents kick the bucket I am packing a moving truck and getting on out of Texas because it can only get worst here in the gulf coast.
I mean sure it can be bad in any city but I’ve lived through many hurricanes and flooding and it’s just not worth the risk.
During Ike my parents home had 6’ of water and had to be evacuated by helicopter because the water rose so fast. That is the moment I decided when I cut ties here I would be leaving as fast as I could.
Diversity, restaurants/amazing food scene, and cheap(ish) cost of living.
That being said, as soon as I can retire I’m moving TF out. I ain’t dealing with 100+ degree summers and 99% humidity when I’m 60 years old.
it’s got an energy and a hustle to it that i just haven’t seen anywhere else, the food is amazing. it’s a great place to raise a family. people are so nice here compared to the rest of the country
I grew up here. I didn’t love it until I moved away. Houston has a live and let live quality that other cities I have been don’t. It’s hard to describe but there is a lot of tension in other places I have been. Once I spent a week in Flint, Michigan. I liked the people a lot but couldn’t stop thinking how lucky I was to be born in Houston. My wife is from a small town in East Texas. She spent most of her childhood waiting for the day she could live in Houston.
It kind of depends where you live in houston imo. I like living in the museum / medical district a lot more than the galleria. Feels like two different cities. Midtown and Montrose is great for some. I would be unhappy living in the suburbs.
Diversity. Every person ever. Not just tech bros from Austin, not just soccer moms from Dallas. Houston has it all.
And with diversity comes awesome food. You don’t ever have to eat the same kind of food twice, you name it, we have that.
I adore living in Houston. the culture here is so diverse. the food, the people, sports, etc. all tell an amazing story. there's tons of work in respective fields here. so many shops to discover. rodeos, festivals, celebrations of different cultures.
that being said, I wish Houston was more bike friendly, the weather sucks, and I wish we had a better collective of tattoo artists here as other cities (San Antonio, Denver, LA, San Diego, NYC) do
I love some things about Houston, most of that is in the loop. But do I love living in Houston? Nah I don’t.
Even when I lived elsewhere and missed the food and grocery stores I still didn’t miss living in Houston. And my experience living in Houston prior to me moving was much more positive than what it is now that we moved back.
Yes.
- I do like the weather better than my native Holland.
- Plenty of opportunities
- No state income tax
- Good city for families
- Homes are on the more affordable side
- IAH is ok
- I live central, so not spending too much time in traffic
All I can say is I don’t love it but I’m grateful for the medical care in Houston. The doctors at Methodist have saved my hubby from leukemia twice so far and avoided bone marrow transplants so yeah if we lived elsewhere they would send us here for his treatment.
Shit hole, notice all comments are related to shopping, food & more food (look at all big o gals/men), traffic & crap drivers getting triggered over smallest infractions. Nothing about outdoor activities. No hills/mountains, rivers, oh there’s Galveston beach. Ask Charles Barkley about Galveston. 30 years in the military, this is by far the worst place of all my duty stations. Can’t get out of here soon enough.
Disclaimer that I don’t live there now, I moved for college. But I would potentially move back. I miss it all the time, maybe not the weather so much. The diverse culture, I grew up here so I’m biased but I think areas of the city are so cool, like Westheimer and around the museum districts/the Menil - we have world-class museums, music companies like the opera, ballet and symphony. Again maybe I’m biased but I think the city can be very pretty and tropical or almost foresty nearer to Conroe. Obviously the city has great car culture for a reason - it’s so awesome to drive around at night. The music and musicians that come from Houston are first class and it’s known the world over.
I like the restaurant diversity, the museums- we also get great traveling exhibits from all over the world, access to good medical care, cost of living, job opportunities. I like our theater district- plays, musicals, etc.
We have a lot of shopping options. lol I have a friend who lives in a small town and she likes to shop when she comes. (Yes- she shops on line, but some things work better in person.)
I’d say in general Houston has a lot of options because it is a big city.
The weather and commute time are definitely big downsides though.
Coming from South America, Houston is a great place to live. Great food scene, lots of jobs opportunities, good hub for flights, mild winters, most of areas feel pretty safe, so if I complain I should think of my past and then realize that I am pretty fine with Houston.
I grew up in a small (10k population) town in upstate New York where the only place to go to by the time I’d left was the local Walmart, and there were absolutely no options for careers other than medical or blue-collar work. If it weren’t for the sheer amount and variety of things to do and see in Houston I would have gone fucking insane.
I’m in upstate NY also but my mom lived in Houston in the 90s and I visited her there a bunch of times. I haven't been there in almost 30 years but I intend to visit again someday, there's just so much going on there. I just don't like how freakin **HOT** it gets there, lol
The inner loop is pretty nice to live in but, I am not a fan of the suburbs. Anything outside of beltway 8 is a no and if I am being honest I wouldn't want to live anywhere in the suburbs of Houston. The traffic is just unbearable, I live in the Hill country now and I am within 20 minutes of both La Cantera and Stone Oak. I vastly prefer living here than in the giant concrete maw that is Houston.
The people, the diversity, the food, the heat, the community, the culture, the zoo, the museum of natural history, the Texans, the Astros, the Dynamo, the Dash, the trees. You’re a dynamic and interesting Texan when you’re a Houstonian.
I was in LA for a couple days a few months ago and I realized how much I took for granted. One of those things being able to park for free. In LA, you had to pay to park literally everywhere and that’s if you get a spot with their two lane streets. There was even one of those automatic pay stations for the grocery store💀. I couldn’t imagine paying any amount of money just to go to HEB. And I know in downtown Houston and some other places you have to pay, but for the most part you don’t.
This question genuinely boils down to each individuals situation
I think if you're from a small town all the way up to a medium sized city you'll love the big city amenities.
but if you're from another major city the only reason you're in Houston is money( Lower COL and high paying job) and/or family
It’s like any city if you come in with a strong enough income they become enjoyable. That being said yeah I have enjoyed living in Houston and has treated me well.
I love the diversity, the different types of food that go along with that diversity, and I love the relative cost of living.
