moving to houston texas in 4 months from San Francisco...?

Question

my boyfriend and i just graduated from college and we know that staying here in the san francisco bay area is not a smart idea. the cost of living is just way too high. so we planned on moving to houston in 4 months. he's really excited about it..but since i was born and raised here in san francisco, i dont know what else to expect. to be honest, im kind of scared. but i know this is a smart move for us. we're planning a trip next month to visit Sugar Land ( i think that is where we will pruchase our house)... but being in the houston area for only 2 days will not do any good for me as far as what to expect. i know there is going to be a few different things here and there... i'm just scared of leaving... and not knwoing what to expect. can someone share with me their likes and dislikes about the houston area... thanks in advance! :)

Answer 1

Houston is a great city with lots of thing to to. The also have wonderful restaurants.

The weather is very humid - more than San Fransisco and hot,

Do your Christmas shopping early because there more cars that parking spots.

Traffic is terrible, but the people are friendly and housing is inexpensive ( compared to other large cities).

I lived there for 30yrs and enjoyed everything but the traffic.

Answer 2

I've lived in houston my whole life. It is something to get used to, I guess. I love Houston because I've lived here for so long I think. Sugar Land is a nicer part of Houston and the people are nice.

Crime is pretty bad in the southwest part of Houston. Ever since we got a lot of Katrina people, there as been a slight spike in crime. It seems to be slowing down now.

Sugar Land is a nice area and is pretty safe. I think it's a great spot for a young couple to live in. When you come to visit Houston, please make sure to come down to the Rice Village. It's the Kirby exit off of 59 South, take a right on Kirby, then a left on University. Once you come to Morningside Drive, park and get out. Walk over the bars and shopping area. To me, Houston gets no better than this. It's a busy place with a lot of nice people. I recently proposed to my fiancee and we plan on living inside the loop (loop 610) right around the Rice Village (it's right next to Rice University). After a few years, if we move, it will be to Austin, Tx. They call that the California of Texas...lots of hippies and whatnot. It's a good little town though.

Just like any other city...there are bad and mean people that cause all the crime. You can't do much about that. Traffic can be very frustrating. The humidity in the summer can be very bad too, I can't deny that at all. Also, the water in Galveston is nothing like Cali. I don't even bother going down to the beach. Houston is a very mixed city, so be prepared for some culture shock if you haven't experienced an extremly diverse city.

But, with all the different cultures brings tons of great places to eat and drink. Hope you like it.

God speed.

Answer 3

Sugarland is a great area! It's not that bad really. San Fran is beautiful and has a much better view, but Houston is a pretty cool city. It is a lot less expensive. I live near Katy Tx. There are a lot of job oppotunities here. And there is a pretty decent night life.You will absolutly hate the traffic. There is a lot of construction going on expecially to the highways which makes getting around pretty hard. You will have to drive everywhere. It's not like you can walk to many places. I hate that. Especially while school is in session traffic starts from 3pm- 7pm mon-fri. A great thing about Houston is that it has everything. There are a lot of business people (mainly oil and gas) So once you get into the Galleria area you will very expensive homes and really nice cars. The Galleria has all the big time stores like Vercase..Chanel ..Tiffanys etc. Sugarland is on the out skirts so it's like a big suburb. Downtown Houston is all business and nightlife. Probably not the best area to reside unless you have a lot of money. Sugarland and Katy have to be the best places to live in Houston. You picked a great spot and you'll get use to it. You'll have most of what you need right there around you.

Answer 4

I suggest renting for 6 months to a year because Houston is alot bigger city then San Francisco. My husband and I are originally from Portland Oregon and moved here a year ago and rented an apartment for 12 months and got to know the city and till we decided where we wanted to buy at. Another thing with Houston compared to San Francisco is you need a car here unlike the bay area that has Bart and the street cars, which I think the public transportation sucks big time here cause I was spoiled in Portland with there good public transportation system just like the bay area has. Now Texans life style is alot slower then the west or east coast and in someways there thought of life and technology is so far behind compared to what me and my husband are use to. Plus you are in for a big surprise with them here not really recycling and driving gas guzzlers they just are not environmentally conscious. But yes the price of living is cheaper then the west or east coast but Houston has the highest homeowners insurance in the nation.

