HOUSTON – For many of you, you may remember THIS article circulating around and us Houstonians picking fun at the Houston transplants -- but on a serious note, Hurricane Beryl showed the country why we say we are “Houston Strong.”
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The Category 1 hurricane barreled through (pun intended) Southeast Texas, bringing wind speeds up to 75 mph and lots of rain that flooded the Houston area.
The storm left more than 2.1 million without power on July 8, according to CenterPoint Energy. A lot of Texans had their snacks prepared but many were caught off guard by how this storm left us without lights and A/C in the sweltering Texas heat for days.
In my previous rant about Houston article, I did give warning about hurricane season to those thinking of moving here and basically how easy it floods here. I saw a comment on a blog where many were canceling their plans to move to or visit Houston since photos of Beryl’s impact were released.
One thing about hurricane season in the South of Texas -- expect the unexpected!
So again, here’s a couple of reasons to stop some of these out-of-towners from getting the idea that it is better to move down South, adding to Houston area traffic and up ticking the cost of living.
I was born and raised in Houston my entire life. So, I LOVE my city -- and I can see why so many others love it here as well. But the amount of people moving to Texas, well ... is causing some problems. Don’t get me wrong, we have southern hospitality, but the cost of living is going up each year, traffic has gotten worse, crime is going up and the hospitality is going down.
My top warning signs if you’re considering a move to Houston:
1. Hurricane season/extreme weather ⛈️
In May, the Houston area experienced a derecho and a few tornados, which shocked many people not from the Bayou City.
It’s been years since Southeast Texas has been hit by a hurricane, and you never know when our next system may strike.
Oh, how can we forget the heat! ☀️ It gets HOT in Houston! With the combination of the humidity and high temps, we reached triple-digits in 2023. And we’re baking under a heat umbrella right now and it’s not even summer (officially!)
2. Humidity 🌡️
If you thought for one second that your flat iron hairstyle will last through the summer, fall or winter -- think again. Because Houston sits in a subtropical climate zone, we are caught between hot and moist air from the tropics and cooler air from the north.
So you may walk outside with one hairstyle and by the end of the day, your hair may be several inches raised. Don’t forget about the oily skin.
3. Bug season 🦟
Mosquito season will bug you out! Because of the temperatures, humidity and standing water from the wet weather patterns, Houston is experiencing an above average number of bugs.
Cockroaches also love the humidity, which makes a perfect environment for them to live in the South.
4. Traffic 🚥
If you haven’t noticed, on top on construction and car accidents, traffic jams are a nuisance for us all! I mean, are we turning into Los Angeles?
Even on the weekends, you can expect traffic on our major highways, such as the Gulf Freeway, I-10, North Freeway and our toll roads.
So, if you’re planning to commute during the rush hour, expect at least 30 minutes to an hour to make it to your destination.
5. Road rage shootings 🚓
Road rage incidents and shootings across the city have been on the rise, so Houston drivers are on high alert when driving through the city. Increasingly, drivers are using firearms to express their anger on roads and highways, according to an analysis by The Trace.
6. Apparently, the city is dirty 🧼
According to a recent report from the nonprofit media organization Grist, the city of Houston is the DIRTIEST city in the entire country. Grist researchers reportedly looked at more than 150 of the biggest cities in the U.S., focusing on pollution, living conditions, infrastructure, and resident satisfaction.
Now, this one was a little hard for me to believe because I’ve been to New York City and New Jersey plenty of times and -- I’ve never seen Houston produce such large rats.
7. Human trafficking 🚨
Houston’s vulnerabilities to human trafficking
According to the City of Houston, the Department of Justice declared the city one of the most intense trafficking jurisdictions in the country.
Factors that contribute to this include: Proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border; Major international airport, seaport, and interstate roadways (I-10, US-59); Constantly expanding population; Diverse labor sector; Large sex industry (with limited regulations); Popular destination for runaways.
8. We are ‘uptight’ ⏰
A new report looked at some of the most laidback cities in the U.S. and no Texas cities made the list. Instead, three Texas cities were named among “uptight” or “formal.”
The study was shared by researchers at FinanceBuzz who looked at several factors including well-being, economic factors, livability, and leisure activities. For some reason, Houston was on the very bottom of that list.
9. The coffee scene needs some work ☕
A national study ranks Houston as the worst coffee city in the U.S.
Clever, a real-estate website, analyzed the top 15 best coffee cities in the U.S. and the 10 worst coffee cities. Houston was ranked No. 1 worst coffee city.
“The reasons behind this drop are evident. Houston is home to just 4.9 coffee shops per 100,000 residents — a stark contrast to the average city’s 12.6. This represents a 61% shortfall in coffee shops compared to the average city,” the study read.
Clever compared the 50 most populous U.S. metro cities across several metrics: the number of coffee shops per 100,000 residents, number of coffee roasters per 100,000 residents, and Google Trends popularity. Sources such as the latest U.S. Census data and the U.S. Bureau for Economic Analysis were also used
I’m sure there are more reasons why Houston is not the “dreamland” others may have tried to paint for you on social media. Now, we are OK with visitations from time to time, but hopefully this article has convinced you to stray from moving to Houston -- maybe try Dallas or San Antonio? 😝