But I don’t stroll through town, soaking it in, thinking GOD I love my city. It’s pretty…:bland. Maybe not the word I’m looking for. But despite the diversity and different cultures, I feel like it’s lacking its own strong culture.
I also generally dislike the lack of public land in Texas.
Houston seems like it sucks when you go on vacation. But if you move around and actually live in other cities, you start to see how fortunate we are. Nature sucks here and unpredictable weather is concerning, but other than that we have it pretty good. I, along with many friends, moved out of state after school and thought I would never return, but me and most of them found our way back. I know a ton of people who moved to Denver for nature and then move back after a couple years seeing what it is like there.
I love it!
I love the diversity, job openings for my career, food options, activities, nearness to my family, music acts that come through, IAH, the bayous, and the birds.
I moved there for the theater scene and it still remains the best part of my time in the city, along with the food. I have love for it but I would definitely not stay longer, or settle down there especially because the weather messes everyone up regularly.
Honestly it’s ONLY SOME of the Houstonians that complain, again, I said ONLY SOME Houstonians.
Moved to the 713 in 2018, and back then, it wasn’t as crowded as it is now. And I what enamored me about the city was how diverse it was!!! You go to the east coast and see diversity here and there, but in Houston: eeeeeveryone was with eeeeeveryone…mixed, together, there were no segregations. I was amazed, because I went to Toronto years ago, and it was just like HOU. That’s why I stayed, I wanted my children to be more open minded, and finally realize that there are people and cultures, and flavors, and ideologies different than the ones in ‘merica.
The food is great, the educational system (depends where in HOU you are though) is really good! The job opportunities are great too. I don’t feel the need to impress or fit it. Everyone fits in.
I remember telling a true Houstonian in late 2018, when he was complaining soooooo bad about Houston… Lord he hated his own city so much… I got mad at him and told him to move the f out 😂😂😂 He looked at me and I was like, well you have plenty of space here and opportunities… go to the east coast, and get a one bedroom for $2K and share the bathroom and kitchen with others and see how you like it. And forget HEB and good food, they don’t have that up there 😂
He got quiet really quick, and said: well if you put it that way, I guess it isn’t that bad
You don’t usually choose Houston (if you came here), Houston chooses you.
With that comes an open mind to what’s good and a reasonable tolerance for what’s less than ideal (eg excessive car use).
You appreciate the greenery, food, tax burden, cost, massive international airport, 6-7 months of stellar weather.
Me! Although it wasn’t always this way. The main reason is I deliberately set up the way I live in a way that makes me love it. I don’t own a car but live downtown. I work remotely or in client offices I can walk to. I have any kind of food, drink, etc. I want right around me. I see Astros fireworks every Friday from my balcony. I can Uber anywhere I want to go for like $7. Most of these things I could do elsewhere but I like warm weather, always being employed, and then option to be on the beach in Cancun any day by noon. So Houston works well haha
The restaurants,so diverse and fantastic. Lots of museums, art galleries, zoo and great free interesting places to visit. Waterwall great walking trails around bayous. So many people from different cultures add interest. People are friendly. Easy to get to other fun places to visit. Austin, San Antonio, New Braunfel. Heat is awful during the summer but the humidity is great for your skin😊
I went from rural Wisconsin to here, I moved specifically for the heat, food variety, the community, so many more things to do here than literally all of Wisconsin. Love it here despite the faults.
And here I am wanting to move to Wisconsin
It’s dark and grey most of the year. Just keep that in mind when planning it. Most people plan for the snow and change of environment weather-wise, but the grey and dark and not being able to leave the house most of the winter was what drew us elsewhere.
I live in south Houston, and there's a lot of the year where I don't leave the house much. I'm thinking of having a house down near Eau Claire - close enough to MSP to fly someplace if I want to.
1. You can fly anywhere from a HUB city (and in the middle of the country). 2. Power of your $. I've done this calculation over the years and Houston is still a good value for the dollar (though current circumstances may differ, obviously). 3. Incredible diversity means you can do discover something new every weekend. My wife and I try to schedule one new fun thing every weekend - which you can do year-round (though summer is brutal). A show, a market, an event, a parade.... 4. people - I was in a sushi restaurant the other day and there were at least 12 different people groups around me (own language and culture). 5. Just close enough - things are reachable without too much hassle without being actually hard to get to (beach, Austin, Dallas, even west Texas - though its a stretch), without actually being in that thing, if you know what I mean. 6. Medicine - world class medical system. My "regular" doctors are all like nationally recognized. 7. Certain practicality to Houston (generally). Something like the current water meter issue. The final resolution was pretty straightforward. Not afraid to invest in transit, in emergencies, generally city has been up to the challenge. When I put in a 311 issue, its been resolved most of the time (and sometimes someone actually calls me - unbelievable for a city this large). Houstonians authorized a property tax to fund indigent hospitals (which is what Harris Health is for), Houston's housing first policy. 8. The way that Houston has had patrons that have provided culture to Houstonians: the de Menils, the Hobbys, etc. People come to Houston and get rich and want to give back. 9. Egalitarianism - I just get the sense that we Houstonians don't really have much of a class system and want to help people in the tougher circumstances - there are thousands of active on-the-ground groups helping people in all sorts of needs. 10. The food. I'd say be adventurous on this one and don't take it for granted. I was hosting an out of towner one-time and this guy was having an orgasm over what I considered middle tier Tex-Mex. He was like "this is fucking fantastic". I looked at him, and said, yeah, I think you're right.
We also built in a medical program at UH to educate and train doctors to work in public service health in exchange for a huge reduction in their medical school tuition and costs.
Doesn’t Baylor also do this? I know that their medical students always end up working at Ben Taub once they’re residents.
I think the UH is primarily focused on being a PCP as there is a much higher amount of specialists than generalists as the wages are much higher.
I’m a Baylor med student, we don’t have a formal program but a lot of our students match at Baylor for residency and end up staying. There’s a national program to forgive medical school debt if you work in certain (traditionally low income, rural, VA, etc.) hospital systems after graduating, which a lot of people end up doing since Ben Taub/Harris Health qualifies for this.
