NAVILESRX8

iTrader: (1)

I currently live in Massachusetts...I have lived here for 23 years. I plan on moving to the Houston area in the near future...somewhere in the western part of the city. Why Houston?....I like the city, or being close to the city, usually better jobs in the city, it is near the coast(being a life-long Easct Coaster, I just always want to be near the ocean) and the housing market looks very affordable. I am 25, married with a 4 year-old and 18 month old sons. I want to know some things...how flood prone is it, what is the life like there? How is thew job market like? How are the schools? I plan on getting a house in the $100K-$150K range. What is the car culture like? I know that the property tax is high, but how expensive is everything else? Give all the info you can. I heard stories about the polluted air...some people have said it gets really bad, others say it's not unlike the North East. I like the heat...I guess it's the Puerto Rican in me that loves hot humid heat that is oppressing to most others.....I hate the snow and the depressing death that winter brings to New England.....I want out.....

Anyways thanks in advanced......

DreRX8

I love Houston--born and raised; I've travelled extensively and lived in New Orleans for about 4 1/2 years. Houston is really really big--aesthetically its no San Diego or Miami; but its a relatively clean city. It was recently tied the safest city in america, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...U&refer=europe
It has the lowest cost of living of all major cities in the nation--your dollar goes farther in Texas. The car culture is real big, I'd say its second to Cali in that respect; huge import scene, huge domestic car scene, bling bling, lowriders, trucks. Water sports and hunting are big in southeast Texas as well--you may have deer roaming into your yard. As far as the pollution--its not quite as bad as L.A. (anymore); it is very noticeable in the mid to late summer due to the land fires in Mexico--the particulate matter is blown up our way which hulls out our air. If you move out west be aware that I10 (Katy Freeway) is a mess--our freeway system is top notch--but there are some notorious bottlenecks. I say come on down--people are friendly, there is lots to do, cost of living is low. For it to be the 4th largest city in the nation, you get a down home feel.

NAVILESRX8

iTrader: (1)

Sounds good so far....gonna go visit soon and check it out.

DreRX8

Yeah--Houston is kind of where Atlanta was in the mid 90s in terms of revitalization. Of course there are rough neighborhoods; but I've never felt safer in a city because there is a large police presence--hell after school in New Orleans I'd probably go for a stroll down the streets of Baghdad and feel safe. I like the weather-- July-August are sticky but the rest of the year its nice weather.

guy321

Don't badmouth New Orleans. It's a PERFECTLY safe city.

I even broke down on Martin Luther King blvd and Carrolton once. A nice gentleman said that I needed to get out of there before dark, and he helped me replace my ignition coils, etc.. nothing bad happened.

DreRX8

LOL---Once you've seen people shot and police chase end at your front door--it gives you a different perspective.

guy321

I've seen numerous people shot, and have been shot at/ had guns IN my face.. but I wouldn't consider the city un-safe in general.. That suff happens everywhere!

I was there when that one dude took a full blast in the chest from a shotgun outside Kenny's Key West in metairie..

NAVILESRX8

iTrader: (1)

In the city I currently live in, I have seen some scary stuff.....I don't plan on living in downtown Houston, but in the suburbs....I love the city...I can deal with a lot of stuff.....

DrKillJoY

SouthWest is where it's at... Your best bet is to live inside or near the Loop 610 if you want to avoid traffic and move around Houston with ease. Unless your into the whole suburb thing. Good luck with the traffic though it that is your choice.

Galveston (www.galveston.com) is about 45-75 miles away depending on your location in town. Plenty of things to do down there, but not enough to head down there EVERY weekend. The beach is alright and there are plenty of rental properies down there you can rent for the weekend for 200 -1000 bucks and have a great beach party.

Yes it is. Check out http://har.com/indexc.htm I know several realtors. In fact allmazda (an rx8club member is one too!)

Houston floods OFTEN, however the waters typically go away as quick as they came.

This depends HIGHLY on where you live. I live about 7 blocks from a major bayou and I am not in the flood zone, whereas my neighbors on the next street worry about getting water in their garage after nearly every rainstorm. Look for information about where you are looking to move at http://www.hcfcd.org/

Life is pretty decent here, plenty of great food and good times to be found around town. We have a great rotary car club down here (IMO) and life generally moves at a smooth, leisurely pace. My S.O. is from New York and of all the places she has lived she says that Houston is the most culturally diverse and developed city she has ever seen (with exception of NYC).

Depends on what you do? What are your skills and what are you looking to do?

