Which city would you rather be in, Phoenix or Houston? i.e which is nicer?

Question

which would u live in

Answer 1

Houston

The weather is nicer in Phoenix, I was raised in the desert and I don't like humidity. Houston has tons of good jobs, but I'm betting Phoenix is no slouch in that category either.

The thing is though, when I was in Phoenix back in the early 90s... There wasn't any "there" "there".

Let me put it this way....when you go to New York, you know you are in New York. Hordes of rude stupid Liberals, tall buildings, Wall Street, more tall buildings, bums, crime, taxis, subways that work, the Statue of Liberty, Coney Island, rents that are outrageious, street vendors... Love it or hate it New York has a "there". There is a smell to New York, everyone... and I mean EVERYONE on the planet knows what a New York accent is like. You wake up in New York, you know where you are.

Miami has a "There", too. Sure it is art deco and south beach, and neon and drugs and flamingos... but if you wake up in Miami you smell the cuban coffee, look out at the amazing ocean and you go "wow, I am in Miami".

All good cities have a "there". Houston has a "there" in spades. Houston is where the South meets the West. Houston is what happens when a rich Texas cowboy oilman marries a beautiful chef from Louisiana. We are a conservative, Libertarian, Christian, hard drinking, Rodeo cowboy, mardi gras place with a seaport and oil refineries tossed in to boot. You get crawfish and Bar-B-Q here, and you can guzzle St. Arnolds (a local micro brew) or Lone Star beer with your chili or your gumbo. Love us or hate us (and plenty of folks do both) we know who we are and you know where you are when you are here.

The best sentence to ever describe Houston is one Sam Donaldson said he heard at the Republican National Convention when they were here. Sam said he heard a lady say "Honey, you best stop drinking now, or you will be hung over at the prayer breakfast tomorrow." Houston is the sort of town where you can be hung over at prayer breakfast and not be a hypocirte. We have a sense of place.

When I was in Phoenix, I felt like I was on a movie set. "Spielbergia" I called it. It was all generic tract homes next to generic national chain stores and national chain resturants. There was nothing I saw there that was unique to Phoenix. Everything and everyone was imported and standarized. You bought the same clothes you did "back home" from the same stores in the same sort of mall, ate the same food as you did back home and it you bought at the same sort of grocery store or the same chain resturant, etc.

Houston has Hispanic neighborhoods, Black neighborhoods, Indian/Pakistani Neighborhoods, Little Siagon, Chinatown, a Japanese neighborhood even. If Phoenix had an ethnic neighborhood (and it probably does have a Hispanic neighborhood somewhere) I never found it.

So Phoenix is nice, but it is also plastic and artificial and totally generic. If there is anything in Phoenix that makes it different and unique...well I never saw it when I was there.

Answer 2

I live in PHX - never been to Houston, but I have been to San Antonio which is gorgeous. I think TX is greener than it is here.
Now for the Chamber of Commerce infomercial ;0)
We are a major metropolitan city with LOTS to do - if you are a college student Tempe is very attractive. Having been born here I can say the weather is the problem. Temps in the winter don't get below 55 in the day & not much below 32 at night. The summer - now that's the crusher. Last week we had record highs in the upper 90's. This summer is going to SUCK! Housing prices are high & the cost of living is average. Jobs in certain fields are readily available - others are scarce. Pay without a degree is low. Today is beautiful - it's rained most of the day!

Answer 3

I live in Phoenix and have only visited Houston. Phoenix is hotter and drier and cost of housing is more as I belive gas is too. But it is a great city with lots to do. There's a good mix of cultures and it is a huge city. If you live on one side of town, it can take an hour to get to the other side! Other than housing, the cost of living is pretty good. I vote for Phoenix.

Answer 4

Yeah... both are "new" cities without a huge amount of culture, in my opinion. However, I think Houston is nicer. More to do... easier to go to the ocean, easier to travel to more interesting places. MUCH better corporate community (in terms of large companies) than Phoenix. ALSO, don't forget about the economic downturn expected for Phoenix.... the growth has been much more explosive there, leading many to believe that it is not sustainable.

Answer 5

Phoenix apparently..everyone I know is moving to Phoenix..

Answer 6

Ouch. Both cities are pretty brutal...high crime, sprawling metropolis, disastrous traffic, and HOT.

If I had to pick one, I'd pick Houston because there are more jobs and better outlying suburbs with nice houses. And more to do. But to each his own...

Answer 7

Phoenix shouldn't even exist. And if it didn't get all of its water piped in, it wouldn't.

Answer 8

Me, I like Phoenix. It is near the desert, near realatives and seems to be growing. And I like the desert south west culture.

Houston to me sounds like "a hole", I don't like most Texans .. and my ugly mean sister lives there. :)

each his own.