polksalet Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Ummmmmm, too late!?!? I've never been to DC but I admit to being biased and spoiled in my little piece of heaven. Houston has like 6-8 million people during the business day and the heat and humidity, well. I have no idea how to explain that factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 The private equity firm for which I consult owns some apartment complexes in the area....if you need some temporary housing while you search for your home, PM me, and I'll see if I can get in touch with a relocation specialist that can get you a good deal wile you are hunting for your pad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsfan Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 I appreciate your advice on looking close to the workplace, and as mentioned before, the office is near the airport. My preference would be to be closer to the water, but the wife is leery of the Hurricane thingy and I have heard nothing but good things so far about the four communities I am targeting. My sister, who hates "rednecks" (hence we don't get along well and why I am excited about getting there), says that my kids being half-latino, half-white will be shunned by the general population there according to her "research". As far as I can tell there is a lot of "mixed blood" in the area and the two "groups" get along better in Texas than most other places. Any feedback? I keep hearing Cher's "Halfbreed" song going off in my head We have had Allstate for years and gone through three or four hurricanes with them (I used to live in Norfolk, VA). We had zero damage from Ike. When Isabelle hit Norfolk we lost a lot, everything under 4-6 feet high on the house, garage, my wife's car, etc. Allstate was awesome. If you are really worried get flood insurance, should cost you ~ $250/year in the North of Houston. Furthermore, you'll need Windstorm insurance which is about $1k/year which will cover non-flood damage from Hurricanes. Best advice on a house I can give you is estimate about $3/100 for all taxes combined. If you live in a good school district you will pay for it through property taxes since we do not have a state income tax. If you are ok with a crappy school district (don't know if you homeschool or whatever), your tax rate will be 1/2-1/3 of that. As for diversity, I have seen zero discrimination where I live between white, black, mexican, costa-rican, aruban, etc My neighborhood contains all those ethnicities, and a couple saudies for good measure. The people of Houston are from all over the place because of the oil industry. Maybe I am sheltered and naive, but I do not think you will run into any issues. If you want some hate, you can always hop in the car and drive to Beaumont Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeteebee Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Every state has an anus. Welcome to ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yo mama Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 (edited) Every state has an anus. Welcome to ours. Please. Houston beats out El Paso by a country mile. And the only good thing to come out of Dallas is I-45 South. Edited June 8, 2009 by yo mama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeteebee Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Please. Houston beats out El Paso by a country mile. And the only good thing to come out of Dallas is I-45 South. El Paso would be our stinky armpit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 dallas would obviously be the mouth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yo mama Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 dallas would obviously be the mouth Nah. Dallas would be Texas' big hair and fake boobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeteebee Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Nah. Dallas would be Texas' big hair and fake boobs. I can live with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBoog Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 This thread got good all of a sudden! I guess I have a lot to learn about being a Texan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yo mama Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 (edited) This thread got good all of a sudden! I guess I have a lot to learn about being a Texan! Things you'll need to get used to: - "y'all" - thumb-sized flying cockroaches both inside and outside your house - mosquitoes - off ramps on both the right AND left hand side of the freeway - dry neighborhoods (not just dry counties) - the wonderful reality of available street parking - college football being almost (if not more) important as religion - fat people everywhere (between of the hot weather, good enchiladas, and killer margaritas, people don't seem to get much exercise) - cracked windshields (seems like every jackass with some loose gravel in the bed of his pickup truck knows how to drive exactly right in front of you on the freeway) - big skies and fat rain drops - belt buckles that fold out into picnic tables - humidity (or what I like to call, "learning how to love air conditioning") - the fact that Westheimer street has no known beginning or end - If guys are walking by in assless leather chaps, chances are you've entered the Montrose neighborhood - its perfectly acceptable to shoot a guy in the back as he's stealing your lawn mower. Just make sure you drag the body