Houston FBG's... (1 Viewer)

[Tecumseh]

The wife and I are tired of Atlanta and looking for a change. One of the requirements is an above average pediatric hospital, along with not being a cold climate. We're in the very preliminary stages, but I'm curious about Houston. We would not want to step out of the frying pan, and into the fire so to speak, since Atlanta is a sprawling, overcrowded mess. I understand that Houston has similar issues. However, it looks like there is affordable real estate in Surfside Beach. Google says that this would be about an hour commute- is that true? How reasonable would it be to make that commute 3 days per week (some of those would be weekend shifts)? Additionally, i work nights, so I would presumably be going against traffic. Doable?

 

[AAABatteries]

It's because we never cornholed, isn't it?    

 

[bigbottom]

I’m thinking Surfside into downtown Houston would be closer to 80-90 minutes once we get back to pre-pandemic traffic levels. Maybe ten minutes shorter than that if you’re going to the Med Center. Also, you’ll have the benefit of using the brand new express toll on 288 if you don’t mind the cost. That may shave off some additional time. But I still think you’ll be north of an hour commute. I live south of Houston in Pearland so let me know if you have any questions.

p.s. It would be awesome if you ended up at TCH.  I went back and read through our exchanges and it is just so incredible to see the path your life has taken.

 

[Ron Swanson]

I no longer live in Houston but spent 20+ years there and go back frequently.  I agree with BB's assessment.  I would also add that you should probably go visit Surfside before getting too excited.  If you've never spent much time at the beach you might love it. But if you're a "beach person" it might fall short compared to other beaches.  It is also neighbors some of the largest chemical plants in the world in Freeport. If I ever had to move back to Houston, as a "saltwater guy" I suppose I would consider it but if I didn't have to move to Houston it wouldn't be a desired location.

 

[MTskibum]

I could live in Surfside, but that would be a crappy commute.

Do you work at a pediatric hospital, what about the corpus area? I think you could live closer to the water and work there.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Mr R agrees with Bigbottom.  It's a straight shot commute, but more like 80-90 minutes.  But why Surfside in particular?  There might be other nice options if we knew what things you are looking for.  (We live on the SW side, over by Sugar Land.)

You can try HAR for listings.

Mr R adds that he considers Surfside to be something of a dive.  He describes it as home of the T-shirt shop and the bait shack.  He does admit that he hasn't been there in a while.

 

[Tecumseh]

I’m thinking Surfside into downtown Houston would be closer to 80-90 minutes once we get back to pre-pandemic traffic levels. Maybe ten minutes shorter than that if you’re going to the Med Center. Also, you’ll have the benefit of using the brand new express toll on 288 if you don’t mind the cost. That may shave off some additional time. But I still think you’ll be north of an hour commute. I live south of Houston in Pearland so let me know if you have any questions.

p.s. It would be awesome if you ended up at TCH.  I went back and read through our exchanges and it is just so incredible to see the path your life has taken.

That's where I'd be looking. CHOA is a top 10 peds heme/onc program, so I'd love to work somewhere that is at least lateral, and possibly superior to what we offer.

I no longer live in Houston but spent 20+ years there and go back frequently.  I agree with BB's assessment.  I would also add that you should probably go visit Surfside before getting too excited.  If you've never spent much time at the beach you might love it. But if you're a "beach person" it might fall short compared to other beaches.  It is also neighbors some of the largest chemical plants in the world in Freeport. If I ever had to move back to Houston, as a "saltwater guy" I suppose I would consider it but if I didn't have to move to Houston it wouldn't be a desired location.

Good info about the chemical plants. We are "beach people," I suppose, but prefer quiet to bustling. I hate Panama City and what Destin has become. We're more inclined toward St. George Island style- few or no high rises, not a big party town. If we could afford it, and could find work, we live on Cape San Blas.

I could live in Surfside, but that would be a crappy commute.

Do you work at a pediatric hospital, what about the corpus area? I think you could live closer to the water and work there.

I'm looking specifically at pediatric oncology hospitals. I didn't realize the peds hospital there had a heme/onc program, and it's not ranked by US News. I'd be interested in looking into it, though. Thank you!

