Pros and Cons of Living in Houston
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3/2/2006
I moved from Chicago 23 years ago--right after the oil crash. The hostility, anger, rudeness and just plain cruelty of the Houstonians towards us Yankees left a bitter taste in my mouth for all those years. They were unbelievably mean. Regardless, lived in Bellaire which I LOVED. It is too expensive now for most, I think. Found most there honest--compared to the people in Chicago which has to be the most dog eat dog city in America.
Cost of housing is cheap, not the job opportunities like in Chicago, not much artistic culture. Would I consider going back to that awful heat now? Mixed emotions. Can tolerate the heat, BUT the meanness of the Texans got awfully old and tiring. They smile in your face and stab you in the back at the same time. Prefer the honesty of the Chicagoans, but, on the other hand, feel you will be treated fairer by far by the Houstonians. One other thing, the property tax rate is too much in Houston! Cheap housing and high taxes at 8.25% sales tax and such high, high property taxes. Like I said, I wouldn't rule out going back...but with the new high crime rate since Katrina, well...I would be very careful where I lived. All in all, I think what bothered me the most was the lack of opportunity brought on by the 15 years Houston stood at a standstill (about 1982 until 1997 or so) economically. Things have improved there, I am sure, opportunity-wise.
Tootsie | Chicago, IL