Reviews & Comments
Houston, TX
re: Houston or Chicago??? - 11/30/2014 -
12/12/2014Hi Daniel. Having moved to Houston from Chicago a little over a year ago, I can tell you without any hesitation that it was one of the worst decisions of my life. Without going into the whole novel, my wife got a job in the medical field. There are certainly no shortage of jobs in the medical field, since it is the second largest industry in Houston besides oil. I am currently finishing my thesis via e-mail at Columbia College. I will go through your list to try to give you a good idea of what to expect.
1) The cost of living in Houston is lower than Chicago. It's true. My wife is making about 10% more at her job here than she would in Chicago. That is because her job (pathologist's assistant) is very competitive in the Chicagoland area. There are only eleven schools that offer the program and one of them happens to be in North Chicago, so many graduates struggle to find jobs in the area upon graduation. Cost of food is lower. But you will spend more money on gas because you have to drive everywhere. I fill my tank at least once a week. In Chicago. I took the El everywhere: to school, to see friends, to go to different neighborhoods. But here, you have to drive far distances to see anything. We have two friends that live in the north suburbs of Houston, yet on the map, they live fifty miles away! The distance makes it very difficult to keep in touch with friends.
2) The weather is horribly hot. As a creative person, my mind functions best in the cold. But here, by brain feels like jelly in the heat. You don't want to go outside eight months out of the year because you'll just want to take a nap. The humidity is very bad as well. There have been a couple months where there were so many mosquitoes that they got in everywhere, in our home, in stores, in the library (where I work). They are everywhere. I know it's cold in Chicago, but there are so many beautiful buildings to look at. And the German festival in December is so much nicer than the one here in one of the suburbs of Houston. Everything takes place in various suburbs because people in the area don't actually like to be downtown. If you see it, you'll know why.
3) There is a microcosm of nightlife going on in the Montrose area. There are some nice coffee shops and clubs. But I've struggled to meet friendly people who share common interests. There aren't many artistic/innovative people in Houston, not compared to Chicago or even Austin, TX for that matter. It's easier to run along Lake Shore Drive, or anywhere in Chicago for that matter because there's always something new to see. An unfamiliar shop, cafe, restaurant, new building, flowers. But in Houston, you can't run in many places because there is too much traffic. Drivers are not as friendly towards pedestrians here simply because they are not used to seeing many of them.
4) There are a lot of people from different parts of the world, but many of them haven't melted in American culture enough to understand what is going on. Out of the 2.3 million people in Houston, it is estimated that nearly 400,000 of them are illegal immigrants. Most people from other countries make friends or interact only with people of similar backgrounds. One time, my wife and I were walking around Herman Park, trying to get some fresh air, and for a moment, I felt like I wasn't in the U.S. anymore. Hardly anyone spoke English. It was strange.
5) There is hardly any public transportation. My wife has to commute 40 minutes to get from our home in Pearland (a neighboring suburb--why do we live in the suburbs...that's another novel--and that's when she uses the Beltway (tolls). If not, it would take her an hour. She does work in Houston, just to clarify that.
6) Crime is spread out. There are pockets of good and bad areas throughout Houston. You could go out one mile from a good neighborhood and feel like you're going to get mugged. The lack of people on the streets is really unsettling to me. I miss seeing activity, people bustling on the sidewalks, working in cafes, being busy. There's a pervasive feeling of emptiness that manifests itself not only on the streets of Houston, but also internally. The separation makes it a very lonely place to live.
I would give anything to be living in Chicago again. There are so many beautiful things to see, both in the city and the suburbs. I miss the food as well. Everything tasted so much fresher in Chicago. If you go to a restaurant on Belmont, or North Ave., or Lincoln Park, or many other great areas, you expect the food to be good. If it isn't, the place won't stay in business. Because you have to drive to get everywhere here, you never really know whether a place is good or bad. You can't stumble upon anything. It just doesn't happen.
My wife and I plan to move out of Houston within the next six months. Hopefully to Chicago or Boston (which looks like it has a lot to offer). I know I wrote a lot, but I wouldn't want to see you make a big mistake.
Best of luck to you,
Matt