Mr R agrees with Bigbottom.  It's a straight shot commute, but more like 80-90 minutes.  But why Surfside in particular?  There might be other nice options if we knew what things you are looking for.  (We live on the SW side, over by Sugar Land.)

You can try HAR for listings.

Mr R adds that he considers Surfside to be something of a dive.  He describes it as home of the T-shirt shop and the bait shack.  He does admit that he hasn't been there in a while.

I was looking at Surfside because the home prices are pretty reasonable for being right on the beach. It may well be worth it to me to make that kind of drive a few days per week if I were living on the water. I'd of course have to visit first to scope it out before we did anything. If all else failed, I could always rent a room in the city, work my shifts, then drive home.

 

[cosjobs]

Man, I'd love to have you in Texas, but Surfside beach is the worst. And those chemical plants literally cast a shadow over the area. Its awful.

I've spent a lot of time and Galveston. Its far superior and not crazy expensive, but that commute is intolerable. And its even worse on weekend, but the Med Center does shave off a little time. 

If you can get by with freshwater lakes you might check Dell Children's Hsop. in Austin. More expensive to live here, but a lot of other plusses. You could live pretty cheap on LBJ, but still a 70+ minute commute. 

 

[Major]

I think the Houston area is a great place for any medical professional, I'm just not so sure Surfside is the spot I'd decide on.  Fun place to visit for a beach day but outside of that I'd be concerned about hurricanes, floods, pollution,  etc if I was buying properly there.  The beaches here have a lot to be desired.  I enjoy it in the winter but the summers are just brutal.  The daily work commute would be enough to discourage me but we all value different things (and if gas pushes $4/gallon again, that drive can get pricey).  I'd definitely rent initially to see what areas of town you like and what makes sense.  

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

I think the Houston area is a great place for any medical professional, I'm just not so sure Surfside is the spot I'd decide on.  Fun place to visit for a beach day but outside of that I'd be concerned about hurricanes, floods, pollution,  etc if I was buying properly there.  The beaches here have a lot to be desired.  I enjoy it in the winter but the summers are just brutal.  The daily work commute would be enough to discourage me but we all value different things (and if gas pushes $4/gallon again, that drive can get pricey).  I'd definitely rent initially to see what areas of town you like and what makes sense.  

OP seems to live on or near the Florida Gulf Coast, so he likely understands hurricanes and storm surge.

 

[AAABatteries]

OP seems to live on or near the Florida Gulf Coast, so he likely understands hurricanes and storm surge.

He’s in Atlanta - if he’s anything like me (and for his sake I hope he isn’t) then he’s clueless about storm surge.

 

[Chemical X]

you could be curious about Raleigh.  piles of medical and bio careers.  2 hours from beaches, 2 hours from mountains.  

 

[Tecumseh]

you could be curious about Raleigh.  piles of medical and bio careers.  2 hours from beaches, 2 hours from mountains.  

Raleigh would probably appeal to my wife, since she prefers more changes of season, but I really don’t care for the Atlantic coast very much.

I did talk to a coworker tonight, and she happened to say that Texas beaches are more like Atlantic beaches than what I’m used to in the gulf.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Raleigh would probably appeal to my wife, since she prefers more changes of season, but I really don’t care for the Atlantic coast very much.

I did talk to a coworker tonight, and she happened to say that Texas beaches are more like Atlantic beaches than what I’m used to in the gulf.

When we were in LA, Mr R found those soft, sandy beaches to be very odd.  I laughed.

 

[Ron Swanson]

Raleigh would probably appeal to my wife, since she prefers more changes of season, but I really don’t care for the Atlantic coast very much.

I did talk to a coworker tonight, and she happened to say that Texas beaches are more like Atlantic beaches than what I’m used to in the gulf.

Sort of.  If Atlantic beaches had brown water and tarballs on the beach. Although I have heard that the tarballs are not as frequent as when I was growing up down there.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Sort of.  If Atlantic beaches had brown water and tarballs on the beach. Although I have heard that the tarballs are not as frequent as when I was growing up down there.

