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| *Travel Tips>>>Houston Travel Tips |
I'm thinking of taking a job and moving from NJ to Houston, TX. What can I expect? |
Travel Info I would like to know if Houston has the Bible belt mentality. I don鈥檛 expect it to be socially progressive, but would like to know if it can be a dwelling place of an agnostic Jewish Russian immigrant. Also, is there a literary scene? Anything to do besides restaurants or bars? Is the weather less humid if living right by the water? Are people genuinely nice or pretentious/fake/insincere? Any incite would be helpful. Thanks! Travel Tips Yes, Houston does have the Bible belt mentality. No, it is not socially progressive, but they like to think they are. Not much of a literary scene and not much to de besides shopping, restaurants and bars unless you like sitting in traffic and heat. Weather is not any less humid if living right by the water IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO LIVE BY THE WATER. People are extremely pretentious/fake and insincere. I have lived here since 1994 (a forced corporate move) and have hated it since day 1. You need lots of money to live here and lots of coping skills - ie. perscribed or illegal pharmocopia, drinking. It's expensive and there is not much to do once you have seen it, zoo, theater district, museum district, gay district (a real novelty to these people), etc. Every side of town has the same stores, but for fun people go "window shopping" at the Galleria where very few can truly afford to shop. A big thing is "starbucks" if you can get a table from the many high schoolers who just "hang." It's hot, lots and lots of traffic and boring. People think they are intellectual and they aren't. They may go to church but not very many are Christian. The K-12 school system sucks no matter what independent school district you are in. Money is king here, bring plenty of it and your Spanish dictionary too. I would not recommend it one bit. Others Hot and humid. Houston is a big dirty city, the last place in TX that most Texans (like me) want to live because of the weather and humidity. August is brutal. As beaches go, Galveston is gross, but Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, and Padre (90 minute drive) are nice, sort of, for gulf coast beaches. On the plus side, lots of jobs, particulary in oil and gas and health care, top notch medical facilities. Housing is much cheaper than in NJ. Average brick 3/2/2 will run you around 160k or so. Good luck! Houston is the most humid place on earth! I wondered what heinous crime I committed in a previous life to have been sentenced to visit Houston in August. It's actually a pretty city and cosmopolitan enough to have real culture: ballet, symphony, art, opera, etc. You'll do fine there if you take the job. Just remember to smile and howdy-hi with everyone you meet...Southerners always have time to pass the time of day and seldom react positively to the "hurry-up, I've got more important things to do" attitude New Yorkers and New Jerseyites often display. PS: Yes, Southern Baptists rule and you'll encounter quaint customs like not being able to buy alcoholic beverages on Sundays, but you'll also find enough fellow travelers that dealing with the Bible Belt isn't all that onerous. Just treat people with respect and they will return the favor. We're Northern transplants to Charlotte, NC. I asked a similar question in ref. to a different place and someone left this: How were the people in the place you left? (answer) That's how they are here. I.e., to an extent it's what WE anticipate finding, what we look for and our attitude. I've lived in Houston and I think you'll NOT have a problem. There is an very active downtown scene w/museums, shows, arts--all there for the taking. Ahh, the humidity. It's pretty dang humid.. The upside is that if you like to garden? it's AWESOME, you can have a lot of fun/success with that. I don't know about the literary scene--though I suspect there is some, lol. The suburb we lived in had the typical neighborhood book clubs/reading clubs. The inner loop (down by Rice U., Montrose, etcetera) always looked like a lot of fun to us--we didn't live there as we couldn't afford it-you may be in a great financial situation coming from the east coast.....costs will be much lower than what you have there. (I'm sure you've heard that by now.) No state income tax, but many complain about our taxes. You know all about taxes in NJ, I presume. I think you'll like it, but yes...trade-offs. Best of luck, whatever you decide. To quote from a Lyle Lovett song, "that's right, you're not from Texas, but Texas wants you anyway!" :) A whole bunch of filthy illegal alien mexicans running all over while the cops harass Americans and let them do whatever the hell they want. LOL Sounds like you want to make a move and are considering - but not committed to - Houston It might seem like a strange suggestion, but consider New Orleans, 5 hours drive to the east on I-10 from Houston.. New Orleans is one of the world's special places, even after Katrina. It has an ambiance unique in North America and the people here are friendly. All of the things NOLA is famous for (music, food, culture) have returned. People ARE friendly and there is NO Bible Belt mentality - the city is both cosmopolitan and highly tolerant/accepting. There is a lot to do besides restaurants and bars (tourists go to Bourbon Street, locals don't). Hurricane Katrina wrecked much (not all) of the city, but rebuilding is in progress. NOLA will probably (eventually) get a makeover like the European cities that were bombed in WWII. The job market has exploded as businesses resume operations. Housing was a severe problem after Katrina, but much of the metro area has been repaired and there are numerous real estate sites that you can search for houses in the greater NO area. You can buy an historic home for the price of a 1-bedroom condo in LA. The only New Orleans real estate agents I personally know are Jane Hoogerwerf: jfhoog@aol.com or 504-891-6400 and Christine Ferro: 504-888-9900 or cferro@remax.net. You can drink the water, the electricity & phones work, and services like hospitals, schools, shops/malls and police/fire/ems are operating. New Orleans and Houston have about the same climate - meaning both cities virtually define "hot and humid" during the summer. The weather is mild from early November to early May. The Florida beaches are 4 hours away by car. You would be part of the rebuilding & rebirth of a great city. You are welcome to write to me if you would like more info. I live and work in NOLA, but not in real estate, travel/tourism, or anything like that (won't try to sell anything to you). Good luck! |
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