I'm graduating in August and have a job offer from a company in Houston. I was there for an interview but saw nothing of the town. I know it's big, hot, humid, and can have nasty traffic problems. What are the people, town, night life, and women like?

Any opinion and info would help,
Thanks

So you are thinking of coming down to H-town?  Well first of all where would you moving from?  Houston is a good town.  Yeah traffic during rush hour is a pain at times but you learn how to get around it.  I will say that most of the driver's in this city are idiots but I'm sure they think the same of me!!!  Other than that for the most part everybody is friendly to an extent.  I moved here from a small country town and was in culture shock when I got here.  I never saw such a culture mix of people in one place.  I mean where I lived there was the white part of town and on the outskirts was the black and hispanic part of town.  I'M NOT A RACIST I'M JUST EXPLAINING THE DIFFERENCES IN CITIES FROM WHERE I GREW UP AND FROM WHEN I MOVED TO HOUSTON.  The town itself is a very good town...there is lots to do.  The night life, depending on what you want to do, is great.  If you are looking to go out and party then just come to what we call the richmond strip on the west side of townl.  But be careful because that's were I patrol and I have no slack for dwi's!!!  The women are all over the place.  Granted alot of them are psychotic, money grubbing, or trash.  But you have those everywhere.  There are tons of good women to be found(from what I've been told).  You won't regeret coming here.  BTW, what kind of job are you looking to get?

Also, if you have a bunch of really cool firearms then I'd be more than happy to show you good ranges as long as I get to shoot all your guns and you clean them!!! [:D][:D][:D]

I'll becoming from ames Iowa. I'll be getting a job with one of the energy companies. And yes I will be looking for places to shoot a safe full of guns.

Traffic IS nasty, even at 0300 hrs.  I'm originally from Houston, and I will probably never live there again.  There are lots of things to see and do, lots of good places to eat, close to the beach, close to casinos, most of the women are from Texas('nuff said), and the opportunities for someone just starting out are great.  But, it has the same problems that major cities have.  If you like small-town life, you'll hate it.  If the offer is good, jump on it.  HTH

Gotta leave a ditto on the traffic thing. I have driven through Houston like five times in the last ten years and every single time the traffic is horrible. The interstate seems to have been designed by some sadistic genius to torment drivers who are unfamiliar with the area: no matter what lane you get in, it WILL end and soon.  Get in the left lane? It turns off. Get in the right lane? It turns off. Get in the center lane? The road splits.
The drivers didn't seem that bad, at least not compared to the ones in El Paso...

Yeah, but Austin is getting pretty pathetic as well on the traffic thing.  Takes 45 minutes to drive 10 miles at 7:30 in the morning, sad...

Anyway back to the topic, Houston is not a bad place, lots to do, easy to find a place ( house, apt, condo, etc.. ), you are about 2 hours from louisiana ( gambling, etc ), 7 hours from new orleans, 2 hours from Austin, 2 hours from san antonio.  Not a bad place to live.

Yeah, Austin traffic is worse right now.  Actually traffic isn't all that bad if you do not have to cruise by the galleria or out I10 towards Katy.  Just live close to where you work.

Ditto on lots to do and good looking women.  Lots of different food and activities.  Everything you'd expect in a major city.

Which energy company?  I got one shooting buddy at Relaint and one at Enron.

Make sure your car has A/C  [:)]

You haven't seen traffic till you've been on the 405fwy in SoCal around 5pm

Sorry just had to pipe in. Everyone I've talked to in TX bitches about traffic. I have not seen traffic yet that compares to SoCal.

Anycase back to your local programming [:D] Maybe Gemeinschaft will pop in this thread and give us the scoop.

ee,

Been in Housotn for over 25 years.  JADAMS siad it pretty well.  Lots to do.  Lots of women.  Beaches, lakes and rivers within an hour and a half, very low housing costs and good employment opportunites.

Now the down side: Houston is not a pretty city.  About half the population has trash throwing as a hobby.  There is no zoning in Houston (BIG mistake), which means that you can live in a super neighborhood and have a slum right next to you.  If you're going to buy a home, and you should because of the low prices, you better get one in a neighborhood that has a good set of deed restrictions.  You'll be sorry if you don't.  Also, there are [b]LOTS/[/b] of illegal immigrants here and a very diverse population to boot.  This does cause some problems for some people some of the time.  Take this into consideration.

