It’s been featured at or near the top of Forbes’ coolest cities list for several years running. It’s home to the Astros, Dynamos, Rockets, and Texans. It’s a hub for energy, medicine, and transportation. As the fourth largest city in the United States, it has all the urban amenities you could ask for.
Houston, in short, is awesome. Here’s a look at a few additional reasons why living in Houston is attractive to many people looking for a new place to call home.
Talented, Engaged Population
A population that is diverse in every way, relatively young, and highly motivated helps keep the city on its toes. If you move here, chances are your neighbors will be anything but boring. Another hallmark of Houston’s populace is its friendliness, a quality that makes transitioning to life in Houston just a little easier.
Low Cost of Living
Relative to the average income, Houston has one of the lowest costs of living of any of America’s large cities. Regardless of whether you want to own your own piece of Houston property or rent a luxury apartment, you can expect to pay considerably less per square foot than in almost any other major metropolitan area. Day-to-day expenses, including food and fuel, are also pretty low.
Abundance of Green Space
According to Business Insider, the Bayou City’s got more parks than any other big cities in America. Memorial Park, the largest of Houston’s near downtown parks, is a sprawling oasis of grass, trees, recreation areas, and contains an 18-hole golf course through which the Buffalo Bayou flows. The part of the park that runs along the Buffalo Bayou is currently undergoing a high-profile, 8 million renovation. Thousands of recently planted trees will inject life into the scenic Buffalo Bayou Park. The transformation underway also includes two new footbridges; an attractive visitor center surrounded by water, appropriately called The Water Works; Lost Lake, a new water reservoir in a lush setting; and a new and improved dog park (which recently opened).
And don’t forget the pretty impressive jogging paths. Memorial Park, Hermann Park, and the Rice University running loop are favorites among locals. The Allen Parkway Running Trail is just under a five-mile loop that makes changing up a workout easy due to its connections to other paths in Neartown Houston.
Food Trucks
The debate on where in the U.S. the best street food can be found is fierce, and Houston certainly has a stake in it. It’s hard to go wrong with food in Houston, but its inexpensive, ubiquitous, and reliably high-quality food trucks deserve special attention. The fact that many of these trucks can be visited on your lunch break and others late in the evening after you’ve thrown back a couple of beers at one of Houston’s iconic ice houses makes them even more attractive as a dining option.
But Houston does seafood, barbecue, and nearly every type of ethnic food under the sun as well or better than almost any other locale. The diversity and quality of the meals cooked up at the food trucks reflects this.
Arts
Another thing to love about living in Houston is the easy access you have to cultural performance. The city’s theater district rival those of New York, London, and Toronto. The city has its own opera, symphonic orchestra, ballet, and dramatic theater companies. In addition to producing plenty of homegrown shows with Texan flair, Houston is one of the first city’s to get Tony-award winning shows that premier on New York’s Broadway and in London’s West End.
Where visual arts are concerned, the Museum of Fine Arts, Contemporary Arts Museum, Blaffer Art Museum, Lawndale Art Center, Menil Collection, and Art Car Museum all put Houston’s name on the map.
The Music Scene
Overshadowed by Austin and its steadfast reputation for offering live music everywhere, all the time, Houston’s vibrant scene can definitely hold its own. Since the 1960s, the city has been a bastion of musical talent. Today, there are dozens of venues where live music can be found on a regular basis. Events such as the Texas Crawfish and Music Festival draw big names and are known for being a blast.
Weather
Alright, we’ll admit that this one is a double-edged sword. Some residents gripe endlessly about how bad Houston’s weather is. But unless you love snow, ice, and freezing wind tunnels, the Bayou City’s temperate winters can hardly be beat. It’s summers, on the other hand, can be suffocating. But can’t summers be bad almost anywhere? Thankfully, you can avoid the most oppressive aspects of Houston’s weather by using its downtown tunnel system to commute from your apartment to work.
Houston is a happening place, and people have started to figure it out. If you are looking for a new city to call home, make your move to Houston sooner rather than later.
Houston residents! If there is something you love about living in Houston that we missed, add it in the comments!
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