What BestPlaces Users Say about Houston
Houston, Texas is a bustling city known for its diverse population, strong economy, and Southern charm. With a metropolitan area of over 7 million people, Houston offers a wide range of opportunities for work, education, and entertainment. However, like any city, it has its own unique set of pros and cons that residents experience on a daily basis. In this context, we will take a look at user reviews from bestplaces.net to gain insight into the experiences of individuals living in Houston.
According to multiple user reviews on bestplaces.net, Houston has a lot to offer for those looking to live in a big city. User "Stuart" says, "Houston is a fantastic place to live and work. It offers a great mix of urban and suburban areas, affordable housing, and a thriving job market." Similarly, user "Jenny" raves about the city's cultural diversity, stating, "Being in Houston has exposed me to different cultures and perspectives that I wouldn't have experienced elsewhere. It's a melting pot of people and I love it." User "Mark" also highlights the city's strong economy, stating, "Houston's job market is diverse and robust, making it a great place to find employment in almost any field." However, not all reviews are glowing. User "Rachel" mentions the city's traffic as a major downside, saying, "The traffic in Houston can be a nightmare. It takes forever to get anywhere during rush hour." Despite this, most reviews overall paint a positive picture of living in Houston, with users praising its amenities, diverse population, and job opportunities.
based on 371 ReviewsGet to know Houston with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Houston
Native Houstonian...an expert on Houston - 12/7/2006
Been here all my life (38 years)...I have seen a drastic change in this town over recent years and NOT for the better. Since Katrina, and I don't care what ANYONE else says, we truly got the raw end of that deal! We have all the rejects and drains on society here now who are only staying until FEMA runs out. Property values and qualtiy of life are down since then. Our crime was already bad, and now it ranks up there with New York City which has about 5 million more people than we do. We are dying to get outta here! Used to be great in the 80's and early 90's but now DO NOT raise your children here. Illegal immigration is out of control too. Better be bi-lingual if you move
Read More
Start Your Review of Houston
not for everyone - 11/23/2006
I have the unique advantage of seeing houston from two point of views I pretty much grew up in or around houston my whole life so I was used to the bad things like, traffic, the attitude of the cut throat houstonians, and the diverse culture is both good and bad. My husband however despised houston but he lived in a small town in texas his whole life, and couldn't see passed all the bad crime and overpopulated streets. There is a lot to do there but you have to be ready for the harsh city life its good for concerts, live sports and culture from music to people. don't move here if you don't like crowds, traffic, or ethnic
Read More
Houston isn't too bad - 11/17/2006
I was raised in Houston for 16 years and have gone back to visit every year for the 5 years since I moved away. My parents still live in the suburbs of NW Houston (between Spring and Cypress), but the area is now very overgrown, run down and city-like. The urban sprawl goes on for miles, the air and smog sticks to you in the summer (ie - March to October), and the cockroaches are large and abundant. The culture in Houston is great, don't get me wrong. There is so much to see and do, great sports teams, and many famous sites to see. Just don't expect to live away from the hustle and bustle that is Houston. The Woodlands is a great suburb, but is now quite crowded and busy. All the trees are wonderful and hide most of the buildings, which is quite pleasant. Traffic on all highways will be bad, but there is always an alternate
Read More
Mixed emotions - 11/17/2006
I have lived in Houston for about 3.5 yrs and I'm ready to leave. I moved here from Hagerstown, MD b/c my girlfried (now fiance) lived here. I don't dislike Houston, but I don't like it either. The good parts are: lots of dining and cultural options, shopping, low cost of living - great place to start for young professionals like myself. The bad parts: hot & HUMID from April through November, crime & illegals, it's flat as a board, traffic is aweful almost all day & night, BIG COCKROACHES! I have met some good friends here, but my time in Houston is limited. We want to move to a smaller city with mountains, less traffic, and clean
Read More
i can not understand - 11/8/2006
SOMEBODY TALKING HOUSTON IS SO BAD THE OTHERS SAYING GOOD WHICH ONE IS TRUE I NEED TRUE INFORMATION ABOUT HOUSTON BECAUSE I AM PLANING TO MOVE HOUSTON WITH MY WIFE AND MY SON.
