Texas anyone??? Live there, visit....

[DMickey28]

Thanks Kathy... that's what I have heard about the coast.

Is corpus christi similar to that as well? We don't have an requirement to where we live.

DFIance works out of the house and will travel for work so it doesn't really matter where we live. I am going back to school online for a masters in ed. and want to teach.

how are teaching jobs in texas?

 

[KathyTX]

Corpus Christi is probably our prettiest beach area. I don't know what living there might be like- I suspect that it's a very "touristy" place to live, but I have no first hand knowledge of that.

Teaching jobs probably vary widely from district to district. I know that there are some great districts in North Texas (Dallas-Ft Worth area), and around Austin.

What do you teach? I'll bet we have some Texas teachers here who can give you some good opinions jobs!

 

[missypie]

I've lived in the Dallas area for 23 years (an 80s transplant from Illinois). I really need someone to show me around Houston because I've been there a number of times on business and I think it is simply one of the ugliest, most unpleasant cities ever. They have no zoning, so a lot of the development is a mishmash. (Becasue of that, many of the neighborhoods have VERY STRONG owners' associations, which you may or may not like.)

The weather is VERY humid, and the streets flood very easily. I'm sure there are nice parts...its just that I've never found one of them. As for Corpus, the last time I was there was to tour an asphalt plant, so you get an idea of the kind of development that's there.

Austin and San Antonio both have great identities with lots of outdoorsy things to do (but no ocean).

I always say that Dallas is a great place to make a living. No physical beauty; on weekends we eat out and shop.

 

[Celluloidgal]

Howdy ya'll !

Native Texan here.

Hmm, lived in San Antonio (3 yrs), Austin (8 yrs), Fort Worth (8 yrs - now)

For a young couple (no kids) I would definately recommend Austin. Lots to do indoors or out. (There is even "Hippie Hollow" if you enjoy REALLY "hanging" outdoors ) There is good shopping/nightlife/movies/boating/music...it offers the best of city & suburbs.

Texas is a whole other country. I love it. I've left before (New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia) but I'm always drawn back.

Warning - the weather here is crazy, but just stick around, in 5 minutes it changes again. Cedar Fever is bad in Austin, so if you have allergies - be warned.

OK, gush will stop now. Carry on with this thread

 

[dennis99ss]

First off, all of the complaints about Houston stem from envy more than anything. The people who complain about the city are simply not good enough to live here

Really though. Houston is a place that you either love or hate, which is what you have seen. Houston is much different than any other city in Texas. Houston is the town that Oil built. It was built by individuals, wildcaters, roughnecks. Nearly every building downtown was built by someone who took a chance, and made a bunch of money. From the Espersons to Bush to Hogg to the major oil companies. Houston continues to have to spirit of these past leaders, in a way which is seen in the fabric of the society here, which is very cosmopolitan, very business friendly, government adverse, and very much "wild west". While there is no more Gilleys, and very few horns on white cadillacs around, there are still cowboy hats, boots, etc. Houston does have no zoning, again a testiment to no govt. control, but, instead of seeing the same thing, over and over, such gives the neighborhoods some differential quality, and, does not restrict land values. Houston embraces newcomers, who have ideas, and allows them to make a go at it.

As opposed to Dallas, which has many glass buildings that look alike. Dallas is a want=a=be midwest city. It is very much a city that has a keep up with the Jones' feel. Very much a credit card city. Dallas the the show is the perfect way to describe the city. Houston, if it was a tv show, would probably be something more akin to a mix between bonanza and lets make a deal.

Austin is a California city in Texas. It his a highly computer driven town, with a University town feel. Its traffic is worse than Houston's due to the lack of planning and road building. It is the liberal town of Texas.

San Antonio is great, although not much industry is located there. It would be a great place to live, but, salaries are likely lower than other places.