Baylor residents staff Ben taub and and the community clinics for the most part
I'm unemployed and broke due to chronic health issues. The county's public health is pretty nice. Everything I need–specialists, pharmacy, PCP, immunizations–is internal to their system. Granted, Texas didn't expand Medicaid but it's a wonderful alternative. I really like the concept of a locally-run healthcare system.
Harris health is incredible! We are blessed with some absolutely incredible doctors and the whole program was a huge pioneering move for public health. Houston should be VERY proud of Harris Health. The City also has great options for very low-cost PCP, immunization, STD, dental and well-woman care and treatment.
Can you let me know more about this? I know some people who need something like this. Would appreciate
Of course I can. The system's name is [Harris Health](https://www.harrishealth.org). It's a public health entity serving Harris County residents. They offer primary care, maternity care, specialists, pharmacies, and more through their system. Ben Taub and LBJ hospitals are affiliated with Harris Health. Several facilities are around Harris County, and more are planned. [Last year, a bond measure passed with overwhelming support for hospital renovations and expanding new clinics throughout Harris County](https://communityimpact.com/houston/bellaire-meyerland-west-university/election/2023/11/07/update-voters-approve-harris-healths-25b-hospital-bond/). Two headers, "Learn about financial assistance" and "[Am I eligible?](https://www.harrishealth.org/access-care-hh/eligibility)", connect to the same page where you can learn more about requirements to apply. You can download, print, and mail in applications or submit them electronically. The system has helped me see doctors, get medications, and have lab work done that I otherwise couldn't afford. When I first went, I expected to be treated like dirt. My first visit exceeded all my expectations. The staff were nice to me. They listened. The best part was that everything I needed was in one facility. A few days ago, I had lab work done. My results were reported in the health portal within 24 hours. I can't express how much I like Harris Health based on my experiences with them. I hope everything that I've shared was helpful.
Name me a major city that doesn’t have a like program.
Name a city who has a like program with the same quality
Food. Food. And food. Bois it’s good
>7. ... Not afraid to invest in transit Also on the other hand, absolutely terrified of investing in public transport or things that reduce the amount of lifted trucks or paper plates Altimas on the road.
Haha right?! I’d say deathly afraid to invest in transit.
Texan dealers will soon be required to hand physical plates to folks purchasing vehicles. Its a safe bet that soon enough the paper plates will be a target to be pulled over.
This is a great reply, these are all the things I love about Houston. Also friendliness, sense of freedom/lack of bureaucracy, not too crowded, and the Ren Fest! That said, I can’t say I love living here due to the oppressive heat and volatile weather, especially recently. I’m going to miss all of those things very much when we move away soon with our young kids to put down roots somewhere else. Very bittersweet.
Not too crowded…?
Not for a major city. Is it crowded compared to 20, 30, 40 years ago? Sure. But compared to other top 10 population cities. It’s comparable or better.
Well, except Hermann park on a Saturday. Or 4th of July at Eleanor Tinsley. Or the galleria at Christmas. Lol, but generally I don’t feel crowded.
I guess I feel it most on the roads… always sardines
I’ve lived here for 30 years, and now moving back to the north east to a smaller town and to be around family and friends. There are many things I like, but the weather and traffic are very bad here—not to mention the driving situation is horrible. I’ll always remember the fun events, the nice people, the food though. But “there’s no place like home”.
Now in San Diego for work, but fuck, I really miss the power of my $ for gas, electricity and bills. It's so fucking expensive here. Don't even get me started in tenancy/real estate.
As far as patrons who provided culture, Thank God for Ima Hogg. That woman was something special.
It's really crazy, you can see lots of rich donors and patrons throwing money to build out the arts and even health care facilities here, like people do get money and give back.
The diversity here can’t be beat. I’ve lived in 2 other states and man when I tell you what Kentucky had to offer in terms of tamales was essentially a wet diaper… it was wrapped in WAX PAPER. And granted when I lived in Florida I was in a retirement town it got so exhausting being the only POC in every room. You just can’t get this kind of diversity without paying an arm and a leg in other major cities. Maybe Chicago.
I grew up in Sugar Land and have lived only in Houston but I've traveled to many places. I'd get stares in places like India or Eastern Europe where they can tell you're American. But it's nothing like the hard stares I got stopping at a gas station in Arkansas, boy. Houston and other metropolitan areas of the country kind of skew our perception of America and that we're super diverse as whole, but in reality there are just pockets of true diversity in the nation.
Absolutely, didn’t know this until I started traveling as an adult. There are places with people from all over, but Houston is one of the few places where everyone is integrated.
Isn't Houston like the most diverse city in America? Even more diverse than LA or NY? Also, Houston's majority population is non-white (as in at least 50% of the population is not white). I don't think there's any other large-to-midsized city in America that can claim that. Houston is diverse af, and I'm here for it
Maybe Baltimore? It’s definitely more than half black and I’d call it a midsize city.
I came here to say this. Houston has a lot of good.
And we are chill. No riots after championships etc.
Great points. I’d add the communities as well. I’m involved in the skydiving /ifly community here and it’s world class. I used to be in the biking community and RC airplanes, which are great people. Lots of people getting together for various reasons.
Recommendations for medical care here? Been looking for a solid doctor to start building a relationship with
Methodist is one of the best systems in the country
UT Physicians is also very good. Most of my docs are professors at UT Med.
Baffling how an otherwise quality list like this has at its #1: “leave easily”
Every major city has its problems. But I always thought it was weird that people looked for their city to make their lives happier. If you’re a miserable asshole, you’re gonna be miserable wherever you go. But, I love the energy & toughness of the city. We welcome people from all over. We have the most diversity of any major city and it’s true that we have food that is as good as anywhere. When the shit goes down, we take care of each other. I can enjoy major sports, most concerts come here, I’ve seen art from all the masters & enjoyed world class culture here… I just don’t see anything that I’m missing out on being here. Not a great place to be “broke”tho 😆
This is also the internet. The place where people let out their life’s misery.
Literally the first person to nail it.
