TarponChaser said:

---

Charlie Murphy said:

---

If Houston has more outdoor activities and slightly better weather it would be fine.

---

What activities do you want that Houston doesn't have?

---

Been touched on but outdoor activities in Houston are forced at best if you are not a golfer. Proximity to salt water is great but if you aren't doing either of those Houston has little to offer in terms of spending enjoyable time outdoors.

Not from Houston but was there from 1995 to early 2023. Great place to be in business or any of a plethora of careers. Being a native of the desert I never liked the rain, wobbling pine trees and the humidity. I moved back to the desert and while 115 degrees is real I can be floating the river in less than half an hour, on a mountain lake in <45 minutes within a hour and a half be at 5,000+ feet elevation and much cooler. Snow boarding is <4 hours away and the golf beats anything Houston has to offer.

Glad I found a career in Houston but wasn't unhappy leaving.

Ragoo said:

---

Charlie Murphy said:

---

TarponChaser said:

---

Charlie Murphy said:

---

If Houston has more outdoor activities and slightly better weather it would be fine.

---

What activities do you want that Houston doesn't have?

---

Been touched on but outdoor activities in Houston are forced at best if you are not a golfer. Proximity to salt water is great but if you aren't doing either of those Houston has little to offer in terms of spending enjoyable time outdoors.

---

also, tarpon complete shot holes in his own argument in a thread on the outdoor board about kayaking. He listed a dozen waterways in and around the hill country. Houston has a few brown, trashy lakes and rivers.

I am sure the majority of people aiming to leave only came to Houston for work and don't have family roots or ties to the area. Much like myself.

---

I did nothing of the sort. OP in that thread said he lives in SA and wants recs for close places to paddle.

Believe it or not the Houston area has a number of places very close for good paddling day trips. And there are a number of waterways that get really clear due to having sand bottoms. It's not the clear Hill Country color from the limestone-filtered water but still clear. Village Creek, Spring Creek, Luces Bayou and a number of the creeks/rivers that feed into Lake Houston are really nice paddles. Lake Raven in Huntsville State Park is an overlooked gem. Conroe around Cagle is great too. The Colorado around Columbus is excellent. And both Livingston & Rayburn are fantastic.

This doesn't even touch on the saltwater places.

Ragoo said:

---

I am sure the majority of people aiming to leave only came to Houston for work and don't have family roots or ties to the area. Much like myself.

---

I came to Houston for work about 20 years ago. I don't have family roots to the area at all. But the people here are great, and the friends that I've had for my duration of my time here are my family now. I'll be leaving someday (as I alluded to in an earlier post about just not wanting to be in a big city), but leaving this adopted family/city will absolutely be the hardest aspect of the transition.

Grew up in Katy but left at age 25 in 2005. Spent a couple years in Phoenix and Dallas before 8 in OKC and now 7 in Minnesota.

Outside of the politics Minnesota is awesome. Especially if you love the outdoors.

Yes, winter is cold and long, but I'd argue that folks up here are just as active when the lakes are frozen, the ground has a foot blanket of snow, and temps are below freezing for weeks. Skiing, ice fishing, snowmobiling, pond hockey, it's really something.

A clear sunny calm day with temps in the 10-30 range are amazing in the winter. There's no such thing as bad weather just bad gear.

htxag09 said:

---

94chem said:

---

TarponChaser said:

---

94chem said:

---

TarponChaser said:

---

Charlie Murphy said:

---

If Houston has more outdoor activities and slightly better weather it would be fine.

---

What activities do you want that Houston doesn't have?

---

For me, running trails and hiking 14ers in places like Cloudcroft, Taos, or Leadville. Doing things outdoors in the summer. At least I live on the good looking side of Houston, but that blows chunks when the trees attack us every few years.

Can't imagine how butt ugly it would be in Katy or Sugar Land.

---

But you can't do that in 90% of the rest of the country either. And you can do stuff outside in the summer here. I do it all the time.

---

Yeah, but I'm posting right now from a kayak in Michigan. Now way I'm doing that right now in Houston. And it would be nice to have a night time temperature below 80. And a river that you can actually go in. And Braums. Why can't Braums come to Houston. Gosh, I know I'll catch heck for this, but Whataburger sucks.

---

And I was just talking to a couple guys from Michigan and their parents are planning to move south because they can't handle the winters anymore. Or at least they don't want to.

---

Snowbirds are super common. I'd love to be in Kayak on a lake in Michigan right now, but I'd rather swelter in the sun than deal with lake effect snow. Big fff that noise.

If someone prefers smaller town life over giant metro, I won't argue. Obviously, Houston isn't for you. For me though, I wany lots of pro sports, great diverse food options, close to the sea for good seafood and easy trips to the beach, great museum and frequent big exhibits, tons of entertainment, especially lots of concert options amd so much more that goes with giant metro cities.

So, if you are looking at Houston vs other big metro cities, I will argue all day that Houston is a top 3 option. The only other cities I would consider would be Miami and Nashville.

