Moving from EU to Huston
Hi All
I have a very interesting opportunity to move from Europe to Houston to work for the same energy corporation I'm working for now. From a career perspective, the move makes sense (higher salary, higher position within the company) and I am seriously considering it. Therefore, I'm looking for some additional information about living in Houston (I already went through some discussions here on WSO but they are not too recent).
For example, I would be interested to know which are the best neighborhoods where to live considering that:
- I would like to stay in a residential complex with all amenities such as pool, gym, etc..
- Budget of roughly 2000 $/month
- Single
- I will be working in Downtown
So far I was looking at River Oaks, Montrose... any other neighborhoods?
Is it really important to stay within the 610 loop? Uptown would be out of 610?
What about living in Downtown to be closer to the office?
I thank you in advance for your opinion.
https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/off-topic/living-in-houston
Mentioned in the linked thread, Galleria or Midtown are great places to look at if you're working downtown. Someone else feel free to chime in, but West End wouldn't be bad either? You're single, so the 'burbs are out (for now). Which also means the commutes are out too thankfully.
For some more follow-up: JonnyDrama is right to not bother about Galveston. Galveston's only value is Moody Gardens. But even then, just go once every handful of years to say you did and live out the "what if the movie Biodome was real?" experience.
And for Whataburger? Whataburger is love, Whataburger is life. You'll come quick to love the specialty meals like the Honey BBQ Chicken Strip Sandwhich, or A1 Thick & Hearty. And the breakfast taquitos with Picante sauce? Oh lord in heaven...
You're definitely going to have to buy a car. One of the double edged sword aspects of TX is it is that big, which also means you absolutely need a vehicle. Speaking of cars, the joke but reality is that you keep gloves in your car not for winter, but for summer. Because just a heads up, it really does get that hot here and if you have a black vehicle with a black leather interior, you can do an actual, factual, recreation of the end of Terminator 2 where he gives the thumbs up while sinking into the molten steel.
Thanks for your comment.. Do you have any insight about River Oaks?
In all honesty, I do not. I know it exists, but that's about it, really.
Shopping district is cool. Gotta be smart at night for crime but theres so much to do. Likely will be over 2k but not horrible. Montrose, midtown and heights are good too.
$2k will likely price you out of River Oaks, there are few apartment buildings there. Mostly $5M+ homes that have been selling for cheaper because they flood like crazy. The nice, new 1 bedroom towers are renting up to $4k, $2k will get you something nice enough but it won't be the ultra-luxury buildings. Downtown is an option, lots of nice buildings but that is a loud area, lots of clubs, party kids, homeless people. It is also not safe to walk around after dark and you can forget about public transit. Not really grocery stores or cafes, so Downtown wouldn't be my first choice.
Midtown is popular but again, loud with lots of young people. Assuming you are a few years into your career and maybe not looking to go out 3x a week, I'd look into the Heights, Rice Military, Montrose, or the area around Washington. The Galleria area is very nice but the traffic is hellish during rush hour, you are looking at a 30-40 min commute - it's not far at all and literally just down 1 road, the traffic is just that bad.
As I mentioned, public transit is absolutely a no-go, and even downtown is not that walkable. Everyone drives a car everywhere so you'll need to factor a vehicle into this.
I also would personally get an apartment at least on the second floor, and ideally somewhere where you can park your car on the 2nd floor or higher - Houston is in the path of hurricanes and there is a major flood event every few years. Actually, River Oaks gets hit particularly hard most of the time.
To be quite frank I imagine Houston will be a downgrade from Europe, not that it's a bad place to live but the infrastructure, public transit, zoning laws etc are all kind of nonexistent which makes it a weird spot... i.e. industrial waste zone directly next to a school/apartment
If it's possible perhaps you could go for a weekend and drive around all of these areas (make sure to drive around at night too) to get a feel for which areas you like best.
First things first, Uptown is honorary inside the loop.
I'm going to recommend some apartment buildings you might like.
2929 Weslayan
The James Park Place & The Ivy Park Place (right next to each other in River Oaks)
Skyhouse (River Oaks and other locations)
Hanover (Montrose and other locations)
Market Square Tower (Downtown)
As far as neighborhoods go check out Memorial Park area, West U, & River Oaks as you mentioned. Check out EADO (East Downtown) as well.
Hope this helps.
Stay in the heights, rice military, midtown, or Washington area. Commute will be somewhere between 15-30 mins to downtown depending on traffic and where your office is.
Going to go against the grain here and recommend that you live downtown for your first year, assuming you're staying in Houston longer than two years. Houston is massive and the traffic going in and out of downtown during rush hour is horrible. Moving to a new country and having to deal with a long commute, heavy traffic and crazy drivers doesn't sound ideal or enjoyable.