I really need to point out that the brown water is silt and not necessarily pollution.

 

[Ron Swanson]

I really need to point out that the brown water is silt and not necessarily pollution.

No disagreement with that.  But it's still brown.

 

[SWC]

have you ever thought about gleason wisconsin it is cold as hell and has no hospital and has horrific mosquitos in the summer so no one lives there because of the cold and skeeters and utter lack of healthcare for miles and miles but its only probably a 20 plus hour commute to downtown houston and has relatively inexpensive housing so at least think about it that is all i am saying take that to the bank bromigos 

 

[Zasada]

My wife and I lived in the NW burbs of Houston for 11 years.  Really enjoyed it -- mostly because of the cheap cost of living, and great food (Tex-Mex, Mex, Cajun/Creole, BBQ) and great multicultural presence (even more food options -- Vietnamese, Ethiopian, more).  Loved the "greenness" of the city.  And while the humidity was notable, it's something that didn't bother us.

Can't speak for Surfside (nowhere near where we lived), but the traffic in Houston was my biggest complaint.  It's soul-sucking.  One of the big reasons I currently live 4 minutes away from my place of employment.

 

[Drunken Cowboy]

I am not sure there is anywhere I have liked less than Houston. The sprawl is worse than Atlanta. I didn't think the downtown was nearly as nice. In fairness I have only ever been in summer, but it is miserable. 

I second for Raleigh/Durham. 

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

In fairness I have only ever been in summer, but it is miserable. 

I figured that was what AC was for.

 

[Osaurus]

There are very few places I don’t want to go back to, but after working in Houston post-Harvey, I can add it to the list. 

 

[bigbottom]

As someone who has lived in the Midwest, the Northeast, the West Coast and the South (as well as Hawaii and overseas), I recognize that there are distinct pros and cons to living in Houston.

PROs

Good paying jobs/economy

Relatively low cost of living

No snow

Extremely diverse city

Incredible food (and highly diverse)

World class health care options

All the major sports (but see below)

All the major arts (theater, symphony, ballet)

Short drive to beaches and lakes

Great people (friendly, philanthropic)

CONs

Sprawling city

Mostly terrible traffic

Hot as balls in the summer

Mosquitos (unless you have your yard treated)

Weather events

Houston sports teams are a mess at present

Crime is not the best

No mountains anywhere

Also, regrading the beaches in the Houston/Galveston area, I will say this.  They are not pretty.  Like at all.  But they are family friendly.  50 yards out, the water is up to your knees.  You can actually let your kids play in the ocean.  You couldn’t do that in SoCal at the beaches I frequented. 

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Mosquitos (unless you have your yard treated)

I live over by 99 behind where the Gallery Furniture is.  For some odd reason, we just don't seem to get mosquitoes.  Maybe they are all down by the Brazos.  It's weird.

 

[Ron Swanson]

I live over by 99 behind where the Gallery Furniture is.  For some odd reason, we just don't seem to get mosquitoes.  Maybe they are all down by the Brazos.  It's weird.

Part of Mac's negotiations when he built the place. 

 

[bigbottom]

I live over by 99 behind where the Gallery Furniture is.  For some odd reason, we just don't seem to get mosquitoes.  Maybe they are all down by the Brazos.  It's weird.

Honestly, mosquitoes haven’t been an issue for us for probably about 7 or so years. Between our yard treatment and the municipal spraying, they rarely bother us. Of course, I’ll probably grow a third arm at some point. 

 

[Judge Smails]

I admire people who can live in the southeast. Spent time at one company based in Birmingham. Think I literally walked from my car to the front door of the frozen yogurt place and got 30 mosquito bites. Averaged 2 bites per step. 

 

[Zasada]

As someone who has lived in the Midwest, the Northeast, the West Coast and the South (as well as Hawaii and overseas), I recognize that there are distinct pros and cons to living in Houston.