back onto your property before the cops get there... because they resent it when they have to do that themselves. - a good reputation and a firm handshake goes along way with most Texans - UT and Texas A&M have, and always will be, engaged in a ridiculously homoerotic rivalry - rural Texas is VERRRRRRRRY different than urban Texas. - eventually, you *will* get a cowboy hat. - Houston Aeros games are good old fashioned white trash fun. Don't try to rationalize hockey in Texas; just embrace it - people tend to like their guns more than their pets - If you love the beach, Galveston sucks - when the streets flood (and they will) don't be that guy who tries to drive through the waist high water - and then stalls. If you are going to attempt it then drive hard, straight through: as soon as you let up on the gas the water fills your exhaust and your done. And your car will be water damaged. - Texas is not part of "the South." It's a republic in unto itself. - Texas did not "join" the Union: it annexed America. - In Houston, get used to high car insurance and terrible air quality - two words: fire ants That's all I've got right now. Edited June 9, 2009 by yo mama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Nice list, YM. I've now been here about 2.5 years and have experienced most of those, in one way or another. I love the weather here, personally. Now, Austin doesn't have quite the humidity of Houston, but I really love the change of seasons. Winter's cold and can get icy, but isn't it supposed to? Summer and fall are hot, but I like it that way. I wear shorts and sandals from early March until late October. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigrocks Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I moved with my wife and kids to the Houston area almost 2 years ago from Denver.... I know, I know... why? I get that lot. Anyway, it's been slowly growing on us. It helped that I lived in Houston for a couple of years back in my younger, single days and my wife is originally from here so she has family in the area. There's been alot of good info posted already, but 10 observations from a fairly non-biased perspective: 1 - Its hot. And humid. Duh. Fortunately, the worst is limited to only 3 or 4 months. Unfortunately, we are heading into that period right now. 2 - There are lots of bugs. Mosquitos, fire ants, roaches... You have to deal with them regularly. 3 - Hurricanes and the prospect of hurricanes sucks. We evacuated during Ike, and though our house was spared any significant damage (we live in League City) a lot of surrounding areas were hit hard and are still recovering. Ironically, some homes in our neighborhood had flooding from a storm back in April. Wasn't even a tropical storm, just the mother of all thunderstorms.... about 9 inches of rain in 90 minutes. Our neighbors who didn't evacuate during Ike said this thunderstorm was worse... 4 - People are fat.... but they generally dress nice. 5 - There is very little in the way of outdoor activity unless you have a boat. Though friends, family and neighbors do get together A LOT for cookouts, pool parties, etc. 6 - There are great restaurants all over the city... every type of food you can think of. 7 - Plants, grass, trees grow like crazy. I had a difficult time getting anything to grow in Colorado. It doesn't take much to be a green thumb down here. 8 - Cost of living isn't bad, but not as good as I expected. Insurance and property taxes can eat your lunch if you're not careful. Strangely, gas prices seem as high here as most parts of the country... 9 - Traffic can be bad, but is also fairly predictable. 10 - I don't miss shoveling snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H8tank Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 - If you love the beach, Galveston sucks No it doesn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yo mama Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 No it doesn't. No fair. You photo-shopped the oil tankers out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 No it doesn't. you need to get away more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 you need to get away more H8 frequents the Florida coast... not sure why he'd think Galveston is even a close alternative. Galveston sucks. But yeah, it has sand and water. Good enough, I guess, if you need your beach fix once a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H8tank Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 H8 frequents the Florida coast... not sure why he'd think Galveston is even a close alternative. Galveston sucks. But yeah, it has sand and water. Good enough, I guess, if you need your beach fix once a year. You are close. Beach equals - sand plus water There are beaches around the world, I am lucky enough to have visited a few, most on this hemisphere, a few on the other. They are all beautiful. The reason I linked that pic, is Bolivar peninsular, is the one place I have been, you can drive 25 miles and see no house, no dock, no hotel no nothing. It is really beautiful. Now, is the beach as nice as destin? or sancera? or Isla murada or largo? It's opinion at that point. I love all points where land meets water; be it pond, river, lake, ocean. Houston is lucky, there are many points of entry very nice within 2 hrs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 You are close. Beach equals - sand plus water There are beaches around the world, I am lucky