If I had to sum up my biggest complaint about Houston it would be that I am disgusted that so many Hispanic immigrants come here (legally and illegally) and just trash the place.  That is not a racist statement but rather an observation from one who has been here a while.  I realize that they come here seeking better opportunities but they make little to no attempt to "integrate" into US culture.  The areas of town where they have high populations are just filthy.  I have met numerous times with some of their "civic leaders" and some of the local business owners and when it comes  down to the wire they have no problem telling me that "the Hispanics aroud here just don't care what the area looks like, in Mexico it looks worse." - This is coming FROM a Hispanic "leader".

Off my soapbox for now.

It's still a lively place to get started with lots to do.  [b]Choose where you live wisely and you'll like it here.[/b]  I'd be happy to point you to the right areas of town should you decide to move here.

Oh, another thing - man, there are lots of shooters in Houston!

CMOS

CMOS

What are the good areas outside of Houston to live in? I saw some beautiful houses on the net. they were in sugarland and katy. Are thoses areas good? Where would you go to buy a nice house? How are the wages in Houston? Does the hispanic population take all the trade jobs? Do the people of Houston prefer to hire americans for services to their homes? ie painting,carpentry,pool maintenance?

My wife's brother and sister-in-law just recently moved from Pearland to take jobs in Singapore.  Pearland was a really neat community, nice affordable housing, and was pretty close to downtown.  We spent a week down there last summer and I took my wife's brother to work every day.  We went in on 288, and I didn't think the traffic was a problem at all.  Granted, traffic around the Galleria is always mean, but 288 into downtown was a piece of cake.  I thought it was much better than I-35 into KC during rush hour.

There were a ton of neat things to do in Houston.  Galveston and the gulf are just a short 45 mile drive down the road too.  When you add the Astros, Rockets, and new Texans into that, it is just plain awesome.

We seriously considered the move to Houston, as they had a really top-notch surgery residency that I was interested in.  We elected to stay in Wichita for residency.  However, I am planning to look really hard at moving down there in five years when I start practice.

There are aome very nice communities around Houston.  Before the military I grew up in The Woodlands, a very nice community about 30 minutes north of downtown.  My only complaint is like most nice suburban areas in large metropolitan areas it is slowly being surrounded by the city, and the amount of new development is incredible.  Every time I visit home I am amazed how quickly it is growing.  Having said that I have spent the last 7 years in places most consider paradise, Key West and Hawaii, and I can't wait to get back to Texas.
No offense to any residents of Memphis, but Elvis is dead and so is this town.

I'm in Madison, WI now but I grew up in Houston.  I graduated HS in '96.  Actually, I grew up in Clear Lake, which is a south suburb just 2 miles from the Johnson Space Center.  The range I went to was 7 miles south of me.  It was a public range, you just pay depending on the number of guns you have.  They ranges from 15-300 yards if I remember correctly.  Yes, most labor is done by Mexican-Hispanic immigrants, but they do good labor I have nothing to complain about.  Clear Lake is a pretty nice place to live.  Homes range from 60-800k.  The Seabrook Marina is a few miles away and the Galveston Beach is only an hour south.  Ellington AFB is their too so if you want to join the Air Guard..  Only problem is if you want to go to downtown or the Galleria area, I-45 seems to always be under construction in that area.

I just realized I didn't answer any of your questions.  As in any large city, you'll find a niche you'll like.  People do speak a little different down there, in terms of accents and drawls.  As stated by other people, it's pretty diverse.  You have minorities in all social categories, most minorities are Hispanic, Black, and Vietnamese I believe.  The women are hot. hot, hot!!  And they wear shorts all year long, well almost all year.  There are clubs near the Richmond area, it's where all the concerts are usually.  The Marina in Seabrook to take dates, Galveston has a beach to scope more women.  Mardi Gras is kinda disappointing, but New Orleans is 6 hours away.  What do you like to do, like any major city there's almost everything (except snow stuff).  

I spend a good deal of my time in Houston.  My sister lives there and so does my niece and her husband.  They actually live in Sugarland, which is a suburb just outside Houston.

The restaurants are extremely good.  The Brennans in Houston is every bit as good as the one in New Orleans and that's saying a lot!

Plenty of stuff for the kids to do.  Try to go to one of the suburbs to live, either Sugarland or The Woodlands, just north of Houston.