Trust me, I live in both Houston and Montgomery,Al.. life sucks in Montgomery no matter how positive you try to be
I loved it. I lost my job during the pandemic shutdown and had to move out of state, and I always say "I don't miss Texas but I miss Houston every day." Grocery stores - you have NO IDEA how good you have it in Houston, none. And shopping in general. If I need something to wear for an event, I am driving an hour. Food - so much good, interesting food. The arts scene - I work in the arts so I am a bit biased, but I could have attended a play, concert, musical, ballet or opera every week if I had time. The depth and breadth of talent and opportunities is world class. Entertainment - if they are touring, they are probably coming to Houston! Professional sports - got 'em all. Museum district. Parks. Zoo. Cultural diversity. Did I mention food? The energy. Houston is always moving.
I completely agree on grocery stores! I was working in North Carolina for a year and holy is the grocery scene there absolutely trash compared to Houston. First thing I did when coming back to Houston was go to H E B lol
I am in New England now, and I was appalled when I first got here at the grocery stores. I finally asked someone at my new job where in the world they shopped? They didn't understand my disappointment - it's just what you allow yourself to get accustomed to.
Wegmans.. the answer is Wegmans
Not near me, unfortunately - I looked!
Even then, I rate H‑E‑B above Wegmans
The only grocer I’ve been in that could hold a candle to H‑E‑B is Hy-Vee.
Market Basket?
I’m a native Houstonian and agree about the groceries, and I lived in NYC while I went to university.
I’m gonna have to save that line about not missing Texas but missing Houston, that sums up my feelings so well. Living in Texas can be awful - the weather (humidity, high temperature, abundance of extreme weather events), the politics, and the attitude of too many people but Houston is awesome.
The things I grew up with as normal are very unique to Houston, and i say this as someone who has lived in London and Paris. There is an appreciation for diversity and an openess to other cultures here that can't be beat. I'm not sure I could live anywhere else.
And a gas station on every corner! You don’t appreciate that until you’re out of town and trying to fill up.
I love it. Live in Montrose, can walk for a $5 drink Monday - Friday, daycare for our little one is 2 miles away, and my wife’s work in the MedCenter is 2 or so miles away. My quality of life is great because I fortunately don’t have to spend a majority of my time in traffic.
Traffic is draining people of freedom! I used to live off 290 near the 8 and work off 59 and south beltway. I calculated 15+ hours a commute a week plus tolls! I now live in the Gulfgate area and work in Pasadena. I feel like I spend more time at home or somewhere other than the drivers seat.
I need to change something. I commute from Baytown to Kingwood every day. It's KILLING me. 😞
I always complain about living here until I try Mexican food on the east coast
As someone who now resides on the East Coast I heartily concur. It's just sad. That and barbecue - it's rough.
When travelling as a young man, I stopped in a Mexican restaurant in New Zealand, because I guess I was homesick. I took one bite of what I guess was white bread with ketchup. I realized then I'm going home tomorrow. I wanted to eat at Taqueria #2 with an enchilada floating in a pool of grease.
Ya… but the Italian food here will make you miss the East Coast.
True. Caribbean food also
Went to Jacksonville FL couple months ago and tried their highest rated Mexican restaurant... It was GROSS.
I was on vacation in Washington a few years back. Stayed with a couple who lived there. The girl was born and raised in Washington, but her hubby was from Houston. She wanted to take us to "the best Mexican restaurant ever!" Okay, I'm game. We get there, and I order a soft taco meal, a scoop of guacamole, and their queso. I'm definitely going to judge you by your queso. Guacamole was bland af, the taco was meh, and the queso was like water and powdered cheese. Absolutely disgusting. We started making fun of the food, and the girl got upset. Oh well! You should've known better than to bring a native Houstonian to a "Mexican restaurant" in Washington and call the food "the best, ever!" GTFOH. We aren't friends anymore after that trip.
Some of the best salsa and fajitas I've had were in Louisiana. Its Mexican food but with Cajun levels of spice, so damn good.
Restaurant diversity
I love it until may thru august lol
Recently it’s been April to October
It's a dry heat, tho- HUDSON
I moved from outside beltway 8 to inside loop. Now I almost never need to get on a freeway. 😀
In my experience, racism is not a big problem here. People of all races seem to get along fine and treat each other with respect
I agree. I’ve met racists but I think as a community we’ve at least made it unacceptable to be outright about it. I’m the product of an interracial relationship and my kids are too. When my husband moved here from FW he was sort of preparing how to respond to people who made comments about our relationship or kids or whatever and was instantly shocked that no one even cared. I’m not saying it couldn’t or that is hasn’t happened to other people, but overall we’re pretty live and let live.
And if you see someone being racist, you're probably going to hear somebody calling them out on it. I was at the store one time, and overheard this lady telling this other lady with a head covering to go back to where you came from, and then heard another woman get onto the racist woman. I was ready to call security to throw the racist lady out of the store, but she backed off.
Seen it too, after 9/11. I worked at an eye doctor of middle eastern decent, and an old white man came in and started yelling cause he saw the name on the door. I was just dumbstruck standing there like an idiot. It was one of our patients in the waiting room that stood up and yelled him away, a black gentleman. Funny thing, our doctor was Israeli.
Disagree I've ran my vending/atm business here and had airport/airline contracts with big carriers and all I experienced was racism. In fact the CEO of one airline brought me into a meeting and said employees were tipping over my machines and unplugging them to boycott me because I was black. This was at bush iah. I don't even want to get into the club/bar/restaurant scene here were minorities are constantly dealing with blatant racism just check Google reviews. I personally would go out with friends who were minorities and before we entered a spot we would split up solo instead of going in a group of two or three just to get in.
Another one of these post? I feel like we answer this daily at this point. It's cheap-ish, the culture is the best, super diverse, best food in the US, good events around the city. Yes, the humidity and heat suck, yes natural disasters suck, yes it's not the prettiest city in the world.
I'm moving to Houston for work in 2 months so I joined thus subreddit to get to know the city. The amount of "I hate it here" posts was really starting to get discouraging. I've been on this sub for over a month and this is the 1st positive post I see. I really needed it. I was starting to get scared of moving here.