If you travel a lot, Houston likely has more direct flights than Dallas, simply because of the large international airline presence, as well as Continental's home base as well as a large Southwest presence. Dallas is American's homebase, but Southwest is limited in where it can fly direct out of Dallas due to the Wright Amendment

Corpus, Austin and San Antonio flights(at least most of them) need to connect through either Dallas or Houston.

The beach is anywhere from 1 to 2 hours from Houston proper. West Houston is coastal prairie land, flat, limited trees, etc. South Houston is down towards Galveston and the Gulf. East Houston is industrial and then moves into the piney woods, and north houston is tree filled, bordering, and into wooded/ nat'lforest areas.

For single or no kid couples, downtown and midtown are popular. I am up north, and am partial to it.

 

[Duchie]

Austin is definitely a cool town for a young couple. It's very laid back and relaxed - you could just consider it a college town if it weren't for that big capitol building in the skyline. There are tons of activities for things to do - boating, skiing, hiking, biking, etc. And once you have kids (no, your mom didn't pressure me to say that ) there is still plenty for them to do. We've been very happy here.

My brother lives in Houston and I've spent some time there. I've been somewhat impressed with the city - lots of plays and traveling shows, museums, aquariums, Six Flags Astro World, pro sports, plenty of places to shop, and so on. I will say that the traffic was surprising - no matter what time you hit the roads, the traffic is awful. And it's very hot and humid (but then again, I grew up in Memphis which is the same way, so it didn't bother me.) Some good friends of ours, also a young couple with no kids, recently moved to Houston and live in Spring. They absolutely love it and are constantly on the go.

Before moving to Houston, my brother lived in Corpus Christi, and I must say that I liked it much better there. It's smaller and there's not the huge cultural environment like there is in Houston. We were never bored there so I know there is lots to do. But it's a beachy, touristy town and it has that feel to it. I'll never forget going to Snoopy's for dinner (I think that was the name of the place) and sitting on the deck eating when we looked out and saw dolphins swimming very close to shore.

Hope this was helpful!

 

[bumcat]

I'm in Katy which is west of Houston. I love it!
Been here all my life and I also can't stand the heat and humidity but everything else is great in my opinion.
Just be careful some areas of Houston is not so good.

 

[Planogirl]

I'm originally from Houston and DH is from Galveston and I think that some people are being a little hard on both of them.

Houston is huge and the weather is very similar to Orlando's which of course isn't everyone's cup of tea. But the people are nice, there are very nice areas and jobs are more easily found in Houston than in other parts of Texas. Dallas is improving in the jobs area but still has a ways to go IMO and Austin is impossible lately.

Houston has good arts and music venues and great restaurants and hotels. The city has new sports facilities and always a lot going on in the way of festivals and other activities. The traffic is BAD but of course the area is heavily populated. My area is awful too frankly.

Galveston is a nice town that attracts the spring breakers way too much and is cursed with a lot of industry surrounding it. A lot of trash and oil wash up from the ships and industry. But there is a nice old downtown area, a lot of great historic homes and a few good hotels and restaurants. There is also Moody Gardens which is a great complex of attractions including a man-made beach and pool area.

If you decide to check out Houston, head into the Clear Lake, Webster, Friendswood, League City and Pearland area. There are good school districts in those areas and plenty of boating and the like on the lakes and other waterways.

You've heard plenty about Dallas and Austin so I won't get into them.

 

[missypie]

Planofirl, it looks like YOU'RE the one who needs to show me around Houston! I've always gone from Hobby to the courthouse, Hobby to a seminar, Hobby to a meeting in an office tower, etc. etc. Ugly, hot, humid, rainy, never a good meal. But the people in our Houston office feel very much superior to those of us in Dallas, so it must have something going for it!

 

[pamlet]

It depends on what type of people you are!!

I grew up in Chicago. My husband is from North Carolina and we lived in Raleigh the first 12 years of our marriage.

We moved to Texas 12 years ago. We LOVE it here. We are about 35 - 40 miles north of San Antonio. My husband works in San Antonio.

If you love BIG cities - hit Houston or Dallas - both have very nice areas and a certain appeal. (We go to Houston for the Space Center and Ikea.. laugh)

But - you can find culture/upscale in San Antonio and Austin as well. Austin is more of a white collar, progressive type town. San Antonio has a lower cost of living, and in my opinion has a more "small town" feel with Big City amenities. It also has a more "ethnic" feel in that the hispanic influence is very strong. It also is having a bit a resurgence industrially - tho' it's still a blue collar town - Toyota is building a big plant on the South Side - so everyone's excited about that!

If I were you I'd do LOTs of research online. When you're young and newly married you have a lot more opportunity to experiment. Once kids come along there is more to think about.

Would your fiance's job have him traveling? If so what exactly would his territory be? That would certainly be a consideration - both Houston and Dallas are big airline hubs. (Houston for Continental, Dallas for American and Delta)

Austin is VERY neat! I enjoy going up there to visit - we fuss about the traffic - but then realize it's all relative.. especially after a drive home to Chicago and have to go through Dallas - or after a visit to Houston.

If you do settle in Texas - remember driving is a BIG deal - especially if you settle a little further out from "town".

 

[DMickey28]

I have been looking in the Houston area... League City, Clear Lake and stuff....

Looks nice. We need to be nearer a airport so that DFiance can travel with a bit of ease...

Is Austin hard to fly in and out of? Looking for ease of travel around Texas, OK, AR and then back home to the Northeast (Providence airport)

 

[dennis99ss]

Re: Houston airports. If travel is going to be on Southwest Airlines, live south , or, anywhere iside loop 610, or near west side. Southwest flies out of Hobby, which is South of Downtown.

If, however, travel is going to be on airlines other than Southwest, you may want to look North, or along the Beltway, as Intercontinental where the other airlines fly in and out of have their gates.

Re: flying from Austin, the airport is a nice, small town airport. It is Southeast of Austin, and actually about 20-30 minutes from downtown Austin. Its placement makes it about as fast to drive Houston to Austin than to fly these days. To fly from Austin on a major carrier, I think you take a smaller jet, and connect in either Houston or Dallas. Southwest has some direct flights, but most outside of Texas likely connect through Houston.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I almost always fly in and out of Austin instead of Dallas now... the airport is tiny, easy to get in and out of, and entrance is free... I can usually get better rates there than out of DFW, too.

Check out the Round Rock area... it's just north of Austin. I have a lot of young couple friends moving there. I think traffic in Austin is just a nightmare, if you have to get anywhere near I35, but supposedly they are working on that... I would rather mess with Houston traffic anyday. Just very poorly planned.

Austin is cool... but its just not for us... but alot of people love it. San Antonio is like another country in itself, lots and lots of hispanic culture there. They have their own holidays =)

I'm a Dallas girl, myself, that's home, so I'm always partial to it. North Dallas suburbs are growing rapidly, up into Denton. If we moved back to the metroplex again, I would seriously consider Ft Worth more than Dallas... I think Ft Worth is a gem that gets overlooked, often. Their downtown/nightlife is much cooler than Dallas, and they have much more personality that many other major cities...

And I would never consider any Tx Beaches worth the drive... ick.

I enjoy visiting the Houston area, and think its gotten a bad wrap on this thread! I would consider living there! I never found it to be much more miserable than any other place... similar to Orlando in heat and humidity. besides, I move from an airconditioned house, to airconditioned car, to airconditioned workplace... rarely have to endure the weather. There are many great suburbs of Houston, too, that would keep you out of downtown anyways.

 

[DMickey28]

Do you think Clear Lake and Kemah and League City are decent outside of Houston?

I just need to water around, don't really go in it much but like to watch it and see it...

It's hard to learn about an area without seeing it, but I need to get it narrowed down to what area to explore and check out apartments on a whirlwind weekend if things work out...

