What is there to do in Sugar Land, Texas besides shop and eat?

Question

Hi,
I am trying to decide whether or not I want to move to Sugar Land, TX or Austin. I found a job teaching Spanish in Sugar Land that pays very very well. However, it seems like there is nothing to do there and the surrounding areas look kinda ugly. Austin looks pretty but the pay is about $4000 to $5000 less a year!
Is there anything to do in Sugar Land besides shop and eat? Because if not then I might have to take the pay cut and move to Austin where there is actually stuff to do! (lots of outdoor activities and culture)

Answer 1

Sugarland itself is often considered a bedroom community for Houston, Texas. Because it is more mature than most bedroom communities, it has more greenery and trees. Parts of it are very pretty (though everything in this part of Texas is flat.) Most people I know live in newer Sugarland developments or master planned communities. There's a great golf course and Oyster Creek park is relatively nice. But to me, Sugarland's mostly for families who hang out at home. It's also mostly white (last demographics said it was 66% white, next was Asian.) Upscale. Relatively low crime rate for the area.

IMO it's main appeal is it's proximity to Houston and all that Houston has to offer. Which is a fair amount. I've lived in Houston for 30 years (boy, is that scary to think about) and it's really grown. 8 nationally recognized art organizations. Lots of regentrification. etc etc Outstanding downtown entertainment area and new townhouses. Houston itself is extremely diverse, but has more Hispanic and Black population than anything else, based on demographics. I read there are over 96 languages spoken in Houston. Of course Houston is HUGE so it's unlikely you'll run into all that diversity on a daily basis. It's also easy to travel from here to other places.

Keep in mind you don't have to LIVE in Sugarland to work in Sugarland. I live in a nice part of Houston and it's only 20 minutes from Sugarland. If you lived in an adjacent part of Houston you could easily commute, especially since you would be going the opposite direction of most people during rush hour.

As for Austin, last year I spent an extended "vacation" there exploring to see if I would want to move there. I checked out housing and schools and neighborhoods and the city in general. Austin is a WONDEFUL place for those who love the outdoors and nature. It's not a "hippie" place (though certainly you can find that there, as you can in Houston). But if you like to hike, camp, kayak, boat, fish, bike, or generally hang out in beautiful parks and natureland -- this is a GREAT place. It's absolutely beautiful. And not flat! It's located in the Hill Country of Texas, which is considered the jewel of our state. Austin is also very family oriented (there's more for kids to do there in the summer than in Houston) but its partly because of all the outdoor things it has to offer. Houston has some of that but it's more of a drive to get to. Additionally, Austin's also considered the music capital of the area. There are LOTS of local bands and lots of great concert tours make it through here (sometimes skipping Houston.) It has a high percentage of people with upper educations, if that appeals to you. (The effect of the colleges and being our state capital.)

The downside is that some many people have recently migrated to Austin (mostly from California, bringing the huge profits they made on their overpriced real estate to plunk down on building McMansions.) Growth rate has been almost 10%, I read. The major growth and it's effect was a big political issue in the news when I was there last summer. So the cost of living has gone up and the price of housing in the main part of town -- the prettiest -- has skyrocketed. Not that you can't still find apartments to rent. It is still a college town so that has to be available, but it's pricier than Houston if you live close into town. It is also now more crowded on the roads than it used to be. I would only have been able to afford a house in one of the new bedroom communities that have shot up outside of Austin. And they were not really pretty or close in. In fact, they looked just like Houston's bedroom communities (few trees, lotsa homes) so I figured I might as well stay where I am. But if you like nature and can find a good apartment inside Austin itself, it's a great place.

And if you are young and single, both the Houston area or Austin will work for you in terms of night life but Austin is smaller so you won't have to travel so far to get to the night life!

I love Houston. I must, I've not moved. But I must say, if I was single and young and liked pretty outdoor areas, I would move to Austin. Find a little apartment close into a pretty part of town while the housing is still fairly reasonable. And enjoy the Hill Country and all it's festivals. ANd I could visit Houston on the weekends.

Hope that was more helpful than confusing.

