So, tell me about Houston...

I just got off an initial phone interview with FlightAware, and based on how it went I think there's a good chance they'll be flying me out for an in-person interview in the near future. So there's a chance I might be moving to the great state of Texas before this year is out.

I see that there seem to be regular get-togethers for Houston-area RVers, which sounds good to me - I'd love to join in! Besides, I need some motivation to get back to work on this thing.

Office would be located at Greenway Plaza. At first glance, home prices look pretty good, although I said the same thing about Atlanta before I came down here and realized I was looking in all the wrong neighborhoods...

Anyway, any intel would be much appreciated! Maybe I'll be meeting some of you guys soon.

If you've lived in Atlanta, then that's not a lot different than Houston. Except the southeast side of the metro area is on the water. You an urban person/family, or sub-urban? Looking for large lots or acreage, or cookie-cutter neighborhoods?

I can speak for the SE side of town having been here for about 25 yrs.

You need to just spend some time driving and looking. Cypress (NW side) to League City (SE) is 60 miles. There's a lot to choose from in between. Pearland will have as broad of a cultural mix as any place in the country (there's a huge Hindu temple here that few - other than the Hindus - know about!). Friendswood, River Oaks... prettty white! SE Houston - Latino, etc., etc. Houston has the same cultural mix across town as any other large metro area in the country.

Bottom line, Houston's a wonderful place to raise a family and earn a very good living. The family environments are easy to find; independent but fairly friendly nature of all people; noticeable lack of racial tension; crime rates are pretty low (we carry!); the choice of communities - urban, suburban, industrial, rural, are broad.

Plenty of entertainment - museums, theater, festivals; plenty of professional sporting events (don't count on any pennants); *lots* of water sports (kayaking, fishing, skiing); *huge* business opportunities in energy, energy support services, manufacturing and processing - all make this area one of the hottest places in the country. But, Houston is not the place to retire.

Welcome

Phillip

You will love Houston....at least the flying community. I live on the airport at KLVJ and can say there are a minimum 25 RV's within a 15 mile radius. Check out the Lone Star Squadron on FB and see the types of flying related activities that we have here in Bay Area.

Good Luck with your Interview!

Honcho

Housing certainly is cheap

Cost of living and price of housing is shockingly cheap for a large, urban area. There is a strong RV building community and lots of RVs around. Aviation is relatively strong in the area. It is a big enough city (4th in the U.S.) that you can find any sort of shopping, museum/concert, or restaurant that you could want to patronize. Airparks are scattered around the city and, in my opinion, the only way to live in the Houston area. There is no state income tax in Texas but the property tax is higher than many states and can potentially make up for that advantage (depending on your income vs. property ownership ration).

Houston does have water, "beaches", and the Gulf very nearby. However, all these resources are pretty disappointing if you are used to the eastern Gulf, west coast, or east coast. Weather is rarely pleasant, in this native Southern Californian's opinion, except for about one month in spring and one month in fall (and so far, this year, we haven't seen that month!). LOTS of mosquitos (at least where we lived on the southeast side). Lots of humidity all year around. Hangar rent is generally high (and somewhat challenging to find), but I doubt that it is higher than around Atlanta. Traffic is miserable and, in my very limited experience, worse than Atlanta. Since most of the land was swamp at one time, there are very few roads/highways that are continuous for a long distance. Hence, everyone crowds onto the relatively few arteries. Neighborhoods, from what I've seen, tend to be very homogeneous without much opportunity for interacting with diverse people. (Coming from L.A., this aspect of Houston culture was particularly striking....and, in my opinion, unattractive. But, obviously, most of my Houston neighbors would vehemently disagree that this aspect of Houston life is a bad thing.)

Houston is very southern, certainly not western (despite the presence of cowboy hats and boots), and very, very strongly dominated by the petroleum industry culture. It is extremely flat. There is very little within a weekend's drive of it with any texture. (The Texas Hill Country is several hours drive away and doesn't provide much in the way of rustic camping. But, it has nice antique shops, wine tasting site, and other tourist attractions.) Some love Houston. It really depends on what you want/need to be comfortable and happy.

coming to Houston

While Greenway Plaza is several miles from ?downtown?, it?s still right in the city. You would have a 30-45+ minute drive to work if you chose to live outside the city limits, but don't expect our suburbs to be anything like Dunwoody, for instance. People here are mostly nice, but much nicer when they are not in their cars.