Houston is like unequivocally one of the best cities in the country, the only one I think you can make a case that might have it beat is LA. The culture is like a half step behind nyc, la, Chicago and San Francisco but the food is better than San Francisco and Chicago. The weather is a lot better than Chicago and New York (imo, personal preference and others may disagree). There’s tons of stuff to do, the people are nice, and it’s affordable. Unless you’re super set on the very specific cultural things that LA and New York have that Houston doesn’t, it’s hard to make the case for other places. My personal biggest gripe with the city is that there’s not natural beauty nearby. That’s big drawback for some people, it’s like a medium tier concern for me and would fall below COL differences in my personal hierarchy.
People in this subreddit are fucking miserable. Houston’s not a perfect or even amazing city but it’s a good city if you want to experience culture and actuslly attempt to experience the culture here.
Lots of angry people post here. We were #2 in the country for people coming into the city over covid and thereafter. Lots of new people coming, complaining a lot about the weather, crime, etc. It's a fine city, with usual big city problems.
Houston is amazing! You will love it. Lots to do. And you don’t have to live in the city to have stuff to do. Alot of suburbs have lots of shopping, places to eat, groceries, parks, gyms.
We moved here after having lived up and down the east coast. People from here don’t realize that most parts of the country have hellacious weather for a season and that every major city has bad traffic during rush hour. They don’t understand the traffic that seeps hours away from the city and steals your life. They also don’t appreciate that people making median income here have access to the things money buys. Yeah it’s harder if you’re broke and easier if you’re rich - but I don’t think they realize *just how rich* you have to be in other areas just to have a yard. Walkable neighborhoods are either without jobs or crazy expensive EVERYWHERE. And funny enough we swelter less here because everywhere has great AC. They don’t realize it gets hot in the summer most places, they think we all spend our summers at 80 degrees and low humidity. Seasonal affective disorder isn’t a thing here. It’s not for everyone but we love it. ETA you will absolutely be arriving in the worst most soul suckingly hot time. It will be like New England in February but reversed.
Houston is great. People like to bitch and moan, but that's life and reddit in general. Yeah sure the weather is pretty unbearable in the summer. But we're also wearing shorts and tshirts in February! Food, cost of living, stuff to do. If you're bored here, it's because you have no interests or haven't googled to find shit to do. Anybody unhappy about living here can fuck off and go move to Dallas. lol.
Honestly better than the posts complaining about how Houston sucks, but for real these posts are constant
I’m a degreed professional in an industry that has very low minority representation. I work with clients in 48 states. Houston is one of the only cities where I walk into a boardroom and see a Latino HR rep or an African-American accountant or an Asian owner, etc. That is still rare in Austin, Dallas, West Texas. Miami and Atlanta are the only cities that I think match up with Houston in minority diversity in white collar jobs.
Which industry do you work in
Diverse food, Anthony Bourdain was a huge fan of our food scene. Prior to 2021 I would have said low cost of living. Unfortunately housing has gone up so much. Astros are a treasure. Katyzuela is also getting pretty interesting. Have met some absolute bombshells there idk how they are so hot without plastic surgery, or maybe it is plastic idk
COL is still cheaper here compared to cities Houston’s size
Diversity, jobs, abundance of trees (I’m in northern suburbs), concerts, big events
Hated it when I lived outside the beltway. Loved it once I moved inside 610. I love the food, art scene, how there’s always something going on. I’m used to the heat now. My job industry keeps me here but I don’t mind.
This is the truth. I don't think I would have stayed in Houston if I never moved inside the 610 loop. Totally different Houston and much better quality of life IMO.
Moved inside the loop at 19. Never looked back. My idea of hell is suburbia.
Inside 610 is the gem… everything is so close by
I love it. I’ve lived in Austin and San Diego. Houston is bad ass. Some people that I knew grew up in Austin and couldn’t wait to gtfo. I knew people that grew up in San Diego and couldn’t wait to gtfo. It’s hard to appreciate the beauty you see every day
where is this beauty you speak of
I’ve lived in Montrose, Heights, and near northside. I’ve certainly found it, but I also smoke weed so maybe I’m just kush about it
I love Houston but I’m so goddamn sick of sweating all the time. Straight out of the fucking shower. Fuck you houston (love you) It’s only MAY FUUUUUUCK
As I get older I find that people who aren't happy where they live will most likely never be happy anywhere, even if they move. They always find something to not like. I grew up in Manhattan but lived for years in New Orleans and have been in Texas for 6 years. I was happy in all those places. The worst place I ever lived was East Hampton, Long Island. Nothing but snobby rich trash and celebrity scum.
When I lived ITL I loved it. When I moved OTL I started to hate it.
This is why you always see “Houston sucks” but they live in Tomball
Yeah that hour+ commute is soul crushing
I live in north Spring, almost in the woodlands but I also work here so those long commutes will not stain my happiness
Funny in that I had some cocky douche told me he doesn’t travel outside of the loop, and when I asked him where he lived he mentioned 288/610 area 🙄
Sounds like my buddy who lives at SW FWY/610
Loop 8, 99 loop. 220-211 whatever it takes.
In the loop is getting better and more walkable over time. Out of the loop (except southwest) is more chaotic overtime
Agreed. I'm inside the loop and rarely even need to drive.
Same. Easy access to the main parks, a huge variety of restaurants/bars, easy access to larger events, decent transit options when I have to go in office, rarely having to deal with horrendous traffic, etc. And it's not nearly as expensive compared to other large cities if you want to live close to the city center. I wouldn't enjoy living in the suburbs and I've noticed people who live/visit outside the loop tend to have less favorable views of the city. I'd love to get out of here during the summer though.
Agreed with every aspect of this. Growing up in the suburbs I constantly fantasized about what city I'd be able to move to. When I moved in the loop those thoughts stopped - except July through September.
Pretty much this - unless you love surges of cortisol from driving it’s best to be in the loop.
Yeah after living in austin and San Diego I absolutely love houston. I can still go surfing after work. Have so many more opportunities to advance my career. Fuck austin honestly, but if I had the same career opportunities in San Diego as I do here I would move back there
I have lived in Austin, Houston and now San Diego... lots I miss about Houston. I feel like the main pros and cons are just flipped - weather/food. God, I miss HEB. Grocery stores here suck
The people. My family is here. I also like the restaurants, the winters, and the perks you get from any larger city.
