Houston Texas?

Question

Tell me everything there is to know about Houston, Texas

Answer 1

MYTH: Houston has no zoning. This is FALSE. Houston has zoning, but it does NOT enforce it to a large degree. Not to worry though - the metropolitan area is mostly built up at this point, so the seedy commercial districts have been roughly defined, and residential suburbs have been clearly defined.

Here's the quick list:
Bad commuter traffic and terrible drivers. the worst drivers I've ever seen, and I've been to every major city in the U.S. red light running is like a competitive sport here, and abrupt lane changes on the freeway, sans turn signal, are very common. just being honest here.
Many beautiful and relatively affordable homes (under 500K) inside the loop.
Growing metro population (5.1 million+)
Diverse population in the metro area - 42% white, 40% hispanic, 12% black, 5% asian, 1% other
Many new homes in affordable neighborhoods with good schools.
High property taxes in many areas
Tons of good private schools.
Lowest cost of living among nation's ten largest cities.
very hot and humid six months of the year.
close to the gulf of mexico (40 miles).
huge international airport is gateway to mexico, central, south america. many cheap flights originate in houston.
strong economy is much more diversified than in the past.
outstanding culture - theater, museums, etc.
excellent sports stadiums.
the annual rodeo - biggest in the world and very fun.
excellent restaurants and clubs.
the city overall is quite safe as long as you use common sense and avoid sketchy areas.
houston is much more cosmopolitan and swanky than most people might think. tons of disposable wealth and high incomes in this town.
the medical center - best in the world. like its own little city.

If you're interested in living in Texas and have a good job offer in Houston, I would highly recommend taking it. just try and live as close as you can to work and minimize your exposure to the freeways during rush hour.

Answer 2

It depends on the lifestyle you're looking for. Chicago is a large cosmopolitan city, Austin is smaller and has more of 'college' feel. It's not quite the 'hippy' town it used to be due to all the businesses that have been relocating to Austin in recent years, but it still has that feel in a lot of respects. Chicago has the theatre/fine arts/ballet, and Austin has a lot of live bands and that sort of thing. I live in Austin and I can tell you it is a great city to live in - it's very pretty, the people are friendly and will take the time to help out strangers. And for the most part it's nice and laid-back. There is not a whole lot of crime, and it's a pretty safe city overall. If you're planning to have kids at some point, Austin would be ideal. The drawbacks are that Austin has long, HOT summers. Sometimes it can reach temperatures of 110++. I will admit that I don't like the hot summers very much. But if you can handle it, I would say Austin is a great choice for you. Chicago winters are also brutally cold from what I hear, so that's something to be aware of too.

Answer 3

Continental Airlines calls it home. It's also home to the Rockets, Astros, and ( unfortunately) the Texans.
Over 100 languages are spoken here; it's a very diverse city.
Very affordable housing
One hour south is the beach; one hour north are the lakes
Over 10,000 restaurants and most of them very good and inexpensive
Beautiful sports stadiums
The Medical Center is known all over the world.
If the pick ups don't run over you, the joggers will.
Beautiful and very large Memorial Park is in the heart of the city and is used by hundreds of people daily
Outstanding fire department ; you don't want to mess with the police
Mild winters; it is not at all unusual to wear shorts on Christmas Day. Summers ( July - September) can be brutal.
Population is nearing 4.8 million.
Mass transit is the Metro bus system and is reliable and inexpensive

Friends, native Texans, moved to NYC four years ago. They like NYC, but they can't wait to come home again. On the flip side, a friend moved here from Michigan 12 years ago. He said it took him about 5 years to totally acclimate. I think the traditions , customs, and that Texas Drawl are often hard for out-of-staters to take at first. Like all big cities, it has its good points and its bad points. Traffic will drive you nuts until you find a short cut. The best bet is to live near your place of employment. Houston is called the Bayou City because it is surrounded by five bayous... and they can be hell if they overflow. I truly like it here... there's always something going on somewhere!!

Answer 4

I love Houston. I am from here. I ve been to almost every big city
I wouldnt trade Houston for none of them, except for San Diego
or Lakewood, NJ.. lol. anyways, Houston like any big city
out there has its good things and bad things. One of the best
things here is the low cost of living. Another thing is Houston
has so many shopping malls and restaurants. Restaurants from
different countries. Its cool. the nite clubs here are awesome. One of the bad things are the traffic and the crime. Traffic is really bad but not as bad as Los Angeles traffic. Its getting there
though.

Answer 5

You're kidding, right?

Here, try this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston%2C_texas

Now try this:

http://www.houstontx.gov/police/

The Wikipedia page has general information. The Houston Police Department site has crime stats.

While some areas do have a fair amount of crime, it is nowhere near as bad as a previous poster said. I like it here. My wife and I live in a nice neighborhood with good schools and plan to raise my kids here. I'm heavily armed. No, I'm not in HISD. Thank God. Just like every city, there is good and there is bad. I'm far outside the loop and there are plenty of old growth tall trees around.

Answer 6

The first word spoken from the moon, "HOUSTON,..."

The only place where a major league baseball game was called on account of rain and the game was "indoors" (the freeways were so flooded no one could get to the game, including players.)

The longest baseball game, 23 innings. (an All Star game in the early 70's)

One of the largest ports in the world, and isn't on the coast!

The top medical center in the WORLD! (if it isn't then explain why all the wealthy come here when they get sick)

Some of the friendliest people in the world unless you're driving in front of them, honking at them, sitting at the red light in front of them, talking on your cell phone while driving on the same street with them, ...you get the picture.

Good food, great music, fantastic art, and a wonderful blend of cultures.

Now the BAD news.

The METRO RAIL! Who puts a trian down the middle of MAIN STREET? Who puts in a GROUND level system in a city known for flooding?

Sorry, I had to vent. Welcome!

Answer 7

well..... houston is a busy busy city, a lot of traffic but also a very cool place to live and have fun, i would like to tell you everything about h-town, but what the point when that one person wrote a whole summary about it, o yeah i will say this just because people think they live in a safe fancy neighborhood does not mean that they are not going to get robbed, they should know that if you have fancy things robbers are going to want fancy things, anyways hope you get the info you need about h-town :o)

Answer 8

Samantha: First, I am going to tell you the bad.
1. No zoning. Therefore, when you buy a house, you may turn around and find that a strip center, apartment, hotel, hirise, or parking garage have been built looking into your backyard.
2. No zoning. Did I mention a section-8 apartment complex down the streeet so that their kids go to school with your kids, despite the $8-12K you pay in property taxes each year?
3. Strip clubs, massage parlors, and huge billboards advertising these businesses all over town.
4. HISD - and its "choice" schools; i.e., kids from the ghetto can choose to go to your nice new school. We even provide the busline to get them there.
5. Vacant lots with weeds and trash.
6. Street gutters with litter.
7. No designated green space. Every single piece of land, no matter how small or irregularly shaped will be crammed with something. My favorite: oil change places. If large trees have to be cut down to make room, so be it!
8. Dirty air
9. Bad, bad traffic
10. Katrina evacuees
11. Understaffed police department
12. Incompetent police department (our assistant chiefs are chosen because of their race).

Let me catch my breath--I'll be back later.

Answer 9

very busy place and lots of crime