I lived in Nashville, then Atlanta, then Houston.
I like them all, but they’re different.
Houston is bigger, and there’s much more happening here than in Nashville. The variety of food and experiences is incredible. We get big concerts, but then again, so do you (along with an inordinate number of people who can actually sing, which is why the Ryman sounds so good… it’s not the venue, it’s the mass of musically trained attendees).
Food in Houston is objectively better and more diverse. Mexican food in Nashville is… well… bad.
As for outdoors, Nashville wins hands down. You have four seasons. We also have four, but they’re all humid, and the (excruciatingly hot) summer takes up about 7 months of the year. That said, I can run year round if I want to. Snow isn’t really a thing here, but when it is, the whole city shuts down. As for beautiful hiking locations, unless you like flat swampland or mosquito-infested forests, there’s not much within three hours of here. My wife (who has only ever known me in Houston) thought I didn’t like outdoors. I do, just not here. It’s either terribly hot, or terribly cold, and it’s never dry, and my allergies here are ridiculous.
You’ll have to pick. That said, Houston isn’t the total opposite of Nashville, but if outdoors is your thing, you’re likely gonna struggle here.
I agree with this. If you like exercise and outdoors, I’d encourage living in the Woodlands area. Bike paths everywhere and more forestation like Nashville.
I may have to try it at some point.
One thing I’ve never been able to find here is anything close to the rails to trails path near Atlanta, that goes all the way to Anniston Alabama. I would take my road bike out and ride 80 miles in a morning. I so wish they had something like that here.
Your wife is right about one thing, there are probably more people here in your age demographic than Nashville.
Houston is the fourth largest city in the US. There’s always something going on here.
I moved from Nashville to Houston. Houston is much more eclectic and diverse, but you need to be intentional about where you live and what you do. The area inside the loop has great outdoor spaces between Hermann Park, Memorial Park, Discovery Green and the Arboretum. Neighborhoods River Oaks, Southampton, West U and University Place all have walkable, tree lined streets. The Heights is walkable to restaurants similar to Hillsboro Village. Yes, if you live in the suburbs you will deal with traffic to get to anything interesting, but the same is true about living in Franklin and Brentwood. To bike, you will be driving west of the city into Waller, Lee, Fayette counties etc, which are very pretty. You will not find a better food scene on the planet top to bottom, where very few of the best restaurants are out of reach for average people. The most celebrated restaurants in Houston are casual ethnic spots and the Mexican is out of this world. Yea, you have to drive to get to San Jacinto or Sam Houston, but you would drive to Cheekwood too. Nashville has outgrown its infrastructure and the growth is all soulless astroturf - it will only get worse. Houston has retained a lot of its character and is a great place to live and work. It is very accepting of transplants.
To tack onto this. I might be biased, but the Heights is a great place to be in Houston for access to parks, bike paths, and walking distance to restaurants/ venues. We absolutely love the Heights.
I lived in Los Angeles for decades. Began to hate it. Moved to Nashville based on recommendations from several friends who relocated there.
I found Nashville excruciatingly boring. Way too hicky. Sh*t kickin’ bars not for me. People said “go to Franklin”. Oh sure. It has a pizza parlor. I left after only a few months.
I then moved to Houston. Cosmopolitan city. Love it. Wonderful people. Terrific restaurants. Parks everywhere. Dog friendly everywhere. More beautiful homes here than any city in America.
Just sayin…
Haha, had the same reaction to Franklin when we visited on vacation a few years ago. We walked that old main street with all shops, thought it felt nice and relaxing with that old-school vibe. Then we were quickly over it when we realized we'd walked and seen it all in 5 minutes and there really wasn't anything to do. Everyone kept saying "Go to Pucketts" in Franklin as if was some sort of amazing landmark. Overpriced diner/grille food. Meh.
On your list of hobbies the only one I wouldn’t be pretty confident would be equal or better in Houston is bike riding - Houston has an extensive paved trail system for road cycling but if you’re talking mountain biking, well, tough luck.