PROs

Good paying jobs/economy

Relatively low cost of living

No snow

Extremely diverse city

Incredible food (and highly diverse)

World class health care options

All the major sports (but see below)

All the major arts (theater, symphony, ballet)

Short drive to beaches and lakes

Great people (friendly, philanthropic)

CONs

Sprawling city

Mostly terrible traffic

Hot as balls in the summer

Mosquitos (unless you have your yard treated)

Weather events

Houston sports teams are a mess at present

Crime is not the best

No mountains anywhere

Also, regrading the beaches in the Houston/Galveston area, I will say this.  They are not pretty.  Like at all.  But they are family friendly.  50 yards out, the water is up to your knees.  You can actually let your kids play in the ocean.  You couldn’t do that in SoCal at the beaches I frequented. 

Spot-on.

Except for the mosquitos.  Not a problem where we lived (Cy-Fair).  Didn't even have the yard treated.

Did have to treat for fire ants from time to time, though.

 

[AAABatteries]

I admire people who can live in the southeast. Spent time at one company based in Birmingham. Think I literally walked from my car to the front door of the frozen yogurt place and got 30 mosquito bites. Averaged 2 bites per step. 

Like Biggie said - we spray.  Makes a huge difference.

As for the OP - I’ve only visited Houston a few times for work and the sense I get is that Houston is very much like Atlanta when comparing cities.  If you are leaving Atlanta due to the area then it seems you are thinking of moving to Atlanta-Mex.  If you are wanting something fairly different then I’m not sure if Houston is the answer.  Obviously if you are moving for better job opportunities that’s a different story. 

 

[GordonGekko]

. Doable?

River Oaks here. As time went on, with age, I just couldn't manage the weather anymore. But my body is breaking down anyway. I liked it though otherwise but I can live mostly anywhere.

Years back, my godson needed to split time in Houston and Boston for his health. TCH took good care of him. I'm thankful and grateful for that. Can't say enough good things about them. Then again, I don't know how the sausage gets made there.  I would advise against Boston. I bought into Beacon Hill so he could have some stability there and I had a resource base in Brooklyn. Patriot fans are worse in person than on the forums, I didn't think that was possible, but hearing insufferable Belichick zealots up close,  it's like eating lint off of a carpet.

Unpleasant commute is a tax on mental health. If you can avoid it, I would. Long commutes start to mess with your home life.

Place I researched back then that might fit you is Colorado. Obviously things have changed since then. You won't get the weather you want, but the balance of everything else might work out. (You'd get a decent piece of property for your money)  Depends on your career(s) though.

 

[MTskibum]

I think surfside beach got a bad rap in this thread, I can see how some may not like it but I am down there 2-4 times a month once the water warms up to wade fish and take the kids swimming.

I would love to live in Surfside beach although the commute to my work and the insurance premiums would suck.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

I think surfside beach got a bad rap in this thread, I can see how some may not like it but I am down there 2-4 times a month once the water warms up to wade surf and take the kids swimming.

I would love to live in Surfside beach although the commute to my work and the insurance premiums would suck.

That's probably true.  But if OP picks Surfside, we're gonna have a serious talk about storm surge.

 

[gianmarco]

Like Biggie said - we spray.  Makes a huge difference.

As for the OP - I’ve only visited Houston a few times for work and the sense I get is that Houston is very much like Atlanta when comparing cities.  If you are leaving Atlanta due to the area then it seems you are thinking of moving to Atlanta-Mex.  If you are wanting something fairly different then I’m not sure if Houston is the answer.  Obviously if you are moving for better job opportunities that’s a different story. 

Yeah, this doesn't seem like much of a change from where you're coming from.

A couple other spots to consider that are at least somewhat similar:

1)  Miami -- Couple options for Children's hospitals here.  Miami is a different city than most, but plenty of pros to go with the cons.

2)  Charlotte -- Some similarities to Atlanta but not nearly as sprawling.  Decent Children's hospital.

3)  Memphis -- Coldest of the options but still not that bad and not much different than Atlanta.  St. Jude's is a premier facility

4)  California (LA/SF/SD) -- Probably the biggest difference from where you are now and much higher cost of living overall.  But, technically will fit your criteria.