WTF happened to Houston? How did it get so ghetto
I recently lateraled down to Houston after a few years in NYC, and this is not at all like I remembered from the 2010s. When did the city get so ghetto? This absolutely did not used to be a thing, maybe in some pockets like the 3rd Ward and NYC has some rough areas too but if you don't go there, you usually don't have any issues.
I'm committed now for at least a bonus season at this point but something definitely feels "off." My goal was to get back down to Texas, or potentially Miami, but thinking socially I'm going to be better off in Dallas/Austin maybe or Miami. I didn't expect this. I had a lot of fun in Houston's midtown neighborhood in the 2010s, and spent time here a bit in 2023 and enjoyed a few spots in the Heights.
Before someone on WSO gets their panties in a bind over this post, I mention this to people IRL and some try to turn it into some kind of racial thing - there are plenty of white girls who are trashy too who I don't want to deal with. It's not a racial thing. It's a trashy thing. Carry yourself with some class and dignity. Houston didn't used to be like this.
Am I radically missing the right places to be going to here or what happened?
Welcome to the dirty south
Just wait for if OP ever steps foot into Hotlanta
I’m a white boy that’s about to get cultured, moving to ATL in a month. First stop is the strip club and then a Waffle House
keep ur blackness over there. and keep it in memphis too. thx
too many blacks in houston now, gotta remove em
Trashy people tend to have a few more kids than others on average, same thing has been happening in the suburbs around ATL , best bet is to just find a nice neighborhood close to the office and tough it out until you can move if it’s that much of a bother
Literally the opening scene of "Idiocracy" - great movie never been as relevant as today
Wholeheartedly agree, I enjoyed life far more in Dallas or Austin compared to Houston
I used to have a great time at places like Little Woodrows, Cle (idk if they're still even in business anymore) or that strip on Washington Ave...idk man lol. At least my new firm has more room to move internally if need be. I don't want to jump to conclusions too fast but first impression was significantly different than I remembered
Wash Ave has definitely gone sketch in recent years. Would recommend going out in the Heights (either Whiteoak or around 22nd). Downtown can be fun, but most places will be overpriced. Depending on the scene you’re looking for, might be worth it to check out ticketed events/concerts they host at places like RISE. Avoid EaDo though, it’s still in the process of gentrifying and pretty dead in my experience.
When was Houston not ghetto lol. To be honest the south is very overrated. Had a very hard time with the social scene compared to NYC, Boston, etc. The people who love it like a slower pace of life
Houston was lit during the shale boom. Idk what's going on now
Honestly I would go even so far to say that this is a global development. I am based in Europe and would def. attest that the 2010's (early) and before were a much more 'normal' period.
The increase of bad/uncivil behavior (e.g, littering, noisy/rudeness, reckless driving) across demographic groups has been on the rise across various different cities in my view.
Oh I know. I think people forget how bad NYC was during the De Blasio years and that wasn't that long ago. Banks were putting out statements saying dress more casually so you don't look like a robbery target on the train. That wasn't even that long ago; there are threads on here about this. Things have gotten better under Adams notably, but who knows if the next guy messes it back up
? Crime hit its lowest points during deblasio. Covid caused flare ups which went down as the country normalized.
Guess why
Houston was rocked pretty hard post-COVID, imo. A lot of the young crowd that made Houston fun (I'm from there, and won't be moving back) moved farther out of the city (sometimes to the burbs, sometimes just outside of the loop where they could get more space) and that exodus hasn't really been backfilled with new analysts / associate-types.
Houston, more than most cities, relies on the full-cycle turnover of young people because there are very few "middle class" single family home neighborhoods within the loop (you're either in a townhouse or cottage in the Heights / Rice Military or in a $5MM in River Oaks), so you end up having to migrate outward when you start having a family. If there's no one to replace those folks, then the quality of life inside the loop goes down as you can see. It's sad, and I hope it comes back, but it is reality at this point.
Kind of feels like that tbh. Appreciate the honest commentary. At least my new role is an upgrade.
Same thing applies to Atlanta; there’s just really no city like NYC.
Can you think of many reasons why younger people would want to stay in Houston, or is it really just a 2-3 year program for kids like IB Analyst? I've heard some people say the city as a whole is getting better or gentrifying.
Lol love the moniker drill baby drill
Meanwhile, Dallas is exploding and on it’s way to be the LA of the south.
Yeah...wonder if I should have waited it out in NYC til something landed in Dallas but I'm here now. It is what it is.
