City Of Houston

Born and raised! Nothing but love for the big H here. It may not meet many people's standards of a beautiful city, but Houston has its own charms. Can't beat the food scene, plenty of nice parks, museums, beautiful skyline, wide open spaces…Houston has it all.

It gets an A in being sprawling. It's a 45 mile drive from city center to the airport. Without getting into too many details, it's a world class city with a medical downtown par excellence, and what feels like at least three other downtowns. If you have a day you can see a lot of the good things on foot, and you should because you'll spot some great unexpected things along the way.

Living in Houston is horrible. There are murders and shootings every single day. There isn't a morning where I turn on the news and there aren't stories about multiple murders. There are homeless people all over downtown and the city does nothing about them. They use drugs and defecate all over Main Street and the city turns a blind eye. It's hot, it smells, it's humid, this is 100% the armpit of the Unites States. This isn't gods country, but more like Hell. Why do I live here ?!?! Lol. I need a new job. The Mayor is a loser too.

4th largest city in US. Is Houston worth it? Worth spending your time and dime?

When I planned our trip to NOLA last summer, Houston was not in the picture. In fact, I had only intended to visit NOLA. Other Texan cities I have ever visited before was Fort Worth and Dallas. The younger version of myself's impression of Texas was muddled – all I recall were highways and oil fields. Not to mention guns and crime you hear incessantly on the news. It doesn't help that locals seem like the idea of scaring tourists with their "wild wild west stories". So you can understand my reservation towards visiting another city in Texas. (Though Kimbell Art Museum by Louis Kahn and Tadao Ando's Modern Art Museum were both gems of Fort Worth.)

A decade later, I have learned to put my social constructs in the deep freezer and do some re-thinking/re-evaluation.

Lo and behold while I was in the deep freezer, I found some brisket. An idea was born; try Texas' best BBQ. As my excursion to Portland before led us to Matt's Bbq (Texas style) which is now ranked 5th in all of USA. Wouldn't it be fantastic to try the best bbq of Texas?

Sure debates are endless who is the best. All I can say is find the one with the longest line. Then you will find the "best"!

Anyhoot I digress, Houston turned out to be a serendipitous city of marvel. There are dangerous parts, ugly parts, beautiful parts, phenomenal parts. The charm of Houston is that it does it all. It can match New York and Chicago the skyscrapers and Cali for the food and everywhere else for entertainment The food and beverage scene is just mind blowing. I need to stay there couple of years at least to try all the top joints. Such melting pot of diversity.

Icing on the cake are the museums which for most part are free. Unlike other cities charging 30$ a pop. Ahem New York, NOLA…… Houston's are free. Wondertastic.

About crime, most folks seem harmless. We accidentally had to walk a long stretch of "bad part" of town on our way to the Pit Room. Homeless folks asked for change and others just stared a bit. Nothing come of it. Being Asian may just be an advantage here. Also helps to have East Hastings Street in our town of Vancouver. Similar deal.

We spent 1/2 of our stay without a car so relied on public transit which is very convenient and affordable. At the time of writing it is $1.25 one way. The other 1/2 of our stay was with a rental car. Depending where you stay, downtown parking can be costly but obviously you can see more and avoid "bad" areas.

All in all, Houston was very impressive. It is much better than I had anticipated. It sits somewhere between New York and Chicago in terms of the cityscape if you are into architecture and design. Food and beverages are one of the tops. I am very taken by their dedication to the arts. Kudos Houston.

Would definitely need to go back to explore more.

Today was a sad day.A dog got hit by a motorcycl.and went in my neighbor's yard and died.called 311 for animal pickup. Lady on the phone told me to ho outside and put animal to curb. Why do I have to do the city's job.its ridicious. U have to do there job.Im not a animal control person. If a animal dies in your area.be prepard.to pick it up yourself

I have place an order for trash bin for about 3 weeks now and every time I call 311 they always say my case still open I don't know what is the problem that it's taking so long for a trash bin

Traffic sucks. Parking sucks. Nightlife SUUUUUUUUCKS. Music scene sucks. Art scene sucks. The people are all kinda meh.

BUT the Mexican food is amazing. The Tex Mex is amazing. The Vietnamese food is amazing. There's a chance to make money damn near anywhere. There's tons of hustle and opportunities everywhere. The yards and lawns and backyards and two car driveways and garages are awesome. And sometimes, sometimes the people are kinda alright.

Three stars. For now.