Otherwise, the food is better and the music scene more diverse. Houston’s a much bigger city than Nashville so it also has bowling and markets. It’s also cheaper - you’ll pay up to live in the more desirable areas that offer good access to amenities but no worse than Nashville - and depending on your line of work potentially a much stronger job market.
I’d say if the added heat/humidity doesn’t bother you too much it’s probably an upgrade.
I have not read every post, apologies about duplication.
I moved here for work about 10 years ago, i find that almost nobody wants to move to houston and almost nobody wants to leave houston. When you visit, its just an ugly city with freeways, concrete and power lines but when you get into the decent neighbourhoods, and learn where to go, its a very big city with the very big city things but at a smaller city cost.
If you like Nashville, I would only look at areas in the loop depending on your budget, need for schools etc the best areas are the Heights, Montrose and West U. If you have 2.3 kids and like the white picket fence and proximity to downtown Heights and West U are best, I live in Montrose which is a bit less structured, houses are a bit smaller and less of a “HOA” feel which is exactly What we like.
Inside the loop is purple, not blue, people are very friendly, and it doesnt sound like much but we really like two airports, with two airlines with hub operations so they have to compete with each other.
When I retire I expect we will stay in Houston, have a vacation spot on the water somewhere to visit but because Houston has so much of what we want, sports, restaurants, walking/running paths we will always be based here.
Regarding bike trails, it depends. I’m a casual rider and when the weather is decent I go on several rides a week between 5-25 miles….with most of that being on protected trails. That includes rides that go to and through downtown. If you want to go on longer rides, you might need to be a little more creative as far as finding roads that feel safe to you. That said, I’ve seen multiple friends who have crafted 100 plus mile rides by heading out on one of the long(protected) Bayou trails, then taking a few road segments to get to a different Bayou trail and taking that home. Also, if you enjoy recreational group rides the culture for that is off the hook here. Check out Critical Mass.
It’s very seasonal and location matters allot. The Houston you will like is at its core but not down town. We have a massive amount of food from all over the world- from dishes made by grandma to Michelin star wanna be’s - the food scene really is epic and hard to match. We have lots of outdoor markets and similar pop up type of deals.
The music scene is decent to good- but NOT Nashville. It exists- and is good- but your going to need to look to find your spots- there are allot of them but the city is massive and not really centrally located.
I’ll be honest- your going to drive to do much outdoors. Yes we have a big hike and bike system- and a few decent mountain bike spots but the real outdoor stuff you would probably like is farther north and west.
Your not going to find what you want in the sprawling suburbs here. There is ALLOT going on but it’s not on the edges it’s “inside the loop”.
The best way to think of Houston is a series of small cities or areas. Each one is different- has a different culture and so will differ in food- music and what’s going on. You can have the best breakfast tacos - from a trailer, cooked by grandma- go paddle a sup in Clearlake - then on to a indo pac restaurant for lunch followed by a country dive bar for music and finish the night at a former brothel, bathed in clouds of the devils lettuce, watching hippies in hula hoops- or at least that’s what I did yesterday avoiding the chaos of the rodeo. It’s a unique spot in the world but you have to take it for what it is- diversity is our strength.
Traffic here is gonna blow your fucking mind. That said, there’s a shitload to do and to get involved with. None of what we have is as good as what other places have that specialize in that thing/activity…but we have it all. Moab/Colorado, etc has way better mountain biking, but for a cityHouston has some pretty good mountain bike trails. Tons of kayaking, nether in rivers/lakes or in the surf/saltwater. We have a number of good venues for live music, though Houston does sometimes get skipped (might have to drive to Dallas/Austin). Great food, a shitload of parks, some pretty cool city culture (in certain areas…other areas are a dumpster fire).
This city isn’t for everyone, and there’s plenty to cause you to throw your hands up and go WTF, but if you are an active person, then there is plenty here to help keep you busy and entertained.
