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Austin vs Houston vs Dallas

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Mar 31, 2008 10:38 PM GMT

Hey all you Texans/transplants to TX. Just a question:
Am I wating my time in Houston? Well maybe not 'wasting my time'... Let me elaborate.
I moved to Houston almost 9 weeks ago. So far Houston has been Ok, but a lot of people have told me that as a 'creative'-type I would enjoy Austin more.
I have yet to visit and hope to get down there soon.
Also, I've not been to Dallas either.
Any thoughts??

TexanMan82

Posts: 893

Mar 31, 2008 10:50 PM GMT

You need to elaborate. What do you mean by creative? What are you looking to do?

Only 9 weeks in Houston? Maaaaybe you need to give it a little more time before giving up.

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Mar 31, 2008 10:59 PM GMT

I grew up in Houston, and maybe it's just because I lived there for 20 years, but I liked Dallas better. Not the people, the city itself.

Not to overgeneralize, but the gay men from Dallas really treated us from Houston badly (like embarrasing rednecks or something). Guys from Dallas are the best looking in Texas, and they seem to know it. They looked down on us like we were somehow less worthy, although I understand that most people from Dallas look down on everyone else, gay or straight. A few years later I was living in DC, and was warned about the arrogant attitude of DC's gay scene. After Dallas, it was nothing. Hopefully things have changed since the 80's.

Houston is great. It has the best cultural institutions in the state (world class quality symphony, opera, ballet, theater, museums), great restaurants and nightlife. It is a little too Republican and Christian fundie for comfort to me though. Pop culture is better in Austin. I used to visit when I was in college, and it's clear that if I had gone to school at UT Austin, I would still be in college today. Party town!

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Mar 31, 2008 11:08 PM GMT

Every city and region has something to offer, yes, even in Texas. But in the end, the opportunities that develop for you wherever you are really depend on you. I am a transplant to Dallas from Northern California. All of my Prius driving, Whole Foods shopping, bed wetting liberal friends back home all cried "EW" when I told them that I was Texas bound. I was really nervous about the move and spent the first few weeks and months here in a panic about whether or not it would work out. But Dallas has been good to me and I think that in many ways it is more progressive than most of California (once you step outside of Los Angeles and San Francisco, the rest of the state is very conservative). It wasn't an easy transition though, it takes some time. Once you give Houston a chance, I am sure that you will find your place there as well.

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Mar 31, 2008 11:15 PM GMT

Just moved to Houston from Austin, kinetic. I've actually come to find Houston much better -- and friendlier -- than I expected. I looooove Austin, and will be back, someday. For now, I'm happy in my new hometown.

I'm not a huge fan of Dallas, but the West End district is fun.

See you in the Montrose. ;)

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Mar 31, 2008 11:28 PM GMT

TexanMan82 saidYou need to elaborate. What do you mean by creative? What are you looking to do?

Only 9 weeks in Houston? Maaaaybe you need to give it a little more time before giving up.

Sorry! I'll elaborate more.
I'm not giving up just yet! I guess its just that its sometimes difficult to be in a new place and for what I do and for the things I enjoy, some of the people I've met here are pointing me in the direction of Austin. (sorry for the run-on)
What I mean by 'creative' type is that I am a graphic designer/illustrator. At the moment I am doing freelance contract work. A few clients are t-shrt silk-screening companies and one is a media start-up. I'm pretty psyched about the t-shirt gigs; I've always wanted to make my own t-shirts!
I'm also a HUGE fan of music and an aspiring dj and I was SOOOO upset that I couldn't get to SXSW!

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Mar 31, 2008 11:34 PM GMT

jarhead5536 saidI grew up in Houston, and maybe it's just because I lived there for 20 years, but I liked Dallas better. Not the people, the city itself.

Not to overgeneralize, but the gay men from Dallas really treated us from Houston badly (like embarrasing rednecks or something). Guys from Dallas are the best looking in Texas, and they seem to know it. They looked down on us like we were somehow less worthy, although I understand that most people from Dallas look down on everyone else, gay or straight. A few years later I was living in DC, and was warned about the arrogant attitude of DC's gay scene. After Dallas, it was nothing. Hopefully things have changed since the 80's.

I'm no stranger to attitude, I grew up in Boston after all!

Starboard said All of my Prius driving, Whole Foods shopping, bed wetting liberal friends back home all cried "EW" when I told them that I was Texas bound.