THANKS A
Read More
UNDERrated Houston - It's a great place - 11/4/2006
Houston is a great place to live. It has some beautiful areas and some not so great, just like all cities. The downtown is undergoing a significant revitalization with fountains, art, closed walking blocks, art galleries, restaurants, parks, lofts/apartments, the metro train and of course, the sports arenas for baseball and basketball. Houston's Memorial Park may be the country's largest urban park, only a few miles from downtown. Heavily wooded and with a gorgeous Arboretum within the park. Inside the 610 loop are upscale, downscale and some rather eclectic/progressive/artsy neighborhoods such as Montrose, MidTown, West University, and the historic Heights. Houston has a symphony, ballet, opera, several playhouses, many museums and lots of cultural venues. It also has a very active arts scene and some of the best live music in the country (blues, jazz, rock, classical). Many of the suburbs are very nice as well. Sugarland, Clear Lake, The Woodlands are especially well done.
Read More
Houston is a pretty nice place. - 11/2/2006
Most areas north of I-10 and west of I-45 are nice. South Houston is pretty bad. Spring is nice if you can afford a little bit higher taxes and it's really close to Houston I-45 and even the woodlands.The schools are very good.Houston ISD,Klein ISD,KatyISD,CyfairISD are really good school districts. The cost of living is really cheap compared to NY, NJ,California,etc.Most people are nice.When standing in a line at store, you can talk to anyone.Traffic and weather are the downsides. It's humid and the streets are crowded.But the traffic is getting better. Mayor Bill White is excellent.Lots of concerts and other events. Lots of restaurants, comedy clubs, night clubs,etc.Especially along Westheimer.I'd say Houston is better than Dallas because it's near Galveston.I have lived here for 16 years.I just now moved to Spring which sits just north of Houston. But I'm just about 15 minutes from IAH
Read More
This City Blows! - 11/1/2006
I have lived here my whole life until a few years I realized how bad this city really is. Everything seems dislocating and people do not like thinking outside the bubble. Downtown is really deserted and while Houston has theatres and such, it is not really surrounded by anything interesting to make you spend a whole day there. There is little to do in Houston.......it's boring as hell here. The clubs/night life is not centered for availability for many Houstonians.
Seems like Houston is for people with families, those who have Texas pride, those with kids, working opportunities ect. But if you want excitement, true entertainment and a vibrant city life, then you can forget it.
It is almost a requirement to have a car if you want to get around since Houston takes up more space than ANY city in America! Everything is so spread out that there is much social isolation in the city and driving around everywhere means more stress due to the traffic and the constant
Read More
Didn't like visiting Houston - 10/28/2006
I visited Houston a year ago and was not that impressed. I had heard so much Hoorah, Hoorah over Houston that I just had to go and experience it for myself. It had the craziest expressways I had ever seen. The traffic was awful. The bugs were huge and all the while I was driving through Houston, they kept hitting and busting on my winshield. The downtown area left much to be desired. There were many low income areas with people sleeping outside on the porch and under the bridge downtown. There were absolutely no zoning laws and because of this the city simply looked tacky. On the upside though, the people seemed extremely down to earth and warm. I stayed in what I thought was a nice hotel and was eaten alive by bedbugs. I made it back to Atlanta and nearly cleaned out the Walmart pharmacy because I had to purchase so much anti itch cremes. In other words, Houston left much to be desired. I would rather pay a little more for a house than live there. Sure you'd be saving on property but
Read More
Didn't like visiting Houston - 10/28/2006
I visited Houston a year ago and was not that impressed. I had heard so much Hoorah, Hoorah over Houston that I just had to go and experience it for myself. It had the craziest expressways I had ever seen. The traffic was awful. The bugs were huge and all the while I was driving through Houston, they kept hitting and busting on my winshield. The downtown area left much to be desired. There were many low income areas with people sleeping outside on the porch and under the bridge downtown. There were absolutely no zoning laws and because of this the city simply looked tacky. On the upside though, the people seemed extremely down to earth and warm. I stayed in what I thought was a nice hotel and was eaten alive by bedbugs. I made it back to Atlanta and nearly cleaned out the Walmart pharmacy because I had to purchase so much anti itch cremes. In other words, Houston left much to be desired. I would rather pay a little more for a house than live there. Sure you'd be saving on property but
Read More