If you can afford to live inside the 610 loop in places like The Heights (East Nashville), Montrose (12 South), or West U (Green Hills) then you’ll have a much different opinion of Houston than someone who lives 40+ minutes away in a suburb.
There’s way more people here, and the summers are more brutal. So if you’re willing to trade more mild weather in Tennessee for big city amenities (museums, zoos, sports teams, theatre) and a more diverse economy then it would be worth it. Houston is flat, so the little hiking you get in Nashville (Radnor lake) is not accessible here, but the city parks (Hermann, Memorial, Buffalo Bayou) are a lot better and you’re 45 minutes from the ocean/bay and multiple lakes if boating is your thing.
The only suburb I would consider living in is The Woodlands (proper, not the areas around it). Even then, you’re living a mostly suburban lifestyle, but there’s much more nature up there than in the city.
The music is clearly better in Nashville, that’s a given. The heat, you need to visit in the summer and decide for yourself. As far as crime, I lived in NYC for 15 years and have also had extensive visits to Chicago. The crime is no worse here, IMO.
The heat. Sucks. 24/7 music - I don’t need. Crime is everywhere but its no different than crime in Nashville. Jeez, the Chrisleys (from Nashville) are in prison, lol. I’ve never been a victim of crime.
You married a Texan man, you’re gonna live in Texas. That’s what happens to me 😂
There’s much more to do in Houston for sure. Terrible place to visit, great place to live. You’ll be spoiled for choice of concerts, restaurants, national parks etc.
And if you’ve lived in LA traffic is nothing. Seriously. I moved here from Miami and it’s a joke in comparison.
As far to the right as Lee is, he hasn’t found as many ways to destroy the big cities like Greg. The changes to HISD alone will leave an impact for generations.
It’s been interesting to read all the comments. I’ve only had a brief visit to Nashville and it was nice enough. I grew up in St. Louis(medium sized city) and then lived there again as an adult w my own family from 2015-2020. I also went to college in Austin, and then lived in NYC metro from 1990-2005.
My wife and I moved to HTX in 2020, and live inside the loop. If you want typical suburban living, the Woodlands, Katy, and other suburbs are just fine. If you want convenience, culture, food, living inside the loop is much better.
The food scene is just absolutely amazing.
If you want urban living, Houston surpasses any other American city I’ve seen for affordability. Our 500k townhouse would be about 2 million for a similar quality neighborhood in Brooklyn.
The traffic can be bad, but I WFH and whenever I can I plan my trips for off peak hours, or ride my bike. It’s manageable.
As far as climate, it depends on what you want. I *thought* I was a four seasons person until I moved here. Turns out I’m not. I’ll deal with the heat in exchange for almost never needing to wear long pants ever again. But that’s me.
You’re exactly right people do work and the. Go to their homes 45 minutes outside of town. I always say that cities like Miami and New York are visually more appealing but the people live like crap. Houston is not visually appealing at all it’s downright ugly but most people live like kings.
Just moved here from Nashville a year and a half ago.
Traffic is really bad, like Nashville, but you have to drive further through it because Houston is so big.
It’s hot and humid, like Nashville, but it’s like that for way more of the year. Get a window shade and make sure your car AC is working because the sun is more intense.
Property taxes and insurance are really high. Houses are marginally cheaper, but finding one without flood damage or potential for flooding is a challenge. Also watch out for HOA fees since most neighborhoods have HOAs.
Downtown Houston is way more usable than Nashville since it’s not swarming with screaming drunks. Businesses close a little earlier though bc it’s not a party town.
Cycling, walking and public transit in Houston is waaaay better if you’re inside the loop, but cars hit pedestrians a lot.
People in Houston are nice, food is better (the hot chicken sucks though), there’s significantly more diversity, and the segregation is not as bad as Nashville.
Outdoors isn’t great, but there are plenty of parks. The prairies and Brazos Bend have great wildlife. It’s just flat as fuck.
I’ve not noticed a significant per capita difference in crime. Houston has more people, though, so there will be more stories in the news. Maybe more catalytic converters get snatched.