I love living in Houston and furthermore love living downtown. However, despite the great restaurants and culture, the vulgarity, aggressiveness, uncleanliness and rampant drug public drug use is almost unbearable. It's gotten to the point where you can't even grocery shop without having one of the public nuisances bothering you for money or food.

The city has got to do something about this. Unfortunately the folks who make the decisions for the city don't have to suffer this daily homeless accosting. Maybe I need to start posting videos and pictures on every social media site of what we have to contend with and then maybe the city would be embarrassed enough to do something about it.

It's irritating to know that anytime there's a large event in Houston that the city can disperse the homeless to other areas to avoid embarrassment and shame but any other day of the week they could care less. Do we as city tax payers have a say in having to step over human s*%t in the streets or hopping over a puddle of fresh pee? How about enforcing vagrancy and loitering laws. How about taking fire hose to the tent cities? How about the millions of dollars spent by HFD for responding to overdoses and many times by the same person? How about the millions lost by our medical facilities? How about the vandalism that we as citizens have to endure and pay for out of our pockets because the city won't do anything about this issue?

The only reason these folks aren't being locked up is because the city and/or county cannot make any revenue off of them. Don't get me wrong. I fully support HPD, HCSO and Constables but feel Harris County and the City of Houston have issued orders to leave them alone. Sad, Sad, Sad. Guess I'll just have to start posting so everyone can see what the REAL Downtown Houston is about.

Houston is so large and multifaceted that it's difficult to distill down to a single quantitative rating. It's an area toward which I have a positive attitude, but there's an interesting and conflicting mix of dynamics that needs to be addressed when discussing H-town.

The Sunbelt phenomenon has been shifting U.S. demographics for decades and Houston is in that fold. Houston is now America's 4th largest city and is expected to soon trade places with Chicago to become America's 3rd largest. Not counting its suburbs, Houston has over 2.3 million residents and its land area now exceeds 600 square miles. Los Angeles, once America's largest city, packs in its 4 million people in some 460 square miles, but still has many parts with post-war stucco ranch homes where you can park two cars between adjacent driveways. This relationship then says that Houston is even more capacious but, then, this is Texas we're talking about. If you want more to chew on, New York City packs in over 8 million people into 330 square miles, yet many outlying parts of the city's boroughs feel verdant, and even manageable.

Befitting a big metro area like Houston is its big city mentality. H-town has never been a hick town. It has been a port of entry to the U.S. for over a century in addition to having its history intertwined with that of neighboring Mexico. Its African-American community has always been a dominant force and the metro area is now home to people from many Asian countries and reportedly has several Chinatowns. Many fairly recently arrived European and Latin American people also call it home and a major real estate website can be displayed in numerous languages. Like anywhere else, there will be some snooty people and enclaves, but the area's old money was built on the oil patch and there is nothing genteel about that. H-town knows its roots. It's the home of Shell, Exxon-Mobil, and Schlumberger, but has become increasingly diversified.

With its broad expanses, the housing stock is ample, keeps expanding, and, compared to major U.S. cities, it is considered affordable or, at least a good value. This is how I came to know Houston … in some Houston-sited movies such as "Terms of Endearment," I saw the brick homes set under the pinewood canopy. This caused me to wake up and smell the coffee because I had assumed all of Texas to be mesquite studded and to look parched. Houston certainly is not.

Houston's transportation system and infrastructure lag its growth. Given the area's rapid growth, Metro's light rail system is rather weak and not expanding fast enough. There's really only one viable rail line and it follows lengthy Main Street from downtown to the museums, Rice University, the Texas Medical Center, and the Reliant-Astrodome stadium complex.

Houston's crime situation is somewhat bleak. Many large swaths of the city don't feel safe. Along with this is a large public school system that has many sub-par schools and has had a tough time recruiting and retaining good teachers.

Houston weather certainly has its demerits. To get those temperate 8 months (where you can wear shorts at Christmas), one must endure a searing, humid 4 month summer. If I've stepped out of the car in May and seen the heat burbling on top of the dashboard, I don't think I'd be a happy camper there in July or August. Couple this with H-town's susceptibility to hurricanes and summers can be more intense than enjoyable.

From a culinary, cultural, and recreational standpoint, Houston has a lot in its pocket. Whether comfort food, brisket, Tex-Mex, ethnic cuisine, or fine dining, H-town is front and center in terms of variety, quality, and innovation. Its museums are world class and there are many avant garde galleries throughout the city. H-town is also the only big Texan metro area to have a beach. The beach is not in Houston proper, but at Galveston on the Gulf of Mexico some 45 miles south. It doesn't matter that it's not an idyllic crystalline Gulf beach. It's still a beach! However, with the staggering distances in this part of the country, Houston is somewhat geographically isolated.

One of Houston's most likable qualities is how informal and friendly it is for a city its size. The fluidity of people coming and going, the need for less clothing than up north, and the lack of density might help foster this. While not of the "The Price is Right" "come on down" variety, H-town has an easy going and welcoming way about it.

The demonym for a resident is a Houstonian. It sounds noble. I can only think of one other American demonym that might surpass it – a Phoenician! It's funny in that these are both younger cities with growing pains that are attracting people with opportunity and affordability and are anything but stiff upper lipped and blue blooded.

Houston makes for a heady mix. It's safely A-OK, despite its glaring positives and negatives, and it has certainly attracted and retained many newcomers.

The absolute worst city in the United States for animal abuse and neglect. I have never, ever seen so much abuse on animals as in this city. Nothing is done to prevent this from happening as the politicians turn a blind eye and do not enforce any laws or penalties for these crimes. I have been here six years and can't wait to move. It will never stop but only continue because the people doing it know that they CAN. I have never seen such an uncompassionate city in my entire life. I hate this city and the people who let it happen without doing anything to stop it. Stay as far away as you can if you have any love at all for animals. Because they don't.

Houston is one great and organized city. You would think of other large cities in the USA when involving the arguments of crime rates, the education system, safety and other statistics you should consider as an investor. Houston can be a model city for showing the great American melting pot experience. No wonder why it attracts giant national and foreign investors.
Most importantly:
Houston is the perfect atmosphere to have potential successful and 'game-changing' children. They (Texas in general) do have one of the best education systems I witnessed internationally.
***A few suggestions we can "possibly" offer, that would help making Houston "even greater".

**the above info were based on my personal experiences, live incidents I witnessed, also; statistics I personally collected or estimated.

There's something interesting I learned in Economics about rent. It's the reason living downtown, or close to mass transit is more expensive, and the reason NYC has some of the highest rents around… Amenity value.

Most big cities have tons to do, and lots of other excitement. This is what I was expecting when I was planning a trip to Houston, though my primary intention was visiting a friend. After spending a couple nights, I found there's not too much around (except for a great dining scene). Hence the much cheaper rent!

Crime… I was fortunate in that I did not personally have any run-ins with shady or severely misguided people, but my friend warned me several times about walking alone, especially at night. She says this is getting better though, so… fingers crossed for the future.

There is the Space Center, which was awesome for a nerd like me. Museum of fine arts was pretty cool, though in fairness I've seen them larger.

Other places though… the aquarium is a restaurant with a small "aquarium" on premises. Health Museum? Much smaller than anticipated; great for kids though. Holocaust Museum? Alas, it was closed.

There are some other museums I hadn't gone too, and a couple cool seeming parks… but that I will leave for next time!

Another thing: the city is huge! Twice the size of NYC by area. There is mass transit, but not like NYC subways. Looking back I should have rented a car, or made a road trip out of it.

I do look forward to going back at some point, but more to see my friend and eat some, with seeing more of the city being secondary.

Very nice city. Went to Houston for quick gathering. Did not have the chance to explore the city. But from my experience, it is a nice. The restaurants that I went to were very delicious. Traffic seemed to be ok. Meaning if you have lived in Austin or Dallas, the traffic should be no different. But worth travel. But wish I could stay longer to check out the Art district. But a good reason to go to Houston again.

LPWe will need your help in advance for any looking for seafood place here in Houston Texas I live off of live off of Beltway

Houston always be one of the best places to be Texas trill ! Always living night and city never sleeps! Got lots of cools places to be like zoo or church. So many clubs and very good places to be for everyone don't forget to stop by Houston's!!!!

Man I love my new city! I've lived all over, and have found things to like everywhere I go, but this time I hope we stay in one place for a while.

Houston is a complex blend of extremes. The people, the food, the weather…will all push you to the edge. So if you like living on the edge, you'll love it here.

First, the people. We are coming in from all over. From near and far, and we are coming for all sorts of reasons. With this many people coming here from other states and countries you can stop anyone on the street and start a lively conversation.

Second, the food. Here in Houston you can literally find food from all over the world that rocks your tastebuds, without breaking your wallet. If you like the food truck scene, especially taco trucks, then come and stay a while.

Third, the weather. It doesn't snow often, but it does. The summer heat is merciless. However, at least six months out of every year are ideal for whatever it is you want to do.

Why only four stars. Crime. It's out there. All major metropolitan areas deal with it, and that's sad. Unfortunately, with the population growing, the level of criminality is also on the rise. I really hope things calm down.

Come and visit us!

I love Houston鈥? they have some of the best restaurant鈥?and friendliest people. Also, the place is huge and you could never fully see everything in Houston鈥?unless you took off work for 3 months. There is never a dull moment here. They everything for the family, for friends hanging out, for the party goer and for the elderly. Also, its guaranteed鈥嬧€?that you know someone from there and if you don't鈥?then you will make a friend while you visit鈥?it.

There are 4 main problems with Houston:
The traffic is terrible鈥?and will always be.
It is incredibly humid and hot.
Also, every single鈥?highway has tolls and the prices are incredibly high.
Also, it is very鈥?pricey鈥?in downtown. But anything good in life is expensive unless you visit Mexico.

Houston is NOT my favorite city…but what I do love is the diversity. It almost always affords you the opportunity to expand your cultural horizons. From foods to fashion to fun…. you can visit 20 countries in one week!

I love that we can experience different tribes and genres and ethnicities just by living in one city…

(Buuuuuut… traffic is painful)

I saved my 100th review of 2017 for H-Town. More than a decade ago, my family and I took only our belongings and move down to Houston on a two-day drive from Minneapolis, MN. Upon moving to Houston, I had no idea what to expect since I was too little to know. It was too cold and lonely in MN so we wanted to begin a new life in Houston.

At first, I immediately wanted to move back to MN. Life here didn't feel like home. Growing up in Houston was full of the ups-and-downs from the frustrating traffic, crowded places, and humid weather. After living here for years, the city started to grow on me. I have been able to meet some good friends along the way and survived several hurricanes and floods. 2017 has been an incredible year for Houston from enduring hurricanes to winning the World Series and getting some winter snow. H-Town is always going strong.

Houston does have a lot to offer from its diversity to the abundant of places to grab good food. Everyone came together in the midst of a hurricane to help their neighbors. There are many opportunities here in terms of school and work. Houston is always changing from building new roads to building new businesses and houses. Despite its downside, this city has become my home.

I love this city! Great food and even better people! There's so much entertainment via the arts and sports, plus our museums are great.

So many reasons for me to personally NOT like Houston! I just moved back after being gone for over 10 years! Life has changed here and it's all about perspective! You make what you want out of being where you are.

Besides that, I have never seen a city come together in the midst of complete devastation during/after Hurricane Harvey! There is so much Love for others in the city of Houston!

There is no other place quite like Houston!
Love the diversity and the FOOD! You can't get it better anywhere else!

It's a Good city full of friendlier people. 😉

"Be Someone."

There was an event on yelp about the International Bacon Fest going on so I decided to drive to Houston for the weekend. I was very disappointed about the false advertisements about it being a bacon fest! It was so hot and so limited shades seating area . No entertainments for the kids except a big size checker connect the color game that was too high for toddlers and short kids to reach up to play. The three food trucks we stop by ran out of dishes that had bacon. The one line that actually did had bacon wrap chicken was way too long to stand with a toddler. The drink lines was also long. I would recommended next time to have a snowball or ice cream stand for the kids to enjoyed in that heat and have more food trucks that actually sell foods that has bacon. I really wanted some bacon donuts for dessert and they didn't have any.

I couldn't be more disgusted. What type of city measures its viability by its size? Being a large city is a double edged sword…. but since everything's bigger in Tx so are the cons. Ring from California I have no appetite for having no voice. This is a town purely for those who were born and bred in this toilet. Being from somewhere else makes you see things as they are figuratively and literally. 100% aesthetically incorrect. Hideously designed looks like an abandoned oil field. Can't wait to move back to sanity and beauty

I had a great time but a weekend isn't enough. You're just too big to explore. I will be back and will conquer more of you.

I love visiting ! I have family here and they make sure I always have a good time in the city. The downtown area seems clean and trendy. I love all the different types of restaurants. No matter where I go, I can always find a good drink here. Never a shortage of things to do. From bowling to walking around in the Giant Galleria, having fun is guaranteed.