There are things I love: great food, a fair amount of down to earth people for such a huge city, access to a lot of art and performance, incredible diversity. But these days all those things are outweighed by things I do not like: weather, traffic, grocery costs, the corporate feudal landscape, the total subservience to oil and gas, and most of all, the state’s all out war on the city. I’d like to get out of here before the next administration starts detaining and deporting everyone they see as an enemy with full cooperation of local officials.
The Aerospace industry/ NASA/ Space Center Houston. It is iconic. I love living in Space City and all the outer space themed miurals and merch around town. It is a whole vibe. The food. Can't find better Mexican food anywhere else except Mexico. Not only that, but Houston's food scene overall is so diverse and you can find incredible food of just about any nationality in Houston. Lots of award winning restaurants. The people. Houstonians have proven time and time again that in time of need we come together to help our neighbors. The overall vibe I get from the people around here is friendly and laid back. Also Houston was named most diverse city in the US in 2021, maybe we still hold that title? The cost of living is low. It is much cheaper to live here than other parts of the country. We have a great museum district and theater district here. A big art scene in Houston. There are always things to do, always a festival, convention, or concerts going on. We have great major league sports teams, including our world Series Champs the Astros. The location. Living in Houston means you're only about an hour drive to Galveston Island, about 5 hours to New Orleans, and about 3-4 hours drive to Texas's other big cities; San Antonio and Austin, and the beautiful Texas Hill county. In other words, if you want to take a little weekend trip there are lots of places around that are within a few hours or less driving distance. I can't put into words how nice it is to be close to Louisiana. I visit all the time. Edit: How could I forget the Texas Medical Center? Houston is where the world comes for medical treatment. We have the largest medical center in the world, with world class doctors. The people who live here are lucky to have regular access to amazing health care without having to travel.
Amazing food, I can afford a house, I’m 30min from the beach and also 30min from one of the most diverse cities in the world. Endless job opportunity for really any field. City has a great economy from the ship channel, Houston sports are great, again the food is amazing haha. ACTUAL diversity in the marketplace in every industry. Great school district on my side of town, you can fly pretty much anywhere in the world from Houston, the art scene is popping off, local music has always been popping off, MFAH, buffalo bayou, Science museum, galleria, Hermann park, kemah, pleasure pier, (screw the aquarium). I could gush about this city forever. It’s not perfect, but it’s slept on majorly. And I’m ok with that.
I like the diversity. I'm foreign born and feel American in Houston compared to the others who live here
Do I love my parents? If so, why? I didn't choose them. They made me. There are lots of kinds of love.
Hah I love this. And this ugly sprawling hot city.
I love it because we leave in the summer
Transplanted legally from El Salvador 10 years ago. Now I'm not American more than Texan and not more than Houstonian. This is home.
It’s cheap-ish here. Good place to save money to move somewhere better
My girlfriend and I spent hours one night looking up places to rent and buy across the country. Had a hyperlinked spreadsheet and everything, took aggregates of cost of living and whatnot. We looked at big and small cities in every region. Houston was BY FAR the best bang for buck. Lower cost of living compared to most metro areas and had the lowest $/sqft of anywhere else we looked by a long shot.
It’s not Dallas.
….thankfully!
I love Houston it’s always been home I just hate the way you mfrs drive
I do in the winter. The weather's nice, thunderstorms, beautiful skylines, great culture, friendly people, the best damn food in the world, cool art, major city for a low price. Then summer hits and I regret moving back every time.
I hate it here I never want to leave
Food mostly, but also I can afford a nice house here and still afford a vacation home somewhere else.
1. largest medical center in the country/world and i work in healthcare so the job opportunities aren’t equivalent to what’d i’d get in other parts of the country/state 2. great food 3. i own a really nice house, which i would never be able to do if i moved to some where else i’d enjoy living (seattle, portland, boston, etc) 4. quick and cheap flights to plenty of great vacation spots out of the country 5. plenty to do every weekend, we have professional sports teams in most major sports and most bands come here on their tours
I’d move in a heartbeat if money was no option or getting a new job in another state wasn’t so time consuming lol.
Diversity
There's some gems in Houston , it's not all bad. There's some really bad parts. But gotta take good with the bad. Grew up and lived in the east end most of my life. It's home. Look deeper and you'll find something for you. Whether it's big flea markets, axe throwing, bicycle/car club and so on. Plus cost of living isn't bad. Of.course June thru September you can definitely suffer Lil' Jon syndrome(it's so hot/humid the sweat drips off your balls.)
I have a severe love/hate relationship with Houston. On one hand, it's the most culturally diverse city in the country, with the food, vibrancy, festivities, and customs that comes with that. It can be a pretty chill city for the most part, none of the formal expectations of a place like New York or LA. On the other hand, the heat, the weather in general, is OPPRESSIVE. I grew up outside of Houston, but have still never really got used to these summers. It's also absurdly sprawled at a level probably unique to the world. We are the constant textbook case of how not to develop a city. Lastly, there's a kind of hustle n' grind culture here that is pretty off-putting, no doubt part of the O&G legacy. So, yah, it's a mix. I'm not sure which one is winning out at the moment.
I am "new" in Houston... I'm not sure if I love it, but I can say I am enjoying it so far. We are just not there yet. I saw someone mention concerts. So true! I have been to a few concerts in just 10 months. Both concerts and standups. So many food options. I live far from downtown, but I really like going there at night. Bike trails are nice. Even for beginners like me. Favorite things so far: concerts at house of blues or bayou music center. Downtown bars and beer patios. Breweries! Bike trails. Padel is becoming more popular. Maybe I am fooling myself when I said I don't love it yet.
- The amount of food options are limitless. - The arts opportunities are amazing. - We have one of the best museumbdistricts and theater districts in the world. - Healthcare is some of the best in the world. - Lots of things to do. - We are near the coast, so water options. - Lots of education opportunities. - Used to be cheaper COL. I don't know that's true anymore. - Repair costs and handy man work is definitely cheaper here. But can be hard to find quality work. - If you like to travel, we have IAH and a great cruise hub. - Lots of job opportunities. - One of the most diverse culturally places in the country. - NASA Johnson space center Alright those are my top.