Ha-ha, some of my friends up in Boston were the same way!
I LOVE being in new places tho.

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Mar 31, 2008 11:44 PM GMT

Clearly, you guys have not discovered MIdland/Odessa....the true undiscovered gay paradise!! It's the garden spot of west Texas....

Just kidding, just kidding.

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Apr 01, 2008 12:07 AM GMT

I ventured out of the "Dallas bubble" once to visit a friend in College Station. Based on that experience I've decided that the only way to venture outside of the 214 Area Code is via DFW.

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Apr 01, 2008 12:31 AM GMT

I love Texas. I believe Austin has a saying "Keep Austin Weird" which I like. In Austin you find lots of unique and original eateries, shops, etcs than franchises. They do have well known establishments but they mostly are out of the city limits. But Houston is my favorite city in Texas. Dont like San Antonio probably due to the fact that I was only there for basic Air Force training.

irishboxers

Posts: 357

Apr 01, 2008 12:31 AM GMT

Starboard, did your Prius-driving, Whole Foods-shopping, bed-wetting liberal friends know that Whole Foods originated and is based in Austin?

Give it a chance, Kinetic. Houston is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. Yes, Austin is the blue dot in the middle of all the red, but it can be a little too crunchy sometimes. I love my friends who live there and have a blast when I visit, but sometimes I have to roll my eyes at them and their holier-than-thou greenliness and say "whatever". As far as Dallas goes...the only nice guys I've met from Dallas have been straight. And I've met quite a few gays guys from there. Maybe not the right ones, but the sampling I got was not good.

By the way, Starboard, I'm stealing that liberals description -- it's freakin' hilarious.

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Apr 01, 2008 1:03 AM GMT

kinetic saidHey all you Texans/transplants to TX. Just a question:
Am I wating my time in Houston? Well maybe not 'wasting my time'... Let me elaborate.
I moved to Houston almost 9 weeks ago. So far Houston has been Ok, but a lot of people have told me that as a 'creative'-type I would enjoy Austin more.
I have yet to visit and hope to get down there soon.
Also, I've not been to Dallas either.
Any thoughts??

I did my undergrad down in Houston (at Rice University...gooooooooo Owls), and I must say that H-town is still lacking in the culture department. However, the city has definitely made drastic improvements since 2004. More people from outside the south are starting to consider Houston as a final destination as well...so I guess you can say that that is definitely adding to the creative base (not trying to hate on people with roots in the south...but come on...y'all know y'all are behind in so many ways).

I regret to say that I have actually been going down to Texas since I was 3 (both sides of my fam are from the Houston area) and I have yet to visit Austin. I hear it represents the blotch of blue in the sea of red....definitely an artsy/bohemian scene down there. I know the city is famous for the SXSW festival (that actually just ended not too long ago).

People also say it kind of has like a mini venice beach feel (crazy/eccletic mix of people).

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Apr 01, 2008 1:07 AM GMT

Starboard saidEvery city and region has something to offer, yes, even in Texas. But in the end, the opportunities that develop for you wherever you are really depend on you. I am a transplant to Dallas from Northern California. All of my Prius driving, Whole Foods shopping, bed wetting liberal friends back home all cried "EW" when I told them that I was Texas bound. I was really nervous about the move and spent the first few weeks and months here in a panic about whether or not it would work out. But Dallas has been good to me and I think that in many ways it is more progressive than most of California (once you step outside of Los Angeles and San Francisco, the rest of the state is very conservative). It wasn't an easy transition though, it takes some time. Once you give Houston a chance, I am sure that you will find your place there as well.

Have you been to any of the smaller towns surroundind Dallas yet? Check out Greenville and DeSoto...and further out you have Longview and Kilgore. Visit those areas and then we can chat.

Texas is generally so backwards compared to the majority of even the most conservative regions of Cali (in my opinion)

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Apr 01, 2008 1:11 AM GMT

I don't know Houston or Dallas, but Austin is fantastic. With that said, I wonder if the competition for jobs might be very intense there--esp. given all the "creative types" who gravitate there and the UT students who never leave.

I have the impression that Houston is huge and ethnically diverse. I bet it has hidden treasures, even if takes a while to find them.