I consider leaving all the time..but I love Houston. Thinking about going to other cities doesn't mean anything bad about Houston, it just means there are other places in the world.


That being said, Fort Worth is at the top of the list of cities I would move to in a heartbeat if it made sense for our family to do so.

Counting down to retirement within the next two years. Wife is on board with retiring in College Station, so if we find the right place it will be sooner than that.

Biz Ag said:

---

Counting down to retirement within the next two years. Wife is on board with retiring in College Station, so if we find the right place it will be sooner than that.

---

I grew up in Bryan. Not a chance in hell would I retire to BCS.

Biz Ag said:

---

Counting down to retirement within the next two years. Wife is on board with retiring in College Station, so if we find the right place it will be sooner than that.

---

Houston native looking to do the same. Going to likely buy a townhome or something small soon to spend more time in town around football and other sporting events. Then may just stay with that or upsize a little down the line.

I love this city. F the haters. Nothing more pathetic that someone who thinks they know their way to happiness but doesn't have the stones to do it. If you think moving away will make you happy, ****in do it. Don't be a *****. You only get one shot, make it count. There are no checkpoints headed out of town. Do it. And take some California people with you. And yankees too.

Change your name to Saint Arnold if you love this place so much. Poser

98Ag99Grad said:

---

Change your name to Saint Arnold if you love this place so much. Poser

---

While I agree with MBL's post this retort was well played.

Milwaukees Best Light said:

---

I love this city. F the haters. Nothing more pathetic that someone who thinks they know their way to happiness but doesn't have the stones to do it. If you think moving away will make you happy, ****in do it. Don't be a *****. You only get one shot, make it count. There are no checkpoints headed out of town. Do it. And take some California people with you. And yankees too.

---

this is a solid Sunday day drinking drunk post. The most impressive part is no edits.

Milwaukees Best Light said:

---

I love this city. F the haters. Nothing more pathetic that someone who thinks they know their way to happiness but doesn't have the stones to do it. If you think moving away will make you happy, ****in do it. Don't be a *****. You only get one shot, make it count. There are no checkpoints headed out of town. Do it. And take some California people with you. And yankees too.

---

Respect this post too. I hated 3/4 of what Houston had to offer (minus economy and food) and left for rural Texas, but I love a mother ****er who will back what he likes… and I agree with ejecting the foreign influence.

It's common for people nearing retirement to suddenly recognize the attractiveness of smaller, slower-paced communities -- places they would never have considered in their 20s or 30s.

You move to the big city to make money and when you're done, you find someplace that is a little easier to handle on a daily basis.

Been here pretty much my entire life except four years in BCS and four years in Corpus (first job). Love this city but acknowledge it has its warts. Still, it has a great economy, great spirit, great food, great medical facilities, etc etc. etc. I'm lucky enough to live in an inner loop enclave with great police protection and public services. I'm within very easy travel to downtown/galleria areas, medical center, astros games, Texans games, and most of the great restaurants and concert venues (except the South Dallas venue called The Woodlands Pavillion).

You can play golf 365 days a year here as well as just about any outdoor activity - granted you will have rain outs and some days you better get it done before Noon or after 6:00.

The other thing that is great about Houston i its very open to outsiders. You are not judged by where you went to high school or who your daddy or granddaddy was. You are judged by what you have accomplished. Now of course there are some circles where what granddaddy did might be still important (looking at some of the old guard at Houston Country Club), but it's not as prevalent as other towns.

TarponChaser said:

---

Biz Ag said:

---

Counting down to retirement within the next two years. Wife is on board with retiring in College Station, so if we find the right place it will be sooner than that.

---

I grew up in Bryan. Not a chance in hell would I retire to BCS.

---

I definitely would, having a family...if single, no way. They have great golf communities like pebble Creek, slightly better weather, and the food scene has really changed for the better. Home prices have shot up as many WFH'ers and retirees have relocated there, but pretty much everything, from housing, to country club dues to daycare dues, is cheaper.

I get it though...if I grew up there, I may have a much diff opinion. I think it's a pretty cool town to raise kids in now though.

HouAg12 said:

---

Denver

---

Denver is an overrated shthole

Traffic is, at best, equivalent to Houston. But probably worse. Weather sucks - it is a desert environment. Politics suck. Homeless problem blows Houstons out of the water. Winters are cold and dry and snow is not pretty after 2 days. Everybody there hates you no matter what.

schmellba99 said:

---

HouAg12 said:

---

Denver

---

Denver is an overrated shthole

Traffic is, at best, equivalent to Houston. But probably worse. Weather sucks - it is a desert environment. Politics suck. Homeless problem blows Houstons out of the water. Winters are cold and dry and snow is not pretty after 2 days. Everybody there hates you no matter what.

---

62whatever is going to lose his flipping mind reading this. Denver is his magic happy place. Just ask him. You probably don't even have to ask, just wait a minute or two and he will tell you.