Two things make Houston an 'interesting' city:

1. No zoning laws at all.  Economics and simple good sense have pretty much kept any problems with that in check.

2. Houston has more automobile accidents than ANY OTHER CITY IN THE WORLD!  More than L.A., more than Rome, more than anywhere! So watch yo' butt!

Eric The Hun

Yup, that pretty much sums Houston up. So much so that I passed up an $80K bonus to transfer there. And I stayed in the Galleria section. Be sure to check out the nightlife down around Milby Street.

Thanks for the info guys! Sounds like I should look for a place in the northern part of town.

Are there parts I should steer clear of?
For example: sections of town, roadways, bars...etc.

Maybe, if I take this job, some of us can get together and go shooting.

Thanks again for the info  

The others said it pretty well.  I am in the Sugar Land area.  One thing that I have found over the years is that some people like the north side, some the south and some the west, and most pretty much stay away from the east.  Where ever people live and you ask them "why do you like the Woodlands" or where ever, there seems to be on real reason, they "just like it"  Same goes for me, I just really like the Sugar Land area.  I think that you will probalby have to move here and live here a while, and you will end up liking some area also.
BTW, I work for one of the energy companies too, Reliant, who are you coming here for?
Eric, if you come this was often, maybe we can hook up sometime.

CHZ

CHZ
The offer came from Dynegy. What do you think of the company?

Specifically I do not know alot of detail about them.  I do have a friend that works there in a management capacity in the I.T. department.  I do know they are one of the big players in the area, haven't been here too long, they just came in the past couple of years due to this power deregulation thing if I am correct.  The other big ones are Reliant, the home company of this area, Dynegy and Enron.  I have even sent them my resume, trying to change careers.
Best of luck to you.  If you end up here, I think that you will like it, possibly after a minor adjustment period.

CHZ

 FIRE ANTS FIRE ANTS FIRE ANTS MOSQIUTOES MOSQITOES MOSQUITOES. Good company to work for,but you will run you ac from March til november.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

How are the electric bills. Say on a 2000 sq foot house. How much a month? Has anyone had there house painted lately? And if so how much did you pay?

Lougotzz,  Energy bills on my house approx 2300 sq feet range from low of 50 to high of 300 in summer.  Older house and am replacing windows and adding insulation so hopefully cheaper this summer.

Just had paint job.  $1600.  House is mostly brick but lots of trim, needed some wood replaced.  Blasted, sanded, chaulked, primed and painted.  

Hope this helps.  

eeshooter,

I moved to Houston in 1988.  Realyy my family and I moved to The Woodlands.  If you come to town and would like to visit about North Houston or North Harris county, look me up.  Once I got here i am not leaving.

My family and I now live just north of The Woodlands.  I bought 5.5 acres and we built a home on it.

When you come to Houston you have to understand that it is spread out over many miles.  Did you know that the rainfall from the east side to the west side of the Houston Metroplex decreases by 15 inches/year?

We don't think anything about traveling 10-15 miles for lunch.

It will depend on where your work place will be.  If it will be in downtown Houston, you will have to deal with traffic.  If you are on the outskirts, there are always alternate routes that may take you out of the traffic.

I like Houston.  I like the culture and the diversity.  We do not have seasons.  It is cool, hot and hotter.  All of downtown Houston has a tunnel system that connects the buildings.  There are shops and eating places in these tunnels.

Houston is where Western meets the world.

Keep us abreast of whats going on.  Any questions, we will answer to the best of our ability.

Good Luck!!

ChaZ - I always try at least make the Astro Hall Gun Shows, but not the Astro Arena or George Brown Shows.  I've got buddies who go to George Brown Shows, but I was never that impressed.

I buzz you next time I'm heading that way!

Eric The Hun

Hey Eric, watch your ChaZ and Chazz's[:)]
ChaZ is in OR I think.
Chazz is in Sugar Land.
I usually do not do the George Brown shows either.  I have done the Arena and Hall shows.  I will probalby do the June 2-3 show, I think it is in the Arena.

CHZ

I've been here for 12 years and like every thing except the weather and the traffic.  To remedy that I live very close to work, church and the places I like to go.  Nothing much I can do about the weather except to keep the AC running.

I like it becasue the people in general have been very nice.  It doesn't take long to get to the country.  It's pretty gun friendly.  It's big enough to have all the emenities one needs.

In terms of places not to go:  That's hard for me because I feel comfortable in most places, maybe its because I thing that I'd pretty tough ;D

I live near downtown a block off of Memorial Drive and don't have to drive in traffic much.