Thing is there isn't a ton of IB there, or put more directly, roles that fit my profile right now. I know about Texas Capital and did coffee chats with them but they didn't have something at the time. Open to PE also. Just when people say Dallas is a finance hub, honestly it seems more like a WM and mid office hub. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I would prefer to be wrong here, so I can end up there eventually
Dallas has a lot more IB than you think lol, I can find several bankers that work there, and Goldman is building an office there set to be complete like 2027 I think, and now it has like 2-3 stock exchanges going there
Yeah let me be clear, Dallas is a major finance hub, but not for IB and most other sell side roles. At least not yet. It's more for corporates as well as a relatively decent number of buyside seats and of course RE related spots.
I hate to break it to you OP, but I was recently in Miami, and it has gotten quite ghetto as well. ESPECIALLY Miami Beach/South Beach. So many overweight people dressed like trash on the street blasting music from their speakers. Like poorly fitted bikini tops, flip flops, being loud (this is on the street and near nice restaurants, not on the beach).
OK yeah South Beach has become a mess. I've always enjoyed Brickell though. The beginning of the end of South Beach was when all the ghetto from Atlanta or wherever would show up during COVID when Miami metro was one of the few places that wasn't totally locked down, and instead of the city just calling that out like it is, they declared a crackdown on "spring breakers" as if some random frat bro from Bama is the problem...admitting you have a problem is the first step to fixing it
Miami has been ghetto lmao
South Florida has always been bad
COVID wrecked progress in downtown/midtown Houston. The city has continued to grow, but it feels like it caters to family types. I moved here from NY a decade ago and love it. The reason I love it is the space, no winters and easy proximity to everything (work, restaurants, kids schools).
Shale never lived up to its promise as a job creator either. But healthcare, general industry has backfilled.
It’s sad, Houston was awesome 2012-2020, very much a hidden gem and there was a great energy with the young professional crowd in the city.
lmaoo pun intended?
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As someone who has lived in several pretty rough cities, I don't think the posters above understand what "ghetto" means.
Will you regularly interact with people who make less than $100K per year, yes.....sadly I think that's what the posters above mean by "ghetto" given the bubbles they've likely grown up in.
Is Houston actually ghetto? No, not even in close. It's a pretty down the middle city. Not too fancy, not too trashy and easy to live in.
No, Houston is actually ghetto. Rice just did a study and concluded that nearly half of Harris county residents cannot afford a $400 emergency expense.
Yeah again. There is a difference between being poor and ghetto.
Houston has been ghetto. People cry about NYC but NYC is Disneyland.
There are a LOT of critiques I have of NYC and compromises I kept felt like I was making to the point that I had to move out, but this is true that post-De Blasio, most of Manhattan you really don't have any issues. There's 100 pound NYU girls who walk around fine at night, or old grandmas on the Upper East Side...it was rough for a few years under the old regime but let's just hope the new guy whoever it is doesn't mess it all back up again.
Respectfully disagree though that Houston has always been ghetto. Midtown and Washington Ave absolutely did NOT used to be like this and this shouldn't be seen as normal or acceptable.
Crime hit it's lowest under Deblasio. Pandemic increased it but it was very low pre pandemic (post pandemic it only really flared to Bloomberg levels).
H town historically is a very ghetto city. People overhype a lot of southern cities. I like Houston though.
You must not be from here. Ya, there are some rough areas like any city, but if you’re from Houston, you know where to go and where not to. I’ve lived here my whole life and rarely deal with anything ghetto. Most of these posts sound like they’re from people who don’t actually know the city
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yeah gross comp is the same as NYC, so pretty big arb.
Post-covid does seem like the city took a bit of hit tho. Vibes just not quite the same as it was in 2019 imo.
It's true I'm not from here. Lived in Dallas and Austin before MBA. Where should I be going then? Not saying that to be a dick. If there is a great scene that I'm missing out on, by all means I'm open to recommendations
I mean if the goal though is to just move out to Katy or the Woodlands and be suburban, sure you're going to avoid the bad parts but my personal goal isn't suburban life. I thought Houston had a pretty vibrant urban scene in the 2010s with places like Midtown - please jump in if I'm missing something that I should be checking out.
Can you please share your thoughts and experiences in Dallas, looking to relocate there as a 24M
This is such an odd post - and the vagueness of the “2010s” makes it worse. One of your post references 2019…
Midtown was always slightly sketch and geared towards early 20s. Washington avenue bars mostly went bankrupt during Covid and has a few “nightclubs” where people have been murdered in the last few years.
People have gotten robbed at the RO District with Hermes and Dior. The galleria mall is a complete economic wasteland with safety issues as well - although it’s been that way for over a decade
How old are you bro? Houston in 2012 was very different from 2017 and obviously now
>Houston in 2012 was very different from 2017 and obviously now
Sir that's my point
Basketball people
not a fan of the airport there
The fact that you have to mention not mentioning demographics is telling. Reality is this is how all majority minority cities turn out.
Depends on where you live, lots of my friends in energy moved to hunters creek and loved it
Knee grows
Beanerz
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