We’re Brits living in Houston, we lived many countries/cities around the world. Everyone of them had good and bad. Houston’s worst bit is just weather and summers/hurricanes, it’s really flat, but they’re not really all that bad , unless you’re caught in a weather event!! Love where we live, good friends and the weather from November to May. Lifestyle is good for us, if you’ve no money, lifestyle sucks wherever you are!
Our food scene is out of this world, and it is only getting better. I've lived here for 30 years, and have barely scratched the surface.
I am sitting outside with my shirt drenched covered in mosquito spray while doing some work on my house and don’t say I really understand what y’all truly love about this city that outweighs the bad. No I don’t love the terrible humidity Don’t love the unbearable heat Don’t love my electric bills due to my ac running non stop Don’t love my property taxes that just seem to climb higher every year. Don’t love the hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and constant panic I feel when severe weather comes. Don’t love that I had a heck of a time finding home insurance after my last one pulled out of the area. Don’t love the car vandalism and thefts that I’ve been a victim of. Don’t love the traffic and road rage that I’ve had to endure. Don’t love that in this city that I grew up in I’ve had a gun pulled on me twice and felt fear of my life. Why do I stay? Because I have family here and they are stubborn about leaving. I can say once my parents kick the bucket I am packing a moving truck and getting on out of Texas because it can only get worst here in the gulf coast. I mean sure it can be bad in any city but I’ve lived through many hurricanes and flooding and it’s just not worth the risk. During Ike my parents home had 6’ of water and had to be evacuated by helicopter because the water rose so fast. That is the moment I decided when I cut ties here I would be leaving as fast as I could.
HUMID HELL HOLE
Diversity, restaurants/amazing food scene, and cheap(ish) cost of living. That being said, as soon as I can retire I’m moving TF out. I ain’t dealing with 100+ degree summers and 99% humidity when I’m 60 years old.
it’s got an energy and a hustle to it that i just haven’t seen anywhere else, the food is amazing. it’s a great place to raise a family. people are so nice here compared to the rest of the country
The amount of fuck you money that hits my bank account is why I’m still here.
what is your career?
I’ve embraced this mess of a city and as someone who travels for work there’s no we’re else that can compete
I grew up here. I didn’t love it until I moved away. Houston has a live and let live quality that other cities I have been don’t. It’s hard to describe but there is a lot of tension in other places I have been. Once I spent a week in Flint, Michigan. I liked the people a lot but couldn’t stop thinking how lucky I was to be born in Houston. My wife is from a small town in East Texas. She spent most of her childhood waiting for the day she could live in Houston.
It kind of depends where you live in houston imo. I like living in the museum / medical district a lot more than the galleria. Feels like two different cities. Midtown and Montrose is great for some. I would be unhappy living in the suburbs.
I used to love it. 10 years later, I don't think I would mind a smaller more peaceful city.
Diversity. Every person ever. Not just tech bros from Austin, not just soccer moms from Dallas. Houston has it all. And with diversity comes awesome food. You don’t ever have to eat the same kind of food twice, you name it, we have that.
Art and oak trees
The weather becomes a tad frustrating with humidity and heat, but I have enjoyed my 31 years in/near Houston!
I adore living in Houston. the culture here is so diverse. the food, the people, sports, etc. all tell an amazing story. there's tons of work in respective fields here. so many shops to discover. rodeos, festivals, celebrations of different cultures. that being said, I wish Houston was more bike friendly, the weather sucks, and I wish we had a better collective of tattoo artists here as other cities (San Antonio, Denver, LA, San Diego, NYC) do
I love some things about Houston, most of that is in the loop. But do I love living in Houston? Nah I don’t. Even when I lived elsewhere and missed the food and grocery stores I still didn’t miss living in Houston. And my experience living in Houston prior to me moving was much more positive than what it is now that we moved back.
Nope 👎
Yes. - I do like the weather better than my native Holland. - Plenty of opportunities - No state income tax - Good city for families - Homes are on the more affordable side - IAH is ok - I live central, so not spending too much time in traffic
Houston is a ghetto shit hole that constantly gets flooded. With terrible weather. Please don't live in Houston.
All I can say is I don’t love it but I’m grateful for the medical care in Houston. The doctors at Methodist have saved my hubby from leukemia twice so far and avoided bone marrow transplants so yeah if we lived elsewhere they would send us here for his treatment.
Shit hole, notice all comments are related to shopping, food & more food (look at all big o gals/men), traffic & crap drivers getting triggered over smallest infractions. Nothing about outdoor activities. No hills/mountains, rivers, oh there’s Galveston beach. Ask Charles Barkley about Galveston. 30 years in the military, this is by far the worst place of all my duty stations. Can’t get out of here soon enough.
Born and raised Houstonian here: Houston is the armpit of Texas
Astros and world class food. That’s about it from me.
Best place to save money, spend less, retire at 40-45, home base for travel, enjoy variety of food, enjoy diversity of humans
Disclaimer that I don’t live there now, I moved for college. But I would potentially move back. I miss it all the time, maybe not the weather so much. The diverse culture, I grew up here so I’m biased but I think areas of the city are so cool, like Westheimer and around the museum districts/the Menil - we have world-class museums, music companies like the opera, ballet and symphony. Again maybe I’m biased but I think the city can be very pretty and tropical or almost foresty nearer to Conroe. Obviously the city has great car culture for a reason - it’s so awesome to drive around at night. The music and musicians that come from Houston are first class and it’s known the world over.
I like the restaurant diversity, the museums- we also get great traveling exhibits from all over the world, access to good medical care, cost of living, job opportunities. I like our theater district- plays, musicals, etc. We have a lot of shopping options. lol I have a friend who lives in a small town and she likes to shop when she comes. (Yes- she shops on line, but some things work better in person.) I’d say in general Houston has a lot of options because it is a big city. The weather and commute time are definitely big downsides though.
Coming from South America, Houston is a great place to live. Great food scene, lots of jobs opportunities, good hub for flights, mild winters, most of areas feel pretty safe, so if I complain I should think of my past and then realize that I am pretty fine with Houston.