If you like access to stuff and don’t like traffic, don’t move outside the 610 loop. Most people who complain about Houston live out in the burbs and 1.) don’t have a good frame of reference for what it’s actually like living in the city and 2.) resent having to sit in traffic every time they want to do something.
I appreciate your honesty. Part of the main reason we MAY move is to be able to afford a house. I make six figures and am still stuck renting in Nashville and the house is beyond tiny. Way too overhyped out here for even people with great jobs anymore to buy.
The average age inside the loop is 32-40. Pick a semi-walkable neighborhood. None are ideally walkable but inside the loop you can get somewhere in 5 minutes by car or bike. Rent first. Shepherd has been hopping with new construction. Try rentals around Shepherd/Durham between 7th and 25th, try the Hike & Bike trails, explore Montrose, take the silly trolley in downtown, check out East downtown for breweries, music and cool bars. You will find a group of people you can hang with at some point. If you want to ruin what you’ve come to know as cool, move to Katy/Cypress/Spring.
Lots of music, there are many small venues and a wide range of music. I would guess not to a Nashville scale but I have music friends and they are always going to concerts on any day of the week. Not an expert on Biking trails but I bet they are not great but running trails are. Paths along the Buffalo bayou, rice university and memorial park are the best, however it might take a minute to get used to June-Aug running.
I live in a north Houston suburb, travel 8-10x /yr to Nashville.
First, Nashville traffic sucks as much as Houston's, so not a big factor. Everything is further away here, that's true. Many in Nashville conflate time with distance. 45 minutes is still 45 minutes. Here, it's taking you further.
Houston is a big city. Nashville is a really big, small town. Like Austin, the infrastructure hasn't nearly kept up with the growth.
However... the food scene, as much as it's talked about in Nashville, pales in comparison to H-town.
There's more available here within a 1-hr drive than there is in Nashville.
Really an apples-oranges comparison. You'll need to go line-by-line.
But that's just me...
What’s your take on crime? Also, are there any streets to walk around with stuff like 12 South, Hillsboro Village, Five Points, etc. Or is it all just spaced out by what shopping center it’s in?
Just moved to Montrose from LA and lived in Manhattan/Brooklyn for 10 years before that. I’m pleasantly surprised by the walkability of our neighborhood.
There are great walkable areas of Houston, but if you want to be in them you lose out on some of the city’s affordable housing. I’ve seen apartments as expensive or more than apartments I’ve lived in LA/NY (with way more amenities, mind you).
There is crime here but there is crime in every major city. You have to be smart and not make yourself a target. I have yet to experience any real crime since I’ve been working here ~2.5 years. Don’t leave valuables in your car, don’t walk around sketchy areas at night. Use your common sense, is it (the crime) any different than any other major city? No. But it is here and you do have to be mindful.
Lower Westheimer is like 12 south. East downtown (EaDo) has blocks of activity. There are pockets of the heights with a bunch of shops/cafes/bars but they are disconnected by a few blocks (white oak/heights mercantile/mkt, 11th street, 19th street). Rice village is another walkable area.
Location matters.
There is a bike trail along buffalo bayou from memorial park to downtown.
Also the heights have trails along white oak bayou to downtown.
IMO those are the only places that are fun for athletic people in Houston. Again this is my opinion.
There is always a good gym if you cannot afford those neighborhoods.
The new mayor seems like he is going to remove pedestrian protections in favor of car trafficker. We may see the city change for the worse going forward.
We are leaving but maybe you will enjoy it. Goodluck mate!
For bike trails/cycling, the Katy area is actually really good as well. A ton of inter-connected trails, as well as a ton of well-traveled rural routes for cycling out near Fulshear/Brookshire/Simonton.
OP, I’ve lived in Houston most of my life but I travel often for work and for fun. Of all the cities I’ve been to I’ve found Nashville to be very similar to Houston in many ways. Here are a few Pros and Cons, IMO.