The People: All walks of life, and very "multicultural"

The Town: Air pollution is the worst problem.  Traffic CAN be bad, but affordable housing can usually be located near work, or where you don't have to fight TOO much traffic.  Most of the people who have responded to this thread live in the EXURBS, of course they hate the traffic.  Like someone else said, you can arrange your life so you live/work/play in close proximity.

Someone else mentioned the lack of zoning.  It's true Houston doens't have zoning, but look at it from the perspective of Property Rights.  You bought it, you can do what you want with it.  I can't abide people who only choose do defend "one" right.  He also mentioned find good deed restrictions, well, some neigborhood association just evicted an 85 year old widow from her paid in full $150,000 house over an $800 association fee, turned around and sold her house at auction, and tried to buy it for $500.  Anyway, I digress.

The cost of living is very reasonable for a city this size.  We've got every amenity you could ask for.  Wages are good.  Lot's of shooters.

The Women: I grew up in San Antonio, and always LOVED to visit Houston, the woman were always better.

The Nightlife:  Not as good as it should be for a city this size, but we do alright.

She is a washed up old pornstar who holds the record for the largest gangbang. (650)

luuku, you beat me to the punch.
I would not want to clean up after she was done
Blech!

Lougotzz,

There are several areas, or clusters really, that are good places to live.  NW and West are pretty good.  Stay clear of East, SE and South (IMO).

The Hispanic population is primarily well intrenched in the blue collar segment so they really do "take" many of the trade jobs.  Some of that is because there just aren't many caucasian trade businesses (in comparrison to the Hispanic numbers).  I think many people would hire a caucasian contractor over a Hispanic.  I would, partially due to the language barrier and partially becauce of what I stated in my previous post on this thread (see above).

There is plenty of opportunity for trade jobs here provided you set yourself apart from the "crowd" by means of being a good businessman - quality service, being polite, follow-ups and just as importantly, targeting the right customer groups ($$).  The Hispanics cater to people who want the cheapest work - not necessairly the best quality.  There's a niche there for businesses who want to provide good quality, good manners in business dealings and those interested in developing a good repor with their client base in general.

CMOS

Lougotzz,  50's style ranch house.  2 and 3 people parts of 4 days.

I would recommend you come down and look around.  Southwest Airlines is cheap and plenty of flights.  Ditto on the pockets of town to live/work and areas to avoid.  Housing pretty cheap compared to other areas of country.  I live SW of downtown and less than 1/4 mile from me are horses.  No zoning is strange.

Good luck in your decision.  I don't think you could go wrong moving.

guys,

I really want to come down and take a look. I want my wife to see it also. I have been a house painter for 15 years and I have a very good business up here. I just hate the cold weather, cost of living is outrageous,gun laws suck and other things. So I have been itching to get out of NY for a long time. I just have to do it at the right time and I don't know if it so soon. I have 2 kids and they are entrenched with friends in school. I will come down to look. Even if my wife and I do a 3 or 4 day getaway together. Thanks alot.

Lougotzz,

One thing that is lacking is good contractors that do upkeep/renovation work.  There is a good market in this city for this type of talent.

In The Woodlands area, both husband and wife work, or they make enough money that they do not want to do the work themselves but woould rather hire out.

I'm sure there are enough of us "Houstonians" and "Surounding area-uns" that could meet with you if you come down and show you the variuos areas of Houston.

The Polution is not that bad.  Ozone is a problem but that is just Mother Nature at Work and increased regulations will not remove that.  If you live close to one of the Chemical/oil plants, yep you will will smell odor.  My recommendations is not to live close to one.  North Harris, South Montgomery County is nice to live in.  But I am biased.

DONT COME I HATE IT>>   I NEED MORE SPACE AND LESS POLLUTION!!!

Beieve me, that's one thing Houston is blessed with is space.  It stretches forever.

I am going to try to make a trip soon. Got to get some cash and time. My wife does want to see Houston and so do I. I am sure there is good and bad in Houston just like any place else. But I bet it can't be worse then downstate NY. Thanks

I live two hour from Houston and everytime I go there, traffic is such a pain in the a$$. The pollution is terrible and parking spaces are hard to find.

I prefer to live on the outskirts of Houston rather than in Houston itself for the same reason most guys here would not like to either.

Houstin is pretty much like the rest of Texas...queers and steers! I got on that loop from hell about 10 years ago and am still trying to get off.