The Joy of Urban Houston

[IronTiger]

Most of y'all live in urban Houston and decry the suburbs, and you know what? I tend to agree with you. Let me explain.

I live in College Station (as you all know) which is sort-of suburban. It has the same mix (albeit significantly smaller) of suburban stores and services (Wal-Mart, H-E-B, McDonald's) but the economy revolves around Texas A&M.

And when I went to Houston, we almost always passed through the suburbs, which was seen as College Station x2...bigger stores, cooler highways, and so forth. But know what? It's all an illusion. For one thing, since I can drive, suddenly driving short distances to workplaces is seen as a blessing, as compared to the suburbanites who brave 290, 610, 59, 45, and 10 on a daily basis. Then, of course, there's the restaurants. I'm not a big fan of chain restaurants: Texas Roadhouse is terribly noisy. It's just steaks, really. Outback Steakhouse bores me. The local Applebee's failed the health ratings. I didn't eat there anyway. The T.G.I. Friday's will likely incite a "moo" from me. All the "local" places are few and far between. The bike path is broken by long distances and roads.

But urban Houston seems pretty cool. The grocery stores are old, small, and a bit run-down but I like it that way (I miss my 70s Kroger). Everything seems walkable. The neighborhoods are quiet and the trees are large. Restaurants are non-chain and very tasty (and not terribly overpriced, either). The Rice Village Half-Price Books has a cool staircase and upper level with cool merchandise (Dilbert books and old Mac magazines, or at least the last time I was there).

Of course, urban Houston does seem to have its problems: the crime rate is probably overall higher than College Station, traffic is still pretty bad and workplace far away. (unless you're lucky enough to live near the P&R or the LRT) It's also rather expensive, too.

Really, I don't know about urban Houston. Never lived there. But YOU have. Is it really as awesome as I think it is?

[TheNiche]

Most of y'all live in urban Houston and decry the suburbs, and you know what? I tend to agree with you. Let me explain.

I live in College Station (as you all know) which is sort-of suburban. It has the same mix (albeit significantly smaller) of suburban stores and services (Wal-Mart, H-E-B, McDonald's) but the economy revolves around Texas A&M.

And when I went to Houston, we almost always passed through the suburbs, which was seen as College Station x2...bigger stores, cooler highways, and so forth. But know what? It's all an illusion. For one thing, since I can drive, suddenly driving short distances to workplaces is seen as a blessing, as compared to the suburbanites who brave 290, 610, 59, 45, and 10 on a daily basis. Then, of course, there's the restaurants. I'm not a big fan of chain restaurants: Texas Roadhouse is terribly noisy. It's just steaks, really. Outback Steakhouse bores me. The local Applebee's failed the health ratings. I didn't eat there anyway. The T.G.I. Friday's will likely incite a "moo" from me. All the "local" places are few and far between. The bike path is broken by long distances and roads.

But urban Houston seems pretty cool. The grocery stores are old, small, and a bit run-down but I like it that way (I miss my 70s Kroger). Everything seems walkable. The neighborhoods are quiet and the trees are large. Restaurants are non-chain and very tasty (and not terribly overpriced, either). The Rice Village Half-Price Books has a cool staircase and upper level with cool merchandise (Dilbert books and old Mac magazines, or at least the last time I was there).

Of course, urban Houston does seem to have its problems: the crime rate is probably overall higher than College Station, traffic is still pretty bad and workplace far away. (unless you're lucky enough to live near the P&R or the LRT) It's also rather expensive, too.

Really, I don't know about urban Houston. Never lived there. But YOU have. Is it really as awesome as I think it is?

The suburbs work very well for a lot of people, and I don't begrudge them that. And actually, west and southwest Houston have retail and restaurant offerings that are unparalleled anywhere inside the loop, so there are some advantages that go beyond the quality of schools.

But if you're just starting out in the real world, are young, and have no kids, then an urban locale is rather ideal in most circumstances. It'll put you close to jobs throughout the region, close to universities, and close to 'the scene' if that's important to you.

You may ultimately prefer to live in Spring if you work in Spring or Clear Lake if you work in Clear Lake, but as a kind of launching point, start off in the central city. It doesn't necessarily require very much money to pull off (my non-investment personal outlays are presently about $7,000 per year to live within a mile of downtown). And as for the crime rate, the best advice I could ever give you is to simply steer clear of situations where you put yourself at risk. In particular, don't associate yourself with criminals and also make an effort to get to know your neighbors; riding the bus is safe, however, even though fuddy-duddy white urbanistas so often recoil at the thought.

[IronTiger]

The T.G.I. Friday's will likely incite a "moo" from me.

What the...oh right, it's the censor. For all those out there chuckling, it was originally M-E-H, not M-O-O.

And for other words they don't give a thousand dollars.

Edited October 11, 2009 by IronTiger

[LTAWACS]

moo