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Apr 01, 2008 1:18 AM GMT

I'm a Boston => Austin guy myself. Based on the things you are into, both for work and for pastimes, you'd likely do well here. It's easy to network (and we know how hard that can be in Boston). There's an indie/artsy/ideas vibe all over. I think it's right up there with New Orleans as one of the most unique cities in the US. It cannot be duplicated (unlike Atlanta, Dallas, Omaha, etc.).

I find Houston guys very down-to-earth and easy to get to know. The city is hot, humid, badly polluted, and much of the unzoned sprawl also happens to be the dangerous parts...bad combo.

Dallas is fake fake fake in every way imaginable. This comes from (and further results in) having no identity whatsoever as a city.

TexanMan82

Posts: 893

Apr 01, 2008 1:31 AM GMT

I think you'd do OK in Austin, but I bet Houston has more overall to offer you.

It's the 4th largest city and some are heralding it as the "Next Great City" or something like that.

And I think sockmonkey meant to say the competition for jobs is intense here. It is. No one wants to leave after school, and those that do are always looking to eventually get back.

It's an awesome city. It may not be for everyone, but I think that's only for those that don't take advantage of what this city has to offer.

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Apr 01, 2008 1:41 AM GMT

Yea, the competition w/ students is one of the reasons I left Boston. I just felt like, why would someone wanna pay me for a job when they can get a college kid to do it for a course credit?
My Dad was in agreement w/ me. He told me to get my career rolling I may want to stay away from the costal cities. His reasoning was there are too many students in them, which results in too much competition for a recent college grad as myself... I agree in a way.
I can't wait to check out Austin! Also to see the museums Houston has to offer.

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Apr 01, 2008 1:47 AM GMT

Ooh ooh! I like this thread! I wanna explore Texas more. I go to Houston for work a lot and the weather was the best it had ever been in all the times I visited.

So how come no one is mentioning San Antonio?

Yeah I wanna go to SxSW sometime; Austin sounds like fun. Some guy is trying to get me to visit Dallas here.

Houston has great food!; that's undisputable! But then I might have that opinion about Texas. Unfortunately good food means, I gain some weight

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Apr 01, 2008 6:15 AM GMT

You'd like Austin for the celebration of the weird, but money's better in Houston. The cost of living in Austin is pretty high, with a smaller take-home pay.

For me, Austin is perfect, and the best reason for me to be in Texas, but if it's money you're after, stick with a larger population.

Strange, no mention of San Antonio...does it seem out of your demographic?

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Apr 02, 2008 5:27 AM GMT

Funny, I didn't even think of San Antonio. I guess cuz I've not heard much mention of it (?)... I dunno. How is it??

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Apr 02, 2008 5:45 AM GMT

Okay, downtown: Gorgeous.
Highways: once the construction is done, not too bad.
Cost of living: definitely on the cheaper side.
Income potential: in your area, I don't know, but I'd have to say not as good as Houston. The airport is small, the convention space is not great, and for me that's usually a good indicator of income potential for graphic design/communications/marketing/advertising kind of things.

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Apr 02, 2008 5:49 AM GMT

i was about to say, "uh, HELLO, san antonio?!"

san antonio is nice. great culture, awesome downtown, really nice neighborhoods depending on where you live, cheap... downside is the gay scene: not that great.

u should come visit!

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Apr 02, 2008 9:09 PM GMT

maybe once I get a car!

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Apr 02, 2008 9:11 PM GMT

phxariz08 saidMore fun city? Then move to Phoenix or Los Angles or Las Vegas

I use to live in LA. Not for me, if its gotta be SoCal, I'd much prefer San Diego -far more chill and the hottest men I've EVER seen in this country!

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Apr 02, 2008 9:17 PM GMT

So, I won't repeat all that has been said about Austin. I love my home, but I do with it were a little more metropolitan/cosmopolitan. The flip side it I love the character of the city and the people who live here. It is a constantly shifting city and is growing rapidly.

the gay scene needs some work. It is very bar oriented and as a fellow aspiring DJ, the lack of club influence bothers me. There are tons of gays, but I have no idea where they all go or how to meet new ones ourside of the limited bar scene. I assume this will change as downtown grows.

It is a very young city. I think the average age is 29. The people here are generally in really good shape. There is tons to do, especially outdoors. and people are friendly and wake up almost ever morning loving their city.

when I think of mocing to a larger city, I consider the things I would be missing if I left Austin.

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Austin vs Houston vs Dallas