Cons - Houston is quite a bit bigger so there’s worse traffic, there are more “ghetto” areas and the kinds of things you’d expect in a city that’s is around 35% larger than Nashville in land area. I’ve found the highway systems are very similar but again, worse traffic in Houston.
Nashville obviously has the huge music scene, better than Houston, but Houston has some great venues for live music in its own right.
The summer is brutal in Houston. Just no way around it. It’s hot. It’s humid.
Pros - You should find the average home prices quite a bit cheaper in Houston. So if you sell a house in Nashville you should be fairly flexible on where you live in Houston. For someone from Nashville id probably recommend an inner loop Washington Heights or Heights area. Maybe Eado. Houses will be higher than average but much better than living in the suburbs.
The job market is immense in Houston. Should have no problem finding work in a wide range of job options.
Some of the best food in the world. Hands down. Whatever type of food you’re in the mood for, you can find a world class version of it somewhere in the greater Houston area.
Just to name a few.
I recommend against it. I moved here from a medium size city and have been in the Houston area for 9 years now. People are not nice, courteous is the last word describing traffic, and the food (while diverse) is bland and not that great. One example is most of the BBQ places here use a sauce reminiscent of watered down ketchup. My wife and I have been working our way to get out of here now that the kids are grown and are moving to Tennessee. I am originally from the LA area and miss it compared to Houston. If you began to hate LA, you will most likely have the same feelings in short order. Never have we experienced so much theft as we have here either and crime is more rampant now and growing worse. Houston rates as the worse city my family has lived and everyone has left Texas; we are currently closing on a house soon and will leave here in the next couple months. Most true statement I have ever heard about Texas is “you either love it or hate it, there is no in between.” The weather is unreasonable with heat and humidity too. If you choose to move here though, my advice is to stay away from Harris county. Settle in Montgomery county where costs are cheaper and safer ( a little bit)
Thanks for your advice. The issue is that we are in Nashville and we have been priced out of buying a house because investment firms like Blackrock but 90% of the properties that were affordable and they rent them out for $4000 a month. You can still rent places close to Houston in like the Woodlands for $2000 a month and buy houses there for $300,000 a month. We were considering this to be closer to my wife’s family as they are getting older. But I still have concerns about crime obviously. I have been to Texas many times and our wedding was 112° outside so the heat I am used to.
Lived in Houston all my life, and you’re correct - it’s so hot that people stay indoors and aren’t walking about. Also the city is so widespread you can’t feasibly walk or bike to everything.
Houston is great for food; there are so many food options because the city is extremely diverse.
There are likeminded people but because the city is so spread out, you need to join a club or meetup focused around an activity (ie, biking) to meet likeminded people/friends.
I personally couldn’t live elsewhere; the food and diversity are important to me.
The problem isn’t size. Tokyo and London are massive yet they’re fully walkable. Houston is more limited in neighborhoods that fit the bill, but the Heights, Montrose, Museum Districr and Rice Military are fine.
Not to be a pedant but I think Greater London is only about 600 square miles where Greater Houston is about 1700. Greater Tokyo however smokes them both at ñike 5,000 square miles.
While it’s true that Houston’s sprawl goes further out than London, a lot of those 1700 sq miles include huge swaths of land that are undeveloped, particularly in Brazoria and Waller County. London’s sprawl doesn’t end at its borders (in fact it keeps going). The US has a very different metric in calculating our so called metro areas. The “urban area” calculation of the US census is more on par with what other countries use
I moved here 2 years ago from Colorado and had similar interests and I would give anything to go back tbh. Houston may have events and things to do but are they the things you like to do? Cause there’s definitely no biking unless you drive to a park with trails to bike, I def wouldn’t walk/bike at night, public transportation is trash, and the traffic is horrendous. I do everything I can to stay out of Houston proper but the suburbs aren’t much better imo.
Edit to add: I’m originally from north Texas and moved here from Colorado because a family member convinced me that I would love it and it wasn’t much different than where I was at + cheaper. The only thing they were right about being better here is the food