Thoughts and Input on Houston

Hello Christina

Welcome to Expat.com

Hope that soon enough some members will be able to bring you some information.

Regards
Kenjee
Expat.com Team

We are just in the process of moving back to Houston, this will be our second assignment there so here are my thoughts

1.) Is Houtson really that ugly and polluted? We currently live in Johannesburg which isn't the prettiest or cleanest city in the world but how bad are we talking here?
Houston is pretty bland but would not say it is ugly it's just a very big sprawling USA city not much to look at from an architecture point of view and pretty flat and uninspiring. That said 2 / 3 hours you can be in the hill country which is nice or San Antonio, Austin I have to say I did not notice any real pollution last time we lived there. 

2.) Is the weather really that hot and humid? I see some people saying that their children can't play outside as the weather is so bad. This is problematic to me. From what I can see, the weather is similar to Durban? Is this correct?
It's hot and humid in the summer, I find that Houstonians tend to complain about 2 things the weather “it's too hot” and the traffic “it's really bad” both of which are not that bad and can be managed. We managed through the summers without any issue,  tended to plan activities in the morning and early afternoon but never once did my kid not go out. We did used to go to the beach at Surfside a lot in the summer but after SA Galveston beaches would be pretty poor.

3.) We come from Africa so the idea of bugs is old hat but people seem to complain about the mosquitoes? Thoughts on this?
Plenty of mossy spray, organic non DEET for the kid, and we had no problems

4.) South Africans are very outside orientated. Would Houston be conducive to this type of lifestyle?
We sat outside on our balcony a  lot and cooked on the BBQ probably 3 times a week all year, noting 3) above, and our planning to have a house with a garden this time to make more use of it. My daughter was to young last time but will be exploring camping options when we go back this time.

Thank you so much for the input.
Your thoughts and advice have helped give a more accurate picture. Much appreciated.

Hi

We moved to Houston from Durban 6 months ago. It's been interesting so far... 
The humidity here is nothing like Durban . It's actually quite bearable but the heat will wilt you ... Though summer here is as hot as summer  back home.
It's a pretty city depending on where you are and definitely not as concrete jungle-ish as Johannesburg.
The outdoor life here is awesome. And winter is mild enough to be outside as well so it's a win all year.

Hope you have a great time in this awesome city . A big plus is that the locals are really friendly .

Hope this helped....

And you have the Houston Astros, the first team to play in a dome, but they have since been demoted to the American League.

Hi Sam,

Thanks for your feedback and thoughts.
Where are you living and if you have children are they attending school?

cforsdyke wrote:

Hi Sam, Thanks for your feedback and thoughts.
Where are you living and if you have children are they attending school?

If you're sensitive to outdoor heat, you need to consider Sam's advice as just one opinion among many.  Given that Sam arrived in HOU around August first, Sam did not spend a full summer there.  Sam's views may be colored by the fact that winter weather in Houston is much better than the hot months, and Sam has just spent almost a full winter there.

Consider reading some more reviews online at whatever sites Google provides.  Visit the weather sites and check not only the 90-degree F. (average high) temps summerlong, but also the humidity statistics.

Your husband's occupation sounds like something that could be done in a different city where the summer heat doesn't wilt you, or, alternatively, keep you indoors.

I don't think your research is complete.

cccmedia, OP, "Texans, Floridians: Quito Expats Invite You (to) Summer in the Highlands" thread, on Expat.com's USA Forum

And the Houston Rockets could have some say in the NBA playoffs this year.