13 Pros and Cons of Living in Houston, TX

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With its low unemployment rate, a high number of available jobs, and school systems with a history of producing excellent individuals, making a move to the Houston Metro or the city itself both make sense.

Houston is poised to exceed the most optimistic expectations as supply chain issues have resolved themselves. 

In addition, the Port of Houston has resumed its former trade volume.

Houston’s cultural and entertainment venues have also rebounded, with just 300 current job openings left to fill.

Pros of Living in Houston, Texas

1. Famous Houston People: Beyoncé

Born in Houston, Texas, on September 4, 1981, Queen B’s entire musical career has rivaled the path of any NASA rocket.

Beyonce attended St. Mary of the Purification Montessori School in Houston.

She entered her first dance class there, followed by music magnet school Parker Elementary in the Houston Independent School District.

She next attended the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, followed by Elsik High School in the Alief Independent School District in Southwest Houston.

In 2004, Queen B. sang the national anthem at Super Bowl XXXVIII at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.

In 2013, she performed at the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show, held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

In addition, for Super Bowl 50, she danced and sang her hit song “Formation” live for the first time.

Beyoncé has garnered 28 Grammy Awards, 26 MTV Video Music Awards, 24 NAACP Image Awards, 31 B.E.T. Awards, and 17 Soul Train Music Awards during her illustrious music career.

The Queen, rising from humble Houston origins, earned more money in her career than any other recording artist in American music history.

In addition, she has supported 37 charities, including Feeding America and the Houston Food Bank.

2. Famous Houston People: Mattress Mack, the Hero of Hurricane Harvey

Houston inspires bountiful charitable giving, and Gallery Furniture owner Jim McIngvale, AKA Mattress Mack, set a gold standard for Houston Area business owners.

During Hurricane Harvey in 2017, he opened his store to shelter flood victims, and in 2021 served over 3000 meals to 700 Houstonians affected by Winter Storm Uri.

In addition, he created the nation’s first mobile stroke unit for Houston hospital patients.

3. Famous Houston People: Brittney Griner

WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner has attained the status of WNBA All-Star seven times since she began her professional basketball career.

Griner has also won two gold medals in the U.S. Olympics. 

Since then, she has also held the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year slot twice.

In addition, the Houston-born center for the Phoenix Mercury has scored 2000 points and blocked 500 shots, a feat that no other NCAA player has equaled.

Brittney attended Nimitz High School in the Aldine Independent School District, practicing with the boys’ team while learning to dunk.

She eventually was selected for the U.S. Olympic Team, winning a gold medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics and again in 2021.

Her Heart and Sole shoe drive, first organized in 2016 to provide shoes for the homeless, will continue in her absence in Russia.

4. Famous Houston People: Gail Borden, Surveyor and Milk Purveyor

Born in Norwich, New York, Borden’s family moved to Kentucky in 1814, where his father taught him to be a land surveyor.

With his father’s assistance, he became adept enough to assist with laying out the city of Covington, Kentucky, south of Cincinnati, Ohio.

In 1821, Borden moved to Mississippi, working as the official surveyor for Amite County and teaching school.

On Christmas Eve in 1829, Borden and his wife arrived on Galveston Island, and he eventually received 4,428 acres of land where he ran cattle.

He began surveying again and produced the first topographic map of American Texas.

When General Santa Anna determined to impose military rule in Texas, Gail and fellow settlers decided to rebel.

Gail’s newly established printing press in San Felipe became the heart of the Telegraph and Texas Register, publishing for 40 years after Texas gained its independence from Mexico.

After the war, surveyor Borden helped Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen lay out the City of Houston on Buffalo Bayou on August 30, 1836. 

Borden became interested in shelf-stable foods and decided to try condensing milk using a patented vacuum process.

At the outset of the United States Civil War, his condensed milk became a beloved staple among soldiers on both sides.

After the war, Borden expanded his factories from New York, Maine, and Connecticut and established additional processing plants in Houston.

One of his factories continued producing condensed milk until an anhydrous ammonia explosion ripped the plant apart on December 11, 1983.

5. Expanding Economy

Houston swung into a robust post-pandemic recovery with a 4.3 percent unemployment rate as of May 2022.

Encouragingly, nine out of 18 sectors of the economy have fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, and most businesses in Houston have positions to fill.

Construction, manufacturing, and the energy sector account for 39,100 jobs for which Houston, TX employers seek employees, making Houston a workers’ magnet.