Schools are ok. If you can afford private do it... or just live in an area that has an "exemplary" school.

that kinda cash should get you a 3-4 bedroom about 1500-2500 sq.ft in a decent/nice area of town.

www.houston-imports.com will give you an idea of what an active scene we have down here. There are tons of car clubs in town as well ( see http://www.chron.com/class/cars/carclubs.html )

Examples of "everything else?"

Just stay away from the east-side of town and you should be fine. The port and all the refineries are over there and tend to smog it up a bit and leave foul odors in the air. By the time the stuff moves to the west-side it usually disappates or moves into the atmosphere.

Then you should love it here. Word of warning there is a crew of PR's here that are into the rotary game and abide by some pretty shady business practices. But that's another story.

amen to that.. snow is nice to visit.. not to live in.

NAVILESRX8

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Dr. Killjoy....well for work I am an assistant parts manager at a Toyota dealer, my wife is a full-time medical administrative assistant, and a part time real estate agent. I plan on putting a ton of money down and having a very small mortgage...so work is kinda flexible...as long as I can afford to live ok, I'll work anywhere. It's sad, but there a re a ton of great PR rotary guys and a bunch with just as much talent but just shoddy business skills...I know, a couple around my area have screwed me over....how expensive are used cars, clothes, food?...etc. Seriuosly everything sounds great...I do have a concern for flooding, but that won't deter me moving there...I will just doublecheck everything and make sure that where I end up isn't in a flood zone. I like the beach, but it's a 3-5 time a year thing for me...I've lived in MA almost all my life and I hate Cape Cod....rocky beaches, dark, cold *** water....they are retarded. People pay huge premiums to live up here..I don't get it. I like the easy going life style. In New England you can't plan anything more than a week in advanced, for fear the weather will change and ruin whatever you had planned. Oh, how much is health care?..I work for a non union dealer, and my health care for my family is $110 a week, plus $15 co-pays on scheduled doctor's visits. Pescription drugs are also $15 a pop.

guy321

100k - 150k??

WOW that's dirt cheap.. Something like that here costs about $280 - $400k in a regular suburban neighborhood.

[QUOTE=DrKillJoY]
that kinda cash should get you a 3-4 bedroom about 1500-2500 sq.ft in a decent/nice area of town.

/[QUOTE]

NAVILESRX8

iTrader: (1)

[QUOTE=guy321]100k - 150k??

WOW that's dirt cheap.. Something like that here costs about $280 - $400k in a regular suburban neighborhood.

[QUOTE=DrKillJoY]
that kinda cash should get you a 3-4 bedroom about 1500-2500 sq.ft in a decent/nice area of town.

/
Exactly why I considered Houston...currently I am living in a 2 bedroom 1000 sq ft home, with no garage, that I purchased in 2003 for $190K...it is now worth $270k

DrKillJoY

My house is in zip code 77074.

Purchased in 1998 for $69k is currently apprasied at $114k

Built in 1954 - 1570 sq ft + a garage converted into a large room - 3 bdrm + 2.5 baths.

DreRX8

Yeah, from an economic standpoint--Houston is the place to be. There are some exemplary schools in HISD--I finished from High School from Health Professions. My experience with flooding is that while it depends where you live--it recedes rapidly. Tropical Storm Allison was like the 100 year flood (I lost my FD in that joker)--I stay right on Braes Bayou and we didn't flood--further down the street they did though. I believe the highest point in Hhouston is 90ft asl or so.

guy321

What are salaries like tho?

NAVILESRX8

iTrader: (1)

They could be half what they are here in New England and I'd still live good...no car payments cheap mortgage....but for my wife it is about the same pay over there as over here.

DrKillJoY

I lost my 89 GTU in Allison it was parked at the Aramco Bldg where I work (610 and Braeswood)

Where do you live near.. I live near Hillcroft and Braeswood?

DrKillJoY

Our household income is about 60-65,000 a year.

We do just fine. (Two people, 3 dogs, some cats)

DrKillJoY

FYI: Here is a comparision from a random cost of living index generator. The list is in this order

Product then price in Boston - then the price in Houston and the Difference between the two.