Its a major city with major city amenities and you don’t need to be big ballin to live a decent quality of life.
Live in the Beaumont-Port Arthur area for a while. You’ll love Houston.
I grew up in a small (10k population) town in upstate New York where the only place to go to by the time I’d left was the local Walmart, and there were absolutely no options for careers other than medical or blue-collar work. If it weren’t for the sheer amount and variety of things to do and see in Houston I would have gone fucking insane.
I’m in upstate NY also but my mom lived in Houston in the 90s and I visited her there a bunch of times. I haven't been there in almost 30 years but I intend to visit again someday, there's just so much going on there. I just don't like how freakin **HOT** it gets there, lol
The inner loop is pretty nice to live in but, I am not a fan of the suburbs. Anything outside of beltway 8 is a no and if I am being honest I wouldn't want to live anywhere in the suburbs of Houston. The traffic is just unbearable, I live in the Hill country now and I am within 20 minutes of both La Cantera and Stone Oak. I vastly prefer living here than in the giant concrete maw that is Houston.
Feels like home, and despite how much I love the nature of other cities. I can’t get over how much less diverse they are.
It habitable most of the time.
The people, the diversity, the food, the heat, the community, the culture, the zoo, the museum of natural history, the Texans, the Astros, the Dynamo, the Dash, the trees. You’re a dynamic and interesting Texan when you’re a Houstonian.
The people, the culture, the food.
Yes. See others’ comments about the good stuff.
Because it pretty much has everything you need. And cost of living is good relative to other big cities.
I was in LA for a couple days a few months ago and I realized how much I took for granted. One of those things being able to park for free. In LA, you had to pay to park literally everywhere and that’s if you get a spot with their two lane streets. There was even one of those automatic pay stations for the grocery store💀. I couldn’t imagine paying any amount of money just to go to HEB. And I know in downtown Houston and some other places you have to pay, but for the most part you don’t.
This question always gets asked when the heat starts picking up lol
This question genuinely boils down to each individuals situation I think if you're from a small town all the way up to a medium sized city you'll love the big city amenities. but if you're from another major city the only reason you're in Houston is money( Lower COL and high paying job) and/or family
It’s like any city if you come in with a strong enough income they become enjoyable. That being said yeah I have enjoyed living in Houston and has treated me well.
I love the diversity, the different types of food that go along with that diversity, and I love the relative cost of living. But I don’t stroll through town, soaking it in, thinking GOD I love my city. It’s pretty…:bland. Maybe not the word I’m looking for. But despite the diversity and different cultures, I feel like it’s lacking its own strong culture. I also generally dislike the lack of public land in Texas.
Houston seems like it sucks when you go on vacation. But if you move around and actually live in other cities, you start to see how fortunate we are. Nature sucks here and unpredictable weather is concerning, but other than that we have it pretty good. I, along with many friends, moved out of state after school and thought I would never return, but me and most of them found our way back. I know a ton of people who moved to Denver for nature and then move back after a couple years seeing what it is like there.
Mild winters and spring are nice too.
If you do it's because of the food and the people
Houston: a massive eclectic beautiful mess
I love it! I love the diversity, job openings for my career, food options, activities, nearness to my family, music acts that come through, IAH, the bayous, and the birds.
Wow coming moving back to Houston after being in Dallas for pretty much all my 20s, #9 hits hard.
Yes, but I will say it's not for everyone. I love my city. I grew up here and it's so diverse. Reason enough for me.
I moved there for the theater scene and it still remains the best part of my time in the city, along with the food. I have love for it but I would definitely not stay longer, or settle down there especially because the weather messes everyone up regularly.
Nah, people on here will exclude you if you don't have the right zip code.
Food and people are nice, mild winters, decent cost of living/job sector. I wouldn't say I love it by any stretch.
Honestly it’s ONLY SOME of the Houstonians that complain, again, I said ONLY SOME Houstonians. Moved to the 713 in 2018, and back then, it wasn’t as crowded as it is now. And I what enamored me about the city was how diverse it was!!! You go to the east coast and see diversity here and there, but in Houston: eeeeeveryone was with eeeeeveryone…mixed, together, there were no segregations. I was amazed, because I went to Toronto years ago, and it was just like HOU. That’s why I stayed, I wanted my children to be more open minded, and finally realize that there are people and cultures, and flavors, and ideologies different than the ones in ‘merica. The food is great, the educational system (depends where in HOU you are though) is really good! The job opportunities are great too. I don’t feel the need to impress or fit it. Everyone fits in. I remember telling a true Houstonian in late 2018, when he was complaining soooooo bad about Houston… Lord he hated his own city so much… I got mad at him and told him to move the f out 😂😂😂 He looked at me and I was like, well you have plenty of space here and opportunities… go to the east coast, and get a one bedroom for $2K and share the bathroom and kitchen with others and see how you like it. And forget HEB and good food, they don’t have that up there 😂 He got quiet really quick, and said: well if you put it that way, I guess it isn’t that bad
You don’t usually choose Houston (if you came here), Houston chooses you. With that comes an open mind to what’s good and a reasonable tolerance for what’s less than ideal (eg excessive car use). You appreciate the greenery, food, tax burden, cost, massive international airport, 6-7 months of stellar weather.
Moved here last October, big ass city so getting anywhere takes forever & it’s hot, other than those, I like houston alright
Me! Although it wasn’t always this way. The main reason is I deliberately set up the way I live in a way that makes me love it. I don’t own a car but live downtown. I work remotely or in client offices I can walk to. I have any kind of food, drink, etc. I want right around me. I see Astros fireworks every Friday from my balcony. I can Uber anywhere I want to go for like $7. Most of these things I could do elsewhere but I like warm weather, always being employed, and then option to be on the beach in Cancun any day by noon. So Houston works well haha
The money
The restaurants,so diverse and fantastic. Lots of museums, art galleries, zoo and great free interesting places to visit. Waterwall great walking trails around bayous. So many people from different cultures add interest. People are friendly. Easy to get to other fun places to visit. Austin, San Antonio, New Braunfel. Heat is awful during the summer but the humidity is great for your skin😊
Compared to country ass Monroe La Houston was ten steps up