A Former Expat

Safe travels!

Tom, I wonder if I could feel you out about some Houston issues.

We now live 2,000 miles from the nearest Ecuador consulate, and about the same distance from US airports which connect to south America in one flight. That makes our current US location wildly inconvenient for going back and forth to S. America, and inaccessible to consular services.

SO

We are seriously considering the idea of relocating to Texas as a temporary home base - for less than a year - whilst putting together the whole Ecuador plan.

Our big stumbling block in America, and a huge problem in Texas, is that we don't have a car. We're not going to get a car, we will not have a car, there is no car in our life.

So I hit upon the idea of Galveston (no seriously). In Houston, a mere 35 miles from Galveston, there are all of the US government offices that we will require, an Ecuador consulate, and plenty of international banks. Happily enough, USB has an office mere minutes from the Ecuador consulate in Houston. And Texas is a no tax state, one of us already has a TX drivers license, and property and banking laws in Texas favor the citizen.

However, there is NO public transportation between Houston and Galveston, none. And I have a neighbor here who likes to refer to herself as "NASA people" who lived in nearby League City for years. She has told me that Galveston is a craphole and we would never want to live there. But it would only be temporary.

So I'm asking you, that if we wished to relocate to the Houston/Galveston area in order to best arrange our affairs, and live completely without a car, what you might recommend. I'm open to all kinds of crazy ideas. Really.

We lived 25 years in Texas and have wads of family there, so I know what Texas is like, and in general it requires a car to survive. The NASA neighbor recommended Webster, but when I looked at it it's just another strip-mall parking lot commuter town. Unsurvivable without a car.

Any ideas?

Is living in Houston that bad?  Is there public trans in Houston?

Gardner1:

Galveston suffered severe hurricane damage several years ago, however, it has had positive impacts, namely, according to locals and some first-hand experience, it chased away drug dealers and gangs.  As you know, it has a lot going for it, including historical houses and buildings.  In addition to Super Shuttle, these firms appear to offer service to and from Houston airports and the island:  http://www.galveston.com/airporttransfers/   

Other than the fact that Galveston Island is largely a seasonal place (summer) and pretty dead in the winter except for the many cruise ships departing for the Caribbean and the many people they bring on the island for a short period of time, the flights you'll want will be out of Bush Intercontinental Airport way on the north side of Houston.  Yes, Houston has a lot of public transportation, but it is a massive, sprawling city.  Galveston to Houston is around 45 minutes and then from the Houston city limits to Bush might be another 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic.  If this is a once or twice a year trip - who cares about the hassle.  If you're going back and forth more often, you might want to be a lot closer.

A potential positive for Galveston living is that Southwest Airlines is building its new international terminal at Houston Hobby Airport - which as you know is right off I-45 on the Galveston side of Houston.  I do not know what their international flights will be and sort of doubt it will include Ecuador initially, but you might see if you think it will become a good jumping off point.

Gardener: When we lived in Texas (Austin) in the nineties, we loved Galveston and its beaches and seawall and historic sites for weekend visits. Great place! To live there -- hmmm, not so sure. Especially without a car.

I think you might be better off choosing a place with one-stop service. I got to Quito easily from Chicago O'Hare via El Salvador -- and Chicago is reasonable for non-drivers and has an Ecuadorian consulate. (Of course, the weather sucks big-time).

As do cost of living (taxes, taxes and more taxes in Illinois)

SawMan wrote:

As do cost of living (taxes, taxes and more taxes in Illinois)

Good point.

SawMan wrote:

As do cost of living (taxes, taxes and more taxes in Illinois)

As do the Cubs, White Sox and Bears

mugtech wrote:

SawMan wrote:

As do cost of living (taxes, taxes and more taxes in Illinois)

As do the Cubs, White Sox and Bears

Out of curiosity was googling most walkable towns around Houston and this site popped up. Have no idea if it will be of any help, but will put paste the link. Maybe there will be something helpful there.

http://www.smalltownretirement.com/Houston-TX.htm

gardener1 wrote:

We are seriously considering the idea of relocating to Texas as a temporary home base - for less than a year - whilst putting together the whole Ecuador plan....I'm open to all kinds of crazy ideas.

In that case, Top Cat, here's an outside-of-the-box idea:  Don't mess with Texas.

I moved to EC last year (from Cincinnati), as you know, and never considered visiting the Ecuadorian Embassy (Washington, DC) or any consulate.  I made it here, so obviously, at least for me, there was no need to go to any consulate city.

Perhaps you would share with us what you think can't be accomplished by mail, email and phone, and is thus prompting you to consider uprooting and temporarily living in the Lone Star State.

cccmedia wrote:

gardener1 wrote:

We are seriously considering the idea of relocating to Texas as a temporary home base - for less than a year - whilst putting together the whole Ecuador plan....I'm open to all kinds of crazy ideas.

In that case, Top Cat, here's an out-of-the-box idea:  Don't mess with Texas.

I moved to EC last year (from Cincinnati), as you know, and never considered visiting the Ecuadorian Embassy (Washington, DC) or any consulate.  I made it here, so obviously, at least for me, there was no need to go to any consulate city.

Perhaps you would share with us what you think can't be accomplished by mail, email and phone, and is thus prompting you to consider uprooting and temporarily living in the Lone Star State.

My braindreams are a circuitous route to follow.

Houston is one of the main gateway airports for S. American flights. And I'm thinking of moving our finances to a USB account to distance it from the American banking system and install our money in a bank with good international services (wiring, credit cards, etc.). So that's Houston. One flight to fix any financial problems that might arise.

Galveston seems like a self contained town where one might survive without a car and not be part of the freeway/parking lot/shopping mall Texas lifestyle. There was also a notion that one of us could pick up a bit of local work in order to pay the COBRA premium, without spending all day driving around, driving around, driving around. Just some small local money made in sort of a small local way.

Some of you might not be aware of it, but states that levy an income tax may continue to dun former residents who have expatriated for state taxes, no matter how long they've been gone. Those states consider the [former] resident to be a permanent tax slave. And they will ding your bank account for money they say you owe them. We lived overseas before and knew expats who were being billed from US states which declared that they owed back state taxes for the entire time they'd been gone.

So it's all about access and money. And the bonus Ecuador consulate.

gardener1 wrote:

My braindreams are a circuitous route to follow.

Plan makes sense to me. Great minds must think alike, or maybe we're just both loco.
Haven't decide which yet.

mugtech wrote:

Is living in Houston that bad?

Houston,TX is the third most humid city in America.  (Source:  Beaumont, Texas Enterprise)

Average daily high temperatures, June, July and August: in the 90's.  (Source: weather.com)

Houston posters at Sperling's Best Places posted their opinions with headlines including:  "Houston, You Have a Problem"..."Armpit of Texas"...and "Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here."*

*Andrea in Houston:  "Living in Houston Texas is miserable to say the least.  Beginning in the last part of April into November, expect temperatures mixed with humidity that makes it almost unbearable to get from your home to your car....At any given moment you may have sweat mixing with your eyeliner that makes you appear to be a sad clown, or an abused woman."

And Bob H. said CHICAGO had sucky weather.