Although the City of Houston lost 11,777 people in 2021, the nine-county Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Metro Area gained 69,000.

As the fifth-largest metropolitan statistical area according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city of Houston, Harris County, and eight additional counties combined house a population of 7.15 million.

Although the city of Houston in Harris County recently had a net loss of total households, its population remains at 2.313 million as of 2020.

6. Houston Parks and Recreation Department

Houston’s parks and recreation department oversees 14 community pools, currently operating on a modified operational schedule, with most pools open at least three days a week except on Mondays.

Created by city ordinance on March 15, 1916, the park system initially oversaw Sam Houston Park and Hermann Park.

Every park in the system has First Amendment Expression Areas during park hours.

To avoid conflicts, FAEA users must register with the HPARD Permits Office at 832.394.8805 to reserve the site.

Find all sites listed here, organized alphabetically with their address and a link to the free speech map.

7. Houston Night Life

If you crave nightlife, hit the Rooftop Cinema Club at 1700 Post Oak Blvd. Follow the signs directing you to take the elevator to the 5th level.

You will find free parking on the 4th and 5th floors of BLVD Place parking garage above Whole Foods.

Or, if you love the 80s, E.D.M., and South Coast Hip-hop and need a new site for your latest TikTok, come downtown to the First Ward at the Etro Nightclub on 114 South Main Street.

Or, if you want something a little different, channel your inner Rabbit and sign up for Warehouse Live Trap Karaoke the next time it’s available. 

Are off-Broadway plays, classical symphonies, and ballet more your style?

Head to the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts at 800 Bagby Street to see performances of H.M.S. Pinafore, Distant Worlds music from Final Fantasy, or the 2022 K-Pop Girl Group (G)I-DLE World Tour.

Watch Clue, A Christmas Carol, or What-a-Christmas live at The Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Avenue.

Wear your ritziest clothes to attend the Houston Ballet, 501 Texas Avenue.

8. Shopping at the Galleria

Go ice skating at the Galleria Mall, 5015 Westheimer Rd Suite #1260.

Shop till you drop, and then catch that movie on the rooftop.

9. Parades

Although the days of the Foleys Thanksgiving Day parade ended years ago, Houston still has a vibrant parade scene.

The Nigerian Cultural Parade and Festival in October, the Paws Fest Doggie Dress parade in mid-September, the Dia de Muertos Desfile in November, the 29th Annual M.L.K. parade in 2023, the Houston Fairytale Ball, and the Houston Reggae Jam in August will provide parade lovers with a great time and plenty of opportunities for selfies, Instagrams, Facebook Reels, and TikToks.

Cons of Living in Houston, Texas

1. Humidity

Florida and Mississippi humidity has nothing on Texas.

Houston has a humid subtropical climate, and it receives almost 50 inches of rain falls annually, mainly between May and October during the monsoon season.

Summer high temperatures in June, July, August, and September stay in the 90s, making everyone whose A.C. cannot keep up miserable.

2. Weird Rain Patterns

Houston sprawls over 600 square miles, so it is not unusual to have a rainstorm drop enormous amounts of water in a short time in one neighborhood, while a few blocks away, everything is bone dry.

The two-foot high gutters you see in downtown Houston are there on purpose: they allow you the illusion of being able to stay dry.

If you are new to the city, always pack an entire spare outfit, including shoes and socks or pantyhose, because you will inevitably need them if you are unlucky enough to get drenched.

3. Flooding

Extreme flooding events cause problems because so much of the city’s surface lies under concrete.

Creating rain gardens, green spaces, French drain systems, and anything that exposes the soil can mitigate flooding, but it requires an ongoing commitment.

In addition, in a city that lacks zoning laws, it may take a long time to bring everyone around to the need to restore as much of the city’s surface as possible to its natural state.

4. Crime

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced that homicides are down three percent.

Additionally, robberies have dropped 14 percent, rapes have dropped 33 percent, and aggravated assaults have dropped nine percent through May 2022, thanks to One Safe Houston.

The program funded the American Rescue Plan’s $50 million investment.

Pros and Cons of Living in Houston, TX – Summary Table

Houston Safety Overview

READ THE FULL REPORT: Houston Safety Review

Safety Index:

59

• OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
• TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM
• PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
• NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
• MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
• TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
• SCAMS RISK: LOW
• WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM