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I'm surprised that Houston isn't considered as a reasonable alternative for Austin. It has all the benefits of the Texas state government, but the cost of livin

I'm surprised that Houston isn't considered as a reasonable alternative for Austin. It has all the benefits of the Texas state government, but the cost of living is basically half of what it is in Austin, or a third of what it is in SV. There are no zoning laws, which means that it can expand endlessly and has a similar feeling to other cities without zoning laws, ie: you'll find a dive bar in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Montrose has such an awesome, dirty, authentic feeling. I could gush forever about Houston. The city already survived the oil booms of the past and retained a unique feeling -- the injection of tech money isn't going to change that. Between NASA's JSC, Rice University, and the University of Houston, there's a half-decent talent pool to draw from. For a deeper talent pool, it's just a few hours away from all of Austin, Dallas, and College Station. "Houston is a cruel, crazy town on a filthy river in East Texas with no zoning laws and a culture of sex, money and violence. It's a shabby, sprawling metropolis ruled by brazen women, crooked cops and super-rich pansexual cowboys who live by the code of the west—which can mean just about anything you need it to mean, in a pinch." - Hunter S. Thompson

drivingmenuts 6y ago
Houston is also hotter than the forges of Hell in summer and almost as humid as New Orleans, mixed with the occasional hurricane which is usually a total disaster. Culturally, Houston has never been marketed as the weird, offbeat town that Austin used to be, which makes it less attractive to Californians seeking new experiences. While there used to be money in Houston, and there probably still is, it’s oil and shipping money, old and conservative, which had its dreams crushed after the oil booms of the 80s. Enron was the hammer that drove the final nail in the coffin holding the withered, dessicated corpse of Houston. Sooner or later, it will be Austin’s turn.
rel2thr 6y ago
On paper it’s good I agree, there’s potential, but there’s not a critical mass of tech jobs. Austin has a 30+ year head start on marketing
alach11 6y ago
As someone who lives in Houston, the cities just have completely different appeals. Austin has invested heavily in green spaces, and has way more to do nearby.
KirillPanov 6y ago
> has a similar feeling to other cities without zoning laws Are there any other large cities without zoning laws? I've been to Houston once. It was definitely weird, sort of as if all the different types of buildings you'd find in a normal city had been shuffled like a big deck of cards.
mkoubaa 6y ago
We have a saying about Houston here in Austin "Life's too short to live in Houston"

drivingmenuts 6y ago

Houston is also hotter than the forges of Hell in summer and almost as humid as New Orleans, mixed with the occasional hurricane which is usually a total disaster. Culturally, Houston has never been marketed as the weird, offbeat town that Austin used to be, which makes it less attractive to Californians seeking new experiences. While there used to be money in Houston, and there probably still is, it’s oil and shipping money, old and conservative, which had its dreams crushed after the oil booms of the 80s. Enron was the hammer that drove the final nail in the coffin holding the withered, dessicated corpse of Houston. Sooner or later, it will be Austin’s turn.

rel2thr 6y ago

On paper it’s good I agree, there’s potential, but there’s not a critical mass of tech jobs. Austin has a 30+ year head start on marketing

alach11 6y ago

As someone who lives in Houston, the cities just have completely different appeals. Austin has invested heavily in green spaces, and has way more to do nearby.

KirillPanov 6y ago

> has a similar feeling to other cities without zoning laws Are there any other large cities without zoning laws? I've been to Houston once. It was definitely weird, sort of as if all the different types of buildings you'd find in a normal city had been shuffled like a big deck of cards.

mkoubaa 6y ago

We have a saying about Houston here in Austin "Life's too short to live in Houston"