Growing communities are Spring to the northwest (45-60 min.), The Woodlands and Kingwood to the north (close to an hour), League City and Friendswood toward the southeast (30-40 min.), and Sugar Land to the southwest (40 min). Of course, your best advice will come from your potential co-workers.

We have great restaurants, but not many tourist spots; visiting relatives have to be entertained. Clear Lake, which connects to Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, has a very large concentration of pleasure boats. Colleges?lots of them here.

The heat and humidity will be nothing new for you coming from Georgia, except it lasts longer.

Contrary to Louise's comment, Houston is not completely flat. There are two hills, I?ve seen them both.

Good luck and come visit us in Galveston.
David

Moondog said:

Contrary to Louise's comment, Houston is not completely flat. There are two hills, I?ve seen them both.

Click to expand...

Okay. You're right. There is Mount Trash, but what is the other one? (Mount Trash II?)

The best school district in the state - probably the country - is Friendswood. (Rocket scientists insist!) Check their Academic Decathlon records... One of the original student-built RV12 Eagle's Nests is nearby. The best TexMex in the Country is in Houston, a place with a few locations called Gringo's. Started as a single small op in Pearland. KLVJ is a great airport. Nearby still in Friendswood is a fly-in community called Polly Ranch. Downside is that they required wood roof shingles, that might have changed. High property taxes, no income tax. I leaved in League City, then Friendswood, for almost 30 years. In the Ozarks now. If Texas secedes I am moving back fast before they close the gates. GREAT state! You should look into living in Pearland on Hwy 288 south of town. That would be an easy commute to Greenway Plaza. That is a new area also pretty close to KLVJ.

Bill_H said:

Nearby still in Friendswood is a fly-in community called Polly Ranch. Downside is that they required wood roof shingles, that might have changed.

Click to expand...

Yeah - that changed quite awhile back when the Friendswood building codes came into force and wood shingles are a no-no.... I know of at least one house that will probably go up for sale next year at Polly.

Polly Ranch and other

I suspect the commute from Pearland has changed dramatically since you lived there, Bill. When I first moved into the area five years ago, I only had to leave before 6 am to avoid stop-and-go traffic into town. By the time I left a few months ago, I had to be on I-45 by 5:15 am or had a miserable commute. The area is growing fast and the traffic/commuting nightmare even faster. Unlike Atlanta, there isn't any effective public transportation except in a VERY limited area.

Yes Louise - I am back frequently - still work part time remotely for a co. in Clear Lake. Mid-Friendswood to Greenway would be a stretch probably. But Pearland at 288 - maybe not. Boy that area has grown! OH - JOES BBQ IN ALVIN!!!

N546RV said:

I just got off an initial phone interview with FlightAware, and based on how it went I think there's a good chance they'll be flying me out for an in-person interview in the near future. So there's a chance I might be moving to the great state of Texas before this year is out.
.....
Office would be located at Greenway Plaza. At first glance, home prices look pretty good, although I said the same thing about Atlanta before I came down here and realized I was looking in all the wrong neighborhoods...

Anyway, any intel would be much appreciated! Maybe I'll be meeting some of you guys soon.

Click to expand...

First off, I have met some of the FlightAware people over the internet. They're gearheads and love tracking Miatas and 911s

Second traffic around Greenway is rough. Not sure where you're thinking of living. There are some decent places in the area, but not sure if that's your scene or price range. What kind of area do you want? Burbs? City condo? 5 Acres? Airport house?

Houston is a really big place and probably has what you want, but its a really big place and your commute might be a bit rough. But if you're coming from Atlanta, you might be used to it...

TODR

the_other_dougreeves said:

First off, I have met some of the FlightAware people over the internet. They're gearheads and love tracking Miatas and 911s

Click to expand...

Heh, yeah, I noticed while looking into the leadership that the CIO is a driving instructor. I keep intending to give autocross a whirl, but I'm a little scared that I'll find yet another expensive hobby. I've got enough of those as it is...

Second traffic around Greenway is rough. Not sure where you're thinking of living. There are some decent places in the area, but not sure if that's your scene or price range. What kind of area do you want? Burbs? City condo? 5 Acres? Airport house?

Click to expand...

That's OK, I'm not really sure where I'm thinking of living either.

I've never visited Houston, except for connecting through IAH once upon a time, so I know basically nothing about the area. If I get flown in for an interview, I intend to do it on a Friday or Monday and set aside some time over the weekend to get familiar with the area a bit.

