jetsfan Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 I'd say half of the times we shoot through Houston, we make a little jaunt down to Kemah to either pick up or drop off my wife's sister. I-45 scares the heck out of me. A bunch of my friends here in Austin are from Houston and sing its praises as well. I'm sure there are pockets that are pretty sweet. I've been jaded. I am less than 3 miles from Kemah, right on Clear Lake, awesome place to live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 I am less than 3 miles from Kemah, right on Clear Lake, awesome place to live. Right after I lost my job out in California, I was sending out resumes to just about every planning/architecture firm I could find. For one reason or another, I remember sending a ton out to Houston and I even did some research on where I'd live if any of the firms hired me. I was looking at Clear Lake. A doctor buddy of mine lives off Marina Bay Dr. Not sure if that's considered Kemah, League City or Clear Lake. If you ever have foot trouble, let me know. And I believe one of my Austin buddies grew up in Clear Lake. If I ever head out that way solo, I'll ping ya. We may actually head out there in the summer to catch an Astros game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveby Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 +1San Antonio is nice to visit and all, but I certainly wouldn't want to live there. Driveby, where you at in Houston? We need a Houston huddler get together. Lakewood Forest. 249 @ Louetta. Time and place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 That's the thing. It was like 45 and sunny here yesterday. I don't care if it was 30 degrees cooler than what could normally considered to be a "nice" day, but it was really pleasant and fantastic to be out and about in. I washed the car, I went for a drive, I felt like it was summer time for the three hours it was moderately comfy. Sure it's not going to happen again for another month, but it worked and makes the times that it gets like that spectacular with the lakes, the mountains, and the greenery. You don't get that many other places, and part of what gives this area so much of the charm is the fact that nice weather isn't always accessible and pleasant and one particular way. It makes the times that it is an amazing experience. 45 and sunny in Bellingham today. I'm gazing out the office window, finalizing reports and proposals that need to go out on Monday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABearWithFurniture Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Kemah area is nice...was my 2nd choice of where to live in Texas when we moved back. And I've lived in both the Houston and San Antonio areas, as for the 'whole' city wise choice to live in I'd take San Antonio in a heartbeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Wow. Whe I didn't see Denver around 8-9, I figured they weren't on the list. That was very surprising. The town I work in, Louisville (we pronounce all the letters, Kentuckians) has consistently been ranked among the top towns in the country to live in. Considering it was too hot to wear a sweatshirt yesterday in January, I'd say our climate is considerable better than any other place I've lived... but I actually like occasional snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I'm not putting much stock in an AOL poll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I've lived in denver my whole life. I've been to many/most other major cities, and am more than happy to admit that many of them have more history, more uniqueness, more character...I honestly don't have the slightest desire to live anywhere else. I love the weather, I love the mountains being close by, I love the laid-back attitude of the people, I love the size of the city -- big enough to have 4 sports teams and decent enough cultural options, but not so big that going from one end of the city to the other isn't some major excursion. As a frequent Denver visitor (though not for a couple years now), I can't disagree with this. If my company relocated to Denver, I'd be off there like a shot. Beautiful vibrant city with tons to do, very forward looking and a bright future. It's one of the cities Mpls-St Paul compares itself to and we come up on the short end in most things. The only downside from the visitor point of view is the lethal I-25 through the city, which is as bad as the lethal I-94 through Mpls-St Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAYER Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Very obvious New Orleans was not included in this poll, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I'm not surprised Minneapolis did so badly. Although the standard of living in general is high and it's beautiful in summer, a winter lasting half the year with months of vicious sub-zero temps doesn't exactly add to the attraction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Personally, I couldn't live in the bay area. Way too many f'n people and traffic for my taste. And I've never been colder on a 70 degree day than on Fisherman's Warf. There are some very cool things to do, but after visiting thrice, I'm pretty done with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I'm not putting much stock in an AOL poll. it's a survey conducted by pew research. it was reported on aol news and plenty of other places, here take your pick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Personally, I couldn't live in the bay area. Way too many f'n people and traffic for my taste. And I've never been colder on a 70 degree day than on Fisherman's Warf. There are some very cool things to do, but after visiting thrice, I'm pretty done with it. As someone who lived in SoCal for most of his life, and spent a great 2+ years in the Bay Area, I have to object. First of all, the Bay Area is far more than just San Francisco. Now, if SF proper is your cup of tea, well then that's your business. Some people I know LOVE living in "the city". I lived in the north and east Bay areas, and almost bought a condo in the north Bay. Had it not been for a ridiculous firing, I may still be up there. The north and east Bay areas are gorgeous, IMO. Sure, there are a lot of people, but it's far less crazy than LA, at least IMO. You could actually predict traffic, and it was usually flowing one way in the morning and the other in the afternoon/evening. Plus, BART made it easy to get around if you wanted to avoid traffic/driving altogether. We'd go into "the city" only to party (via BART or ferry) or if friends/family were in town. Great part of the country to live in. I miss it tons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 The only downside from the visitor point of view is the lethal I-25 through the city, which