HOME PRICE $486,700.00 $193,579.00 $293,121.00
PAYMENT+ INTEREST $2,137.21 $822.68 $1,314.53
APT. RENT $1,411.11 $770.45 $640.66
TOTAL ENERGY $201.53 $159.77 $41.76
LIPITOR $123.58 $110.21 $13.37
DOCTOR VISIT $121.60 $78.00 $43.60
OTHER ENERGY $118.62 $41.56 $77.06
DENTIST VISIT $95.00 $64.60 $30.40
OPTOMETRIST $88.80 $72.30 $16.50
PART ELECTRICAL $82.91 $118.21 $35.30
WASHER REPAIR $55.97 $54.54 $1.43
VET. SERVICES $47.60 $39.10 $8.50
BEAUTY SALON $41.00 $35.56 $5.44
WOMENS SLACKS $31.99 $24.36 $7.63
PHONE $29.78 $21.71 $8.07
BOYS JEAN $28.59 $16.18 $12.41
NEWSPAPER $26.67 $14.75 $11.92
MENS SHIRT $24.99 $23.55 $1.44
HAIR CUT $14.60 $12.20 $2.40
BUS FARE $11.00 $9.05 $1.96
MOVIE $9.50 $7.80 $1.70
T-BONE STEAK $9.29 $6.77 $2.52
PIZZA $8.79 $9.01 $0.22
DRY CLEANING $7.95 $6.42 $1.53
WINE $7.59 $5.55 $2.05
BEER $7.15 $7.02 $0.13
IBUPROFEN $5.63 $5.39 $0.24
SAUSAGE $5.34 $2.91 $2.43
POTATOES $5.00 $2.63 $2.38
CASCADE $4.43 $3.38 $1.05
BOWLING $4.33 $3.67 $0.66
CRISCO $3.93 $3.03 $0.91
GROUND BEEF $3.61 $2.38 $1.23
CEREAL $3.59 $2.15 $1.44
TENNIS ***** $3.40 $1.86 $1.54
ORANGE JUICE $3.11 $2.52 $0.60
2-PC CHICKEN $3.10 $2.64 $0.46
PARMESAN CHEESE $2.99 $3.45 $0.46
POTATO CHIPS $2.99 $1.99 $1.00
HAMBURGER SANDWICH $2.88 $2.21 $0.68
HALF GAL. MILK $2.51 $1.81 $0.70
TOOTHPASTE $2.50 $1.66 $0.84
FROZEN MEAL $2.28 $2.04 $0.24
COFFEE $2.24 $2.28 $0.04
DOZ. EGGS $2.11 $0.98 $1.13
PEACHES $2.05 $1.43 $0.62
GASOLINE $1.84 $1.67 $0.16 (currently around $2.35-$2.50)
KLEENEX $1.81 $1.06 $0.75
SUGAR $1.75 $1.38 $0.37
FRIED CHICKEN $1.65 $0.96 $0.69
LETTUCE $1.59 $1.04 $0.55
COKE $1.43 $1.13 $0.30
SHAMPOO $1.37 $0.95 $0.42
MARGARINE $1.21 $0.67 $0.54
BREAD $1.08 $0.79 $0.29
FROZEN CORN $1.07 $0.98 $0.09
TUNA $1.00 $0.61 $0.38
SWEET PEAS $0.97 $0.70 $0.27
BANANAS $0.65 $0.37 $0.28
Mortgage(%) 5.78% 5.48% 0.3

DreRX8

I'm on S. MacGregor--off of 288. 3rd Ward/UH/Texas Medical Center area

BigOLundh

iTrader: (1)

HAHAH... actually that stuff does not happen everywhere. There are bad parts in every city... but New Orleans seems to have more bad parts than other cities.

shelleys_man_06

Houston is a great city. I've lived here all my life. Anywhere else is hell. Hampton, VA: sucks. Williamsburg, VA: sucks. Tampa, FL: sucks. Orlando, FL: sucks. The housing here is pretty cheap compared to living on the Eastern Seaboard. I've seen shitty houses in the woods of Williamsburg that cost $200+. Shelley and I were living in a rat shack for 3 three months on the York River, and we were paying out the ***. Wasn't worth it. Besides, you'll never need snow tires. Ever. Cost of living is pretty good, incomes around here are good like Keith said, there's no state income tax (unfortunately, we have one of the highest sales taxes), it's a great place to raise a family (try living in the Cy-Fair area, which is on the NW side of Houston), and it has a pretty good night scene. Plus, there's food everywhere. You don't become the U.S.'s fattest city for nothing. :p

brngckn

You will not find a strong union presence in TX.

Health care costs depend on where you work. I find that company contributions toward premiums vary widely depending on your industry, salary, company policies, etc. My last job, I paid about $80/month toward medical premium ($25 doc co-pay, drugs $15-$25 per scrip). This job is only $50/month (similar co-pays).

I think salaries in this part of the country are pretty competitive when viewed alongside cost of living.

DreRX8

hahahahaha--"I'm bout that trigga play bruh" are the most memorable words I remember hearing in New Orleans. However, I have a love hate relationship for my adopted 2nd home.

guy321

Thanks I haven't heard the word "bruh" in a while!