Answer 2

Sugar Land Town Square is the heart of entertainment district in Sugar Land and Fort Bend County. It has several chain restaurants, sidewalk cafes, shopping venues, a Marriott Hotel and conference center, mid-rise offices and homes, a public plaza, and the Sugar Land City Hall. Festival and important events take place in the plaza. Just outside of the Sugar Land Town Square district is First Colony Mall.

The new city hall and public plaza, a cornerstone of Sugar Land Town Square, received the "Best Community Impact" award from the Houston Business Journal at the fifth annual Landmark Awards ceremony.

Sugar Land is home to the practice sites of the Houston Aeros and Houston Comets. Located just outside of the Sugar Land Town Square is the Sugar Land Ice and Sports Center (formerly Sugar Land Aerodrome), home of the Houston Aeros practice facility. It is also open to the public as an ice skating facility.

Answer 3

The Houston area has a lot more culture than Austin.
There are plenty of outdoor activities and parks in the Sugarland area and Houston. Take the good money and good living in Sugarland. You won't be disappointed once you find out all the stuff there is to do in the Houston area. Austin doesn't have much culture. It's a huge liberal town with a bunch of hippies playing frisbee.
It's more for college kids to play and party. After that it sucks for adults.

Answer 4

Austin is a nice town, but if you want a better variety of "stuff" to do then live in Sugar Land and enjoy all that Houston has to offer. There are plenty of jogging and bike trails. Sugar Land is very close to the Brazos Bend State Park where you can camp, go to the observatory, or walk or ride bikes for the day. You can be at the beach in one hour, or 30 minutes to the museum district. Take in an off Broadway play, see the symphony, or ballet. The fall season is loaded with festivals and fairs in every city and surrounding county. The rodeo begins late Feb./early March. You will always be able to find a variety of things to do in and around the Sugar Land area, plus it is currently rated nationwide as one of the best cities to live in in the U.S.

Answer 5

Personally I would go to Austin, because I have lived in Houston and will not return. However, Austin and Houston are very close together, So perhaps you should take the job in Sugarland, and see if you like it in Houston. If you donot like it the move from houston to Austin is a relativel easy move.

Some advice for living in Houston: Live as close to where you work as possible. Commuting is something that definantly burns people out of Houston. (2 hours everyday, no thank you, thats what I used to do) Take weekend trips - to Austin or San Antonio, or outside the city.... hopefully that will help relief the ugly flatness that is Houston.. Avoid the bad parts of town... you will hear about them learna bout them for yourself, but their are places I would avoid, and certainly avoid at night.

Good luck with your move and career.!

Answer 6

I knew a relative who was very pleased w/Austin. He was definitely not a "hippie"(a different answer refered to this), but a professional recently out of higher level studies.... he left for a better job offer... But he was impressed with clean nice areas to visit,walk,dine, there and the number of people/neighborhoods that were perhaps more sophisticated and educated .Not to say you couldn't find that in Houston as well, but just relaying what he liked about Austin. The other answerer indicated it was not so much for adults, but perhaps just different types of adults. Houston to me seems overly congested -fast drivers-and dirty-even the suburb you are talking about- but I know that's not the whole place....they have some good big city stuff like museums etc. I personally enjoyed the vast Childrens Museum with a relative's kid.
There are numerous places to go I suppose but can you manage the traffic/time commitment to get there? I understand from relatives there commutes can be your downfall, so yes check it out! You may have to use a tollway to make it tolerable, and its gonna cost you! Theclimate is abit worse in humidity than Austim I understand, Houston being "built on a swamp" I understand. I'm not as familiar with living in a city that busy and congested so maybe it will be fine for you.

Answer 7

Hey I'm here for the first time. I came across this question and I find the answers truly helpful. I'm hoping to offer something back to the community and help others too.

Answer 8

Well, there must be a reason they call it Sugarland Texas. Heh...maybe not.

Ummm, hmm... why not take a little vacation there first, before you put down you roots?

Answer 9

I love sugar land. has alot to offer.

Answer 10

I was curious about this as well