If you live downtown, you can just keep it simple and walk to work everyday. There's an underground tunnel system throughout all of downtown that everyone uses during the day. The only issue with the tunnels is that they close at 6-6:30pm but if you're not in banking you should be able to use them to walk home in time. Check this map out and find out where your office building is and coordinate tunnel entrances with apartments (your office building likely has an entrance): https://www.downtownhouston.org/media/uploads/attachments/2016-07-28/20…
This way you have a very easy commute to work and you can take your time to explore the Houston neighborhoods once you start going out with colleagues or friends to figure out some areas you really like. Houston is too big to plan a weekend trip to explore the neighborhoods and tour all of the apartment buildings. Despite what everyone tells you, you don't actually need a car if you live downtown. Most of the neighborhoods are a five-ten minute uber away and you can get groceries delivered. A few analysts I know that moved from out of state with no cars do this and they have no issues. I live downtown, walk to work everyday and only use my car like twice a week max to only get groceries or go shopping somewhere. Most people from Texas/Houston don't live downtown because they're already very familiar with the area and have had time to figure out where to live and any commuting shortcuts.
Totally up to you but I would 100% recommend downtown in your situation.
Thanks for your comment. How is Downtown in terms of safety?
I'd be bored as heck living downtown. They're doing a decent job of bringing more fun things to do but it still looks pretty dead from friday at 5 to monday at 8.
The Heights
I really like Montrose, would be pretty close to downtown. Autry Park and Regent Square are two new developments in Montrose that are pretty cool, 1brs likely to be right around $2k. Several decently nice apartment options nearby that would be significantly less than $2k. I'd avoid midtown unless you are fresh out of college.
Is all of Montrose a safe neighborhood or are there some areas that it is better to avoid?
Yeah its safe, I feel pretty safe in just about every Houston neighborhood with the exception of a few pockets of Midtown. Car break ins are pretty common city wide but just don't leave a backpack/laptop bag out in plain view.
Both myself and my girlfriend go on walks/runs through the neighborhood late at night and never feel concerned about safety.
Thinking of this from a European perspective....Heights
1. Really only walkable neighboorhod in Houston
2. 15 minutes from downtown
3. Lots of non-Starbucks coffee shops
4. Decent amount of Europeans live here....3 on my block for example
5. Young moderate Left neighborhood if that matters to you
Most apartment complexes have what you are looking for in terms of amenities and $2,000 is pretty safe guidance unless you are looking at staying in a fancy highrise (i.e. I pay ~$1,600 right now for a 1 bedroom in midtown). As far as the different parts of town, below are some thoughts you might find helpful from someone who has lived in Midtown, Uptown & The Heights:
Midtown: The primary demographic is the low to mid 20's crowd, frequenting the clubbier / college type bars. It is a super easy commute up to downtown to work (could technically walk - although not advisable during summer months). I will say I spent a summer without a car and commuted via train. I lived within the path of the train that runs through the city and it is not as bad as people make it seem, the worst that happens is getting asked for money by homeless dudes (happens a few times / month). In regards to safety, I spent many an evening walking to and from aforementioned bars during the weekends and never felt unsafe as a fit male. Most of midtown is pretty urban and surrounded by buildings without much green space. The western part of midtown that borders montrose is a lot more suburban and has a few parks / greener backdrop in general.
Downtown: Houston's downtown tends to be fairly empty on the weekends unless an Astros game is going on. There are quite a few bars on main street and a handful of restaurants but a large portion of the restaurants / shops tailor their hours to the typical workday. There is always the odd homeless guy walking around but i have not heard of anyone having issues. Main pro of living downtown would be proximity to work and potential to forego a car purchase. Its not NY but it definitely has the concrete jungle feel if you dont get out of the city often.
Montrose: Definitely inhabited by quite a few of the rainbow flag donning folks. The area is largely residential. There are some decent restaurants here and it is located in a very close proximity to downtown as well. Most parts of Montrose are walkable to Buffalo Bayou. It is definitely the area of town I know the least about by proxy of only commuting through most times.
The Heights: Decent mix of mid-20's and 30's crowd. It is a pretty common transition to move from midtown to the heights after a few years when you get tired of the clubbier / college-like bars in midtown. It is definitely a more suburban area with a litany of townhomes and houses but there are still quite a few apartment complexes. The commute is definitely better than uptown as most mornings are 15-20 minutes tops. If you are in your late 20's and will be buying or renting a car, I would recommend giving the heights very serious consideration.
Uptown: This is where the Galleria (big mall) is located, in addition to quite a few offices as quite a few big buildings have popped up here over the past few years due to closing proximity to the western suburbs of the city. It is a bit on the pricier side and is more suburban than any of the aforementioned areas. Traffic here is pretty brutal with the combination of the mall, offices and location (just outside I-610).
A few additional locations to consider...
EaDo: (East Downtown) EaDo has undergone a ton of gentrification in the past few years. It used to be pretty ghetto but now there are quite a few bars / beer gardens / restaurants and new apartment complexes are popping up. It is actually a pretty fun area to spend a day in. Proximity to downtown is a big perk however there is still the odd homeless guy walking around at times.
Med Center: Mainly inhabited by employees of the vast hospital network in the city. There are some cool parks (Hermann Park) and the Zoo in the area. Also very close to Rice. Havent spent much time in the area but have heard mixed things about living there.
I hope this was helpful! Feel free to PM if you have any questions I may be able to answer.
Est non ut ipsa aut quo. Similique architecto rem quaerat.
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