Answer 5

When a person thinks of San Francisco thinks at a giant International Orange-coloured connection, a park spanning more than 1,000 miles or even a city where modern artwork and culture and if you're interested in this town then this is actually the place to begin hotelbye . Among the things for everything you must visit San Francisco is PIER 39. From incredible views and a sea of sea lions to chowder bread servings and California wines, your stop by at San Francisco starts at PIER 39. This place is the absolute most visited destination in San Francisco. It offers two degrees of food, entertainment, shopping and attractions, all surrounded by unbeatable views of the city and the bay. Located along the old San Francisco waterfront, PIER 39's spot supplies the photograph great history for postcard opinions of the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, Alcatraz, Angel Island and the popular town skyline.

Answer 6

We moved here from Fresno CA in Sep. '05. Wow, what a different place. My suggestion would be to get an apartment first, then spend time learning the area. We jumped into a home thinking how great the home $'s were. The MUD tax is killing us! We also had to have space, our 4th baby was due in a month... but I'm assuming you are more flexible.

Take it slow, and yes, these homes are a steal compared to S.F., but it can still add up. Property taxes are high, and I don't care who you talk to, the lack of state tax does not make up for it! ;) Homeowners carry the full burden in this area of taxing.

So, my suggestion stands, move here, rent something till you get your bearings, then decide where you want to be based upon work location, entertainment habits, that kind of thing. Do you like night life? Do you like camping, boating, surfing, shopping, volunteer work, gardening, restoring old homes... Do you want to be outside the city, in a subdivision or have a little land like an acre or two. Land here is a little more than CA, they just get more per acre, I don't know why.

Good luck and welcome fellow Californian!

Answer 7

If you are moving to the Houston Area, Don't move to Sugarland! It's crime rate has really gone up in the last 2 years.

Pearland is just south of Houston (15 min to city center) and it's a great and booming area right now.

I moved here 2.5 years ago from a small town so it was HUGE change for me and my husband. There's always lots to do but everything I need is within a mile from my house.

Don't be scared to try something new. Jump in and just be ready for change. Good luck.

Answer 8

most people would say the bay area.. However the cost of living is much higher there factoring in real estate. You have good schools in the bar area just as you do in Houston.. however the better school districts tend to be the suburban ones vs. inner-city. I would definetly say there's more to do in SF as well as it having a much nicer climate. Another thing that's important the career field you are in. It's no brainer that Houston is high up on the energy and oil services industry and has a good sized medical community.

Answer 9

come at your own risk. One the humidity is a killer here,it is entirely too hot here 2 sports teams are nothing to brag about, yeah they may do good some times but besides the astros' craig biggio and the rockets duo yao and Macgrady who do we really have to cheer for. There are other cities that lots of talent, plus houston teams seem to choke when it matters most. 3 there are not alot of cool places to visit, they tore down six flags, and the aquarium sucks and don't let anybody tell you to check out the alley theater becausemost of their stuff sucks as well. 4 there is always construction going on making it very difficult to get around the city they start building one thing then they have to build streets to get around that then they have to build more stuff to get around that construction and so on and so forth and 5 everyone thinks they are gangstas and big time dope dealers. The truth is everybody is trying to be something they are not here. They see local celebs and how they dress and act and then everyone acts like that and they tell the world "Yeah we hold it down for H-Town, we bang screw and sip syrup, and grind 24/7. We hustle to make ends meet 'cuz we from the ghetto and I ain't never gonna leave 'cuz I love my hood." This is the life of only a fraction of the people who live here, the rest are just fake and would not know what to do if they were put in a real gangsta situation. Most hispanics claim houstone tango blast a prison gang. Some of these guys have never been to a real pen just like county for a few days and then all of a sudden they are hard core gangstas. Also with he addition of the people of New Orleans to the population of the city of Houston crime has increased dramatically. There are some things you won't be able to get information on statistics don't always tell you the whole story. You have houston crips and bloods fighting N.O. bloods and crips. It's an ongoing turf war all over the city most of the Houston gangs have alligned themselves against any an all N.O. gangs weather it be friend or foe. Bloods fighting bloods crips fighting crips. This city is a battle field, Houston versus New Orleans. Some may say that's not true, but in fact since katrina the majority of crimes have been houston against N.O. in one way or another and vice versa. So i wouldn't recommend moving here at all.

Answer 10

I lived in Cleveland Ohio until last July.I moved to a city near Huntsville.I was so glad to move to where I felt safe.No more gangs walking around.No more guns to hear being shot at night and so on.I had to go into Houston last month for a special eye doctor for my son.I thought good,I get to see what Houston looks like.I was so excited to be going to Houston.Got off of the interstate to drive through their downtown area and I could of sworn I was back in Cleveland Ohio except these people in downtown Houston did look poorer then Cleveland Ohio people and you could see crime and diease written all over alot of their faces.I locked the van doors.Houston is not what it is all cut up to be.