Views of a lifelong Houston resident
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6/22/2006
I've read many of the comments about Houston and some of them I found a little bizarre. I've lived in or around Houston for over 40 years and I don't really like it. I intend to move when I retire.
The CONS for living in Houston-
1. The climate. The heat and humidity are horrible from May through September. You can walk outside at 6:00 a.m. and start sweating within 5 minutes. The winters aren't as bad, but when it is cold, it's usually a wet, very windy cold that is miserable. We probably have maybe 30 days out of the whole year that are really nice - humidity below 80% and the temperature not too cold or too hot.
2. The lack of culture. Houston likes to pride itself on it's cultural activities which is pretty funny. I've travelled to many cities that do have culture - Houston doesn't. We have a very small area of town that has museums and theaters. They're nice but can in no way compare to cities like New York, Paris, Rome, London, etc.
3. Too many rednecks and hypocrites. If you like to drive big trucks, SUVs or Hummers, listen to country music and pretend to be Christian then Houston is the place for you. If you're open-minded, tolerant and actually like cultural diversity, then - not so much. It's probably better than other cities in Texas, but not by much.
4. There's nothing to do if you live outside the downtown or near town area. Outside the loop or in the suburbs there is nothing to do but go to the mall or movies. As I said above, there is precious little in the way of cultural activities without having to drive at least 25 miles.
5. Allergies - I don't have them but I know a lot of people that do. It's a bad climate if you have asthma, hay fever, or other allergies.
6. Pollution - we have a lot of chemical plants in the area and they spew out a lot of poison into the air.
7. Houston is an ugly city for the most part. There are a few areas that can be considered pretty, but mostly it's a lot of strip malls, warehouses, ugly neighborhoods and billboards everywhere!
I could list tons more good and bad things, but this is probably enough!
PROS:
1. Traffic - I was mixed on whether traffic is good or bad here, but since I've seen much worse(anyone ever tried driving in Mexico City? That's bad traffic almost 24 hours a day!) I put it as a pro. One poster said if you live on the outskirts you'll have a 2 hour commute - that person must live in Galveston. I live 23 miles from downtown and I make that commute 5 days a week during r
Mary | Houston, TX