is as bad as the lethal I-94 through Mpls-St Paul. Pssh... I was shocked that people consider I-25 "traffic" after coming from the East. I've seen worse traffic on the bridges around NYC at midnight than I-25 at rush hour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Pssh... I was shocked that people consider I-25 "traffic" after coming from the East. I've seen worse traffic on the bridges around NYC at midnight than I-25 at rush hour Same thing with I-35 here in Austin.... one of our two main north-south highways. From 4:15ish until 6ish, it's hellish to say the least. But you can still get from one end of town to the other in about an hour. Do that stretch in LA and it's 2 hours easy. My wife complains about the traffic here and that going downtown or down south (we live in the north part of town) is too far... This is nothing compared to LA. I'll do my best to avoid traffic when possible (like going downtown an hour or so early for our kickball games) but even if it takes me 30 minutes... no biggie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 (edited) Pssh... I was shocked that people consider I-25 "traffic" after coming from the East. I've seen worse traffic on the bridges around NYC at midnight than I-25 at rush hour I was thinking more about the way the road is laid out than the traffic volume. There's one entry ramp to southbound, can't remember exactly where but it's near downtown, that suddenly and inexplicably becomes a hairpin left hand bend. Heck of a trap for the unwary. Aside from that, it resembles I-94 in that it bends all over the place. ETA: And that snow clearance system is pretty funny too. Edited February 1, 2009 by Ursa Majoris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffraff Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 (edited) Seattle @ #3 surprises me....the rain alone would make we want to stick a fork in my eye. From: Philly Philly is wetter than Seattle by 12 inches a year. On average, Philadelphia/Northeast Philadelphia Arpt, PA is wetter than Seattle, WA by 12.0in. Click on the "Average Precip" radio button. Precipitation can include snow. Seattle is higher in November through February (4 months). But you'll notice that Philly is much wetter in March through October (8 months)... the non-snow seasons. Misconceived fact... it doesn't actually rain that much in Seattle. It is overcast a lot though (due to being a valley on water between two major mountain ranges). Luckily you have two eyes to poke out. Edited February 1, 2009 by Riffraff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJoTheWebToedBoy Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 San Francisco by a mile.... I have bounced around all over the world, but I always come back to The City San Diego Seattle Madison, WI (it's been a while, maybe it's changed) and Under the Huh catagory..... Phoenix???? Lived there, and visit it every now and then. Not a Fan, I'll stick with Tucson Sac??? It's been a few years since I have been there, but Really? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I was thinking more about the way the road is laid out than the traffic volume. There's one entry ramp to southbound, can't remember exactly where but it's near downtown, that suddenly and inexplicably becomes a hairpin left hand bend. Ever tried to take an exit off of the Taconic Parkway? It's 65 mph traffic, then 20 feet into a 25 mph turn. Fascinating stuff. I have slid off them into the snow. In Po-town there was a left exit which suddenly made a snap 90 right hand turn to go over the road you were just on. It made no sense whatsoever. I've been in that guard rail before. Plus I remember these interchanges in Hartford where traffic was pouring out of this entrance ramp that had about 100feet before it turned into a very popular exit ramp that everyone was trying to get over to from the highway. This was often coupled with the Left-lane exit a quarter mile down the road that a lot of people would have to slash across 4 lanes to get to. Man... Hartford sucked ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I'm not surprised Minneapolis did so badly. Although the standard of living in general is high and it's beautiful in summer, a winter lasting half the year with months of vicious sub-zero temps doesn't exactly add to the attraction. thats why i love it.. keeps the rednecks in the south, well as least most of them... there are a few that have migrated for better jobs and schools but all we need is a few "real" winters and they will be heading back south. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bring Back Pat!!! Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 West Coast bias, imo. Boston's a great city to live in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 The only downside from the visitor point of view is the lethal I-25 through the city, which is as bad as the lethal I-94 through Mpls-St Paul. it's rough down toward the tech center (south suburbs) at rush hour, and there are a few other bottleneck areas. but really it's not bad at all compared to lots of other major cities. the most unbearable traffic in the state is I-70 coming down from the mountains on a sunday afternoon (summer or winter). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 I have to agree with those who question what use this poll is. "Where would you like to live?" Who are they asking and don't you really have to take into account, "Can you actually live there?" If someone asked me that question, I'd have a few for them before I answered. Not the least of which would be "how much money do I get to make?" Mind you, it's just to inspire the sort of debate it did here, so what the hell. I'm pretty happy where I am in Durham, NC. Mind you, a ton of that has to do with the fact that we can afford a nice lifestyle here and the economy seems pretty resilient. When we moved here, we were simply looking to escape the CA housing situation. My wife was under-employed at the time and, given my line of work, I can go anywhere that is reasonably progressive. We ended up here based on hard data and a very nice visit to check out the "hipness" factor. Mind you, there's certainly some places that I wish we'd checked out first but... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billay Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 (edited) I'm pretty happy where I am in Durham, NC. I sure hope that your home is actually in Durham, detlef. Otherwise that's some serious sacrilege right there. Edited February 2, 2009 by billay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 I sure hope that your home is actually in Durham, detlef. Otherwise that's some serious sacrilege right there. Yes it is. (Restaurant is in Chapel Hill though) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.