enough to have visited a few, most on this hemisphere, a few on the other. They are all beautiful. The reason I linked that pic, is Bolivar peninsular, is the one place I have been, you can drive 25 miles and see no house, no dock, no hotel no nothing. It is really beautiful. Now, is the beach as nice as destin? or sancera? or Isla murada or largo? It's opinion at that point. I love all points where land meets water; be it pond, river, lake, ocean. Houston is lucky, there are many points of entry very nice within 2 hrs. Fair enough, and chalk me up as one of the ones who is very about what happened to the Bolivar. Spent some time down there and was bummed big time when Ike hit. Galveston is still kind of a scummy beach though. But yeah, in certain circumstances I guess you take what you can get and appreciate it for what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBoog Posted June 10, 2009 Author Share Posted June 10, 2009 Fair enough, and chalk me up as one of the ones who is very about what happened to the Bolivar. Spent some time down there and was bummed big time when Ike hit. Galveston is still kind of a scummy beach though. But yeah, in certain circumstances I guess you take what you can get and appreciate it for what it is. For a long weekend/mini-vacation, is Corpus close enough and nice enough to warrant "beach time". I'm with H8 when it comes to where water meets land. My son and I can stare into a small pond with a couple of bull frogs for hours! He definately has the "biology gene" from his dad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 For a long weekend/mini-vacation, is Corpus close enough and nice enough to warrant "beach time". I'm with H8 when it comes to where water meets land. My son and I can stare into a small pond with a couple of bull frogs for hours! He definately has the "biology gene" from his dad. Yeah it's about a 5 hour drive from north Houston. Not too bad, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeteebee Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 (edited) For a long weekend/mini-vacation, is Corpus close enough and nice enough to warrant "beach time". I'm with H8 when it comes to where water meets land. My son and I can stare into a small pond with a couple of bull frogs for hours! He definately has the "biology gene" from his dad. Port Aransas is your better bet. Other than South Padre, its the best beach in TX. Edit: not including Bolivar, but I haven't been there since Ike and I assume it is still uninhabitable. Edited June 10, 2009 by geeteebee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBoog Posted June 10, 2009 Author Share Posted June 10, 2009 I was stationed in heEL Centro before coming to DC (second tour there). One of my co-workers is from Houston and was stationed in El Centro with the Border Patrol. Though he does say it is "sticky" in Houston, he says there is no comparison to the oppressive and punishing heat of El Centro. 115 degree plus days are not unusual and it "cools off" to a balmy 102 at night. I am not really worried about the heat and plan to try for a house with a pool (at least a community pool). The only other "real" issue that seems to pop up is the traffic, and you all and others I know have given me some good strategies to minimize that issue as much as possible. My personal biggest concern at this point, I think is the flooding. Is it a major concern EVERYWHERE in that city? Also, I know that the wife will stress every time a Hurricane pops up off the coast of Africa . I can see her tarcking everything during the season on her laptop and giving me hourly updates (she suffers from hyper-anxiety disorder and is like Rosanne Rosanna Danna. If it isn't one thing... ) The rest of the stuff seems like the standard, yet varying local issues that one has to adjust to when moving to a new area. I don't look good in assless leather chaps anymore, so that dropped down to the bottom of the list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBoog Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 Well, we ended writing a contract on a house yesterday in Spring, right bumped up to The Woodlands on the East side of I45. About 20-30 min commute from my office. I am having reverse sticker shock. I still keep asking if the house was built on an Indian burial ground or something. Great community with all the fixins, plus gated with a 24-hour uniformed guard. Conroe ISD, a great school system. 3,800 sq feet, 5 BR, 3 car garage and a media room just screaming for a couple of fatheads We have spent the week in Montgomery, right on Lake Conroe. We used a banked week of a time share to stay here and save some cash on the house hunting trip. We both already feel very comfortable with the area. Much more familiar feeling than the ultra plastic, self-entitled environment of DC. Folks are A LOT friendlier here. I have noticed that everyone thinks that I45 is an audition course for NASCAR. Man, that will take some getting used to so I don't piss everyone off (which I have done a few times driving like gandpa with my family in the car). I keep hearing about the traffic, but from what we have seen, even braving a rush hour, it is not any worse than DC, LA or San Diego. Back to DC to pack and will be back here in middle of Aug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Welcome to Texas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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