I do this all time. Anytime DFiance gets a lead anywhere!!

Thanks for all help!

 

[J&D]

If you decide on the Houston area, then check out Spring or The Woodlands. They are very close to the airport and are just a short drive to the Lake Conroe area, which is where I live.

http://www.smcwcc.org/

There are always plenty of teaching jobs available in the Houston area.

 

[poohkinandpiglet]

We live in The Woodlands- north of Houston. I love it! It's more family oriented. It's very wooded with lots of bike trails, parks, and ponds. We have a shopping mall, tons of restaurants and quite a few local companies just minutes away. My friends down the street don't have kids and love it here as well.

 

[Planogirl]

Clear Lake is the nicest of those you listed IMO. Do check out Friendswood and Pearland too. If I could live anywhere, I would pick Friendswood. It's a lovely small community, very conveniently located. Pearland is an up and comer and seems to have the most reasonably priced homes in the area nowadays. We used to live in Webster and it was fine for our needs. It was close to Nasa and Kemah/Seabrook was just down the road. The Kemah Boardwalk is interesting.

In the north, The Woodlands is a wonderful community too. I can't stand the freeway that it's on if one has to drive into downtown Houston but if not, it's really located well. There are some lakes to the north with some nice developments such as April Sound on Lake Conroe and the like. Spring is also close and I LOVE (and miss) Old Town Spring. IAH airport is quite convenient to The Woodlands.

 

[vhoffman]

Well, I lived in Houston 13 years, then the economy relocated us. For myself, I actually prefer Houston. True, its a big, industrial city with lost of industrial and refinery areas. However, there are nice areas as well. We lived in Clear Lake and Spring, both upscale bedroom communities. The cost of living is rock bottom cheap for a large city. I didn't care much for the pollution and humidity--its rare to go below 90% humidity in Houston. Just be prepared for big ac bills--ours ran about $300-$400 a month for a 2500 sq ft house. And we were conservative. However, I'm not too fond of Austin. To me, its a small town compared to Houston. I find I often have to go to Houston for medical services, shopping, cultural activities,etc. I really don't see what all the fuss is about Austin. Its often listed as one of the best cities in America in Money and other magazines. However, the cost of living here, while still low compared to national averages, is the highest in Texas. To me, its just a place where my dh has a job. Nothing negative, just nothing to get excited over. To me its just a place.

 

[Celluloidgal]

Originally posted by Aimeedyan
I think Ft Worth is a gem that gets overlooked, often. Their downtown/nightlife is much cooler than Dallas, and they have much more personality that many other major cities...

Why thank you kindly

We really weren't feeling enthralled with moving to "Cowtown" at first, but I've grown to love Fort Worth. Definately more family friendly, so if you and your SO are thinking of kids in the future...

 

[Aristocath]

I don't know what you teach but many school districts in Texas are offering signing bonuses for certain subjects.

I have lived in Texas just about my whole life and am a former Texas History and geography teacher. The major urban areas to consider are Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston. Personally, the humidity in the Houston area is too much for me- my hair frizzes, the mold aggravates my allergies, the list goes on! Also, if you mean ocean when you say water, you don't really get that in Texas. The Gulf of Mexico is not much for beautiful beaches. If you like lakes, there are many areas to choose from.

San Antonio is a great city. Lots to do for a young couple with no kids. Austin would also be a great choice, although the cost of living is much higher in Austin than the FW/D area. Dallas has many young professional couples and lots of nightlife but the housing prices are getting ridiculous. We live in Fort Worth and we would not trade it for anything. Lots of things to do, many affordable housing choices,lots of nearby lakes, a huge cultural district and active downtown area. If we did not have three kids, my husband and I would purchase one of the new condos downtown. If you like older homes, there are lots of great older neighborhoods and if you like new construction, there are lots of new homes being built in the suburbs. Fort Worth has that cowboy reputation but it is not really dominant except in January when the Stock Show happens.

Have fun researching! Cathy