I expect if I relocate I might end up in a short-term lease at an apartment or something until I can find more permanent housing. When I moved to Atlanta, I learned that it's a pretty tall order to find a good place based on one or two short visits.

As for where I'd want to live...I'm not too picky. I'd personally merrily live in a shack attached to a sizable hangar, but I dunno if that'd pass muster with the better half (she at least wants a second bedroom, since she works full-time from home ). I'd rather not do a condo or anything like that, mainly out of respect for my neighbors who might not appreciate my rivet-banging.

Airport house would be nice, but I think it'll be a few years before I'm in a financial position to afford one, unless it was surprisingly cheap. Most likely, I'll just find a decent suburban house with a good garage/workshop.

Houston is a really big place and probably has what you want, but its a really big place and your commute might be a bit rough. But if you're coming from Atlanta, you might be used to it...

TODR

Click to expand...

I've actually managed to mostly avoid the nasty Atlanta traffic. It's not too bad here if you avoid the highways; right now I live five miles from the office, for about a 15-minute commute. I suspect I won't get so lucky in Houston.

Bill_H said:

Yes Louise - I am back frequently - still work part time remotely for a co. in Clear Lake. Mid-Friendswood to Greenway would be a stretch probably. But Pearland at 288 - maybe not. Boy that area has grown! OH - JOES BBQ IN ALVIN!!!

Click to expand...

288 has been a parking lot for years. There are WAY TOO MANY people living south of town for a 4-lane highway. They are gradually widening and updating it but it was still gridlock in June when I was back.

Karl

RV8N said:

288 has been a parking lot for years. There are WAY TOO MANY people living south of town for a 4-lane highway. They are gradually widening and updating it but it was still gridlock in June when I was back.

Karl

Click to expand...

Hey there Karl! Hope you've been well.

288 is still a parking lot. It's a state highway and (my guess) state funded primarily. Knowing the love-hate relationship the non-Houstonian Texans have with the city, it's no wonder the state is stumbling over itself to spend money there. But it really is needed, like 5 years ago.

Yet, thousands of people monthly keep leaving their home states and countries to come here. All these industrial facilities, the energy equipment manufacturing facilities, the humidity and mosquitos, the flat, the less than azure blue gulf waters, no subways or elevated trains, abhorrent demographic stratification. Go figure.

Sugarland is a nice town. They have a pretty nice airport but it's a large, city-owned reliever airport so the prices for hangar rent will probably be pretty high. The drive into Greenway Plaza might not be too bad on 59. I've never made that drive during rush hour, but I have a cousin that did it regularly a few years ago and he said it wasn't too bad. You don't really know an area of Houston unless you know it at 7:00 AM M-F. Renting for a while is a good idea until you get your bearings.

Well, just got an email from the FlightAware folks. We haven't set a date yet, but I'll be flying down for an in-person interview. This might actually be happening...

RV8N said:

288 has been a parking lot for years. There are WAY TOO MANY people living south of town for a 4-lane highway. They are gradually widening and updating it but it was still gridlock in June when I was back.

Click to expand...

Correction: 288 with traffic is a parking lot. 288 against traffic is fine. Commuting from Houston to BrazosPort area is just fine.

TODR

If you don't mind traffic, heat, roaches, and fire ants, then Houston has something good to offer. Hard to find nicer people in the whole world than Texas and the shopping and food are top notch in Houston. I suggest looking out 59 southwest for housing if you are commuting to Greenway Plaza.

Houston...is relaxed in a lovely "you've got everything kind of way". I live in the Heights though, inside the loop. I've never liked the idea of a commute more than the 10 minutes I have now... Well, unless it was to live on an airpark. (And thats without ragard to schools at the moment. )

You can use this site to place with actual travel times: http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/routebuilder/

the_other_dougreeves said:

First off, I have met some of the FlightAware people over the internet. They're gearheads and love tracking Miatas and 911s

Click to expand...

This is true!

I haven't met the FA folks in person, but I work with one of their friends...hoping to join them on the track at next Drivers Edge MSR "HPDE" event in 2014.

Foreflight is based in the area too....

If you don't mind some short-term renting, I'd try somewhere between Rice, River Oaks and Montrose. Upper Kirby isn't far from Greenway and there's a LOT to do there. It will allow you to be close to work and figure out the city. I'm a big advocate of living close to work unless there's a big driver to live elsewhere - more time to do stuff, less aggravation from driving, less money spent on the car (and gas and the associated pollution).

TODR