Well, it’s finally happened. I’m relocating to Houston. I know there are a number of Houstonians (is that the right term?) on the board, and I’m hoping you can help me. I’ll be starting the search for either an apartment or a condo and I was wondering if anyone had any advice as to neighborhood, realtor, etc. I’ve heard that Montrose and the Museum District were good places to live. Is this true?

Any help you can give is appreciated. Thanks!

You are correct that there are quite a few of us on here. There is another big Houston-based forum that you should review as well (might be a better place to post your questions and do research).

You are welcome to PM me if you want the link.

You don't event need a realtor. PM me and I can give you the web addresses of a few condos/ apartment complexes in the area you are looking for.

You can negotatiate a better deal directly - Houston is really a small town masquerading as a large city, so it is easy to find a decent place at a reasonable price.

Cowboy

My best advice as someone who has lived in Houston for 15 years is to live someplace resonalby close to where you will be working. Houston is a very big, spread out region, and spending 45 minutes to an hour in your car each way is no one's idea of fun. That said, most of the trendier and gayer areas of the city are going to be inner loop, the area surrounded by the I-610 loop, espcially the western side of it. Montrose is the heart of the gay community, but it has rapidly gentrified in the last 5 years and many long time residents are now priced out. The Heights, north of montrose has many older dwellings, and has a bit of small town feel. It also has many gay people living there. The area around the museums, and to the west, University Place and Bellaire are also very nice areas close-in, but with housing stock that is mostly of recent consruction, as all the original bungalows have been torn down.

Welcome to Houston...pretty much what everyone has already posted it about it. I would definitely live close to your job or where you would like to hang out.

Myself...I just moved out of the SW (Braeburn Valley) area for the nice relaxing island life on Galveston Island's west side.

Thanks for the advice. I've spent a few weeks in Houston (flying back and forth - spending some time in the office and some time apartment hunting) and have decided that I won't be living anywhere near my office. The office is out in the Deer Park/La Porte area, and there's just something about all those chemical plants that scares me. I managed to find a few apartment complexes that I really liked within the Inner Loop, and from what I saw, the commute will be against traffic...

Now please put my fears to rest - I won't get lynched living down there, will I?

Thanks!

As long as you stay away from Sugar Land!

(never heard of anything like that in that area, but it is a whites-only super-rich ultra-Republican spot)

Get a different job not in Houston. The heat & humidity during summer is insane.

I'm not sure you're going to find all that much GLBT-specific info to answer your question.

I haven't lived in Houston, but I've spent enough time there to suspect that unless you are in that freedom-ring-wearin', fresh out of the closet phase of life you aren't going to seek out a place in Montrose. You'll live wherever works best for you in relationship to work, age, etc. and gay won't have that much to do with it.

So, your question is really about Houston, not gay Houston. If you'd like, I can move it to the forum that covers southern cities and you might get a good response there. In fact, the most recent post is about a weekend in Houston.

I'll leave it open here in the meantime just to see if anyone has anything to add on Houston (yes, ummm, it's hot and muggy!)

Thanks for that tip - I both laugh and cringe every time people try and convince me that it really isn't that bad in the summer. I've been out of the horrible heat and humidity far too long. Thank goodness for air conditioning!

Some malevolent force has dragged me back to Houston. I had managed to stay away for 8 years before moving back last year, after I failed to secure a work visa to remain in the U.K. I'm not particularly a fan of hot weather, brown air, lousy to nonexistent public transit, and complete lack of zoning...but at least the cost of living here is insanely cheap compared to almost every other major metropolitan area in the U.S. Land & rents are cheap, there's no state income tax, gasoline is (relatively) cheap...so it's not all bad.

Downtown is undergoing a massive renovation, and has improved dramatically from the 1980's when after 5pm the place turned into a ghost-town with only vagrants and the criminally insane patrolling the streets. Bayou Place, the new Ballpark and Toyota Center and the newly opened park along Buffalo Bayou are all well-needed additions to the city. Old buildings downtown are being converted into v. nice studio apartments (and sold at a fraction of the price of comparable digs in Los Angeles, Chicago, NYC, SFO, etc) at an incredible pace.

The only crucial thing about living here is having good air-conditioning...in your car, home, office, or wherever you happen to be. For me it's bad enough just walking the six blocks from my office to the bus-stop during the summer (roughly March-November). To be fair, I really don't mind being able to BBQ outdoors in short-sleeves in January (though you can't always count on it to be warm, 60-70 degrees in Jan. is not uncommon). The city is a mixed bag, and it's not for everyone, but it has enough positives to be truly livable. Personally, I'm a fan of living in scenic locales...unfortunately, picturesque cities like Austin don't really offer the same job opportunities, pay, or cost of living that Houston does...so here be I.

I think you'll also find that most locals have a love-hate relationship with this city...but that deep down we have a soft spot for the place, heat, pollution and all. After all, it beats living in Dallas

Hey!

Portions of the post that previously appeared in this space have been deleted. I would provide you with a reason why, but doing so would likely be against the TOS.

Even though properties near downtown (Montrose, West U., River Oaks) are far more expensive than in the suburbs, those pricey properties are still dirt-cheap compared to comparable properties in desirable locales in cities such as L.A., SFO, NYC, Miami, Chicago, Boston, even Atlanta. A 2-story 4 bed 3 bath home of approximately 4,000 sq. ft. can be had in West. U. (one of the ritzier neighborhoods of Houston) for $650,000. A comparable home in Westwood/Century City starts at 2Mil. Central San Francisco...about 2Mil as well. Manhattan prices would be astronomical. Even Austin has higher property prices for comparable homes in Westlake. I'll grant you, $650K is well out of my budget...but you could do a lot worse for a 4 bed, 3 bath in a good neighborhood in many of the large cities in this country.

Edited to add -- It gets even worse in many of the industrialized nations other than the U.S. The 2BR 1bath approx 900sq.ft. flat I lived in in the Edinburgh neighborhood of Marchmont was valued at 280,000 quid, or nearly $600,000. London, Vancouver, Paris & Tokyo prices are insane as well for sizeable properties in desirable locations. Houston gets you tons of bang for your buck, even in the pricey neighborhoods in comparison.

I'll second that...

Which leads all of us to ponder why is Dallas the wicked step child of Texas?