Review of Houston, Texas


Do not raise your children here
Star Rating - 1/9/2008
My husband and I are both educated professionals and have lived in Houston for over 15 years, however we want out. The only thing keeping us here is the only posative thing Houston has to offer, great money. There is so much money to be made here but with that, it brings scam artist out of the woodwork. Overall everyone here is so single minded and focused on making alot of money they are self-centered, untrusting and unfriendly. This is by far the city with the meanest uncaring people I have lived in ever! I have lived many places growing up including Europe, so when I compare Houston to other cities I have alot to draw on. Houston would also hold the distingtion of being the largest most boring city with the least amount of things to do! Oh and did I mention other than the fact a large part of Houston has beautiful new construction everywhere, the actual geography is flat (rice fields converted to sub-divisions) and completely unimpressive. To add to this the "great" weather, if you are not so hot and sweating it is raining, no in-between. It actually rained for 52 days straight last summer (2007). And finally in Texas where "they hang them high" the complete judicial system of Harris County is finally under review, from the crime lab (which just claimed a complete overhaul after the previous scam)is again accused of making up evidence and now even the County Proscutor is under investigaqtion, thank God. These people make a living out of ruining many young childrens lives here. The police harrass the teens here unmercifully, however they target the upper middlee class teens, it's also a money scam, just legal. Yet our family lives in a very upscale area, we have had 1 car stolen, 3 car break ins and our home broken into twice, no one was ever caught. So take a little less money somewhere else and don't get caught up here, it is a ugly, lonely exsistence, not a place to live!
Karen | Houston, TX
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9 Replies


I was a small business owner for a decade in Houston suburbs and lived there for 22 boring, isolated years. I have traveled all over the US and Europe, but Houstonians have got to be the most stuck-up, clannish, meanest, and unsociable human beings on the planet. As soon as I left TX for good, everyone around me was suddenly friendly and trusting, which was like breathing fresh air for the 1st time in my life. If you want an intelligent conversation with people who actually appreciate your company and friendship, Texans are definitely not the way to go, mate. Heck they don't even look friendly, more like moody all the time. TX friendly my behind.
James | Houston, TX | Report Abuse

Wow! all this time i thought i was alone ! I completely agree. I moved here 8 years ago and thought the same thing.. everyone is out to "get theirs" no matter who they have to step on or rip off. I am moving out of this town as soon as I can!I have had the same experience with the harassment of kids and fines for crossing their eyes the wrong way .. absolutely a money making scheme, I would say the same ..anyone thinking about moving here because the real estate is reasonable don't do it.. unless you like hot sticky boring rainy untrustworthy locations
anna | Houston, TX | Report Abuse

I have lived in Houston most of my life, but have also lived in other areas of Texas and the United States. I find it unfortunate that your experience here has been so negative; every major city has issues with crime and unfriendly people, but compared to other places in the nation I would happily disagree with your position on Houston. We have over 40 museums, including a world-class fine arts museum, a beautiful zoo, competitive education, and countless parks and festivals. As for the weather, we live in the southern half of the United States; it's going to be hot no matter where you live down here, be it Houston, New Orleans, Tampa, or any other city in the south. Furthermore if you've encountered any unfriendliness, perhaps it is your own attitude toward our city and the people here that has in turn brought negativity upon you. We're all Texans, after all, and we maintain the reputation of being friendly, helpful people. Please go out and experience Houston before you pass such harsh judgement on a place so culturally diverse.
Marissa | Houston, TX | Report Abuse

I love when people lead off with how educated they are, then proceed to misspell numerous words and construct sentences shabbily. Even so, I will admit some of these facts are hard to ignore. Houston is hopelessly flat. However, is is not a desert and is green. You also have trees, but not so many you feel claustrophobic (Atlanta comes to mind). The flat topography gives kids a chance to find some nice open fields to get friends together and play ball games. I've seen places where that was hard to find (again, Atlanta). The heat is true, but you fail to mention the nice winters. My wife left her birthplace of Wisconsin, not too far from Minneapolis, and she won't return there but to visit. We just went there, late fall, and the high was -9 with all kinds of alerts. The wind chill was somewhere around -50 or so. Meanwhile, Houston was close to short sleeve weather. The city is haphazard and disorganized, giving it a less than stellar appearance from freeways. An "anything goes" zoning from the past has left this mess. However, new subdivisions are changing this and slowly this should right itself. As for your "hang 'em high" statement, I detect you are saying this in a negative way. Personally, as long as they are correct in their prosecutions, then I am all for hanging the murderers they find. I like Texas justice and see it as a positive. The scams you mention are true, but they haven't exactly been finding it affecting the results of many cases, if any. To me, your ending rant seems to suggest that you two are two upscale folks who work all the time and let your teens raise themselves. These teens supposedly being ruined and hounded by the evil police are probably yours, getting into trouble while you are out trying to feather your nest. Of course, like so many parents of today, you blame the police rather than your teen and yourselves. Your home was probably burglarized by some of his delinquent friends who know when you are home (rarely) and away. Just a guess. I could be totally wrong, but your attitude seems to suggest a personal run-in with authorities that you deem unfair. Ultimately, I think Houston is a decent place to live, but needs work. I am willing to roll up my sleeves and work to improve it. How about you? If you wish to move to Houston and wait for government or others to come pamper you, look elsewhere. However, if you wish to blend into society and make incremental changes where you can, then come here. There is plenty of recreational things to do, so you won't be bored unless you stick your head in the sand and don't get involved.
Darin | Atlanta, GA | Report Abuse

Great post. You're right, this city is going to the dogs. It's great to have the Mayor talk about how we recycle, but how many "residents" actually do recycle. Let's get real about this. What is the percentage of people in this city that actually care about the amount of garbage that is thrown out, deposited, or somehow let loose in parking lots? Is it ok to deposit dirty diapers, used tires, or just trash any where you think is your personal garbage can?
Margaret | Houston, TX | Report Abuse

"Overall everyone here is so single minded and focused on making alot of money they are self-centered, untrusting and unfriendly." I TOTALLY agree!
C72 | Houston, TX | Report Abuse

Absolutely agree. Crime in Houston is now worse than in New York City. It's all about money and greed. Corrupt government and high taxes.
Dan | Houston, TX | Report Abuse

I have to agree with you. This is a lonely place. Many other people talk about stress and mean people. There are many ways to be mean and not caring is one of them. People here ignore things, pretend to be inside a bubble when the world keeps spinning around. I do not see what is so great about this city.
Heidi | Katy, TX | Report Abuse

If you're bored in Houston, it's your own d&^#*% fault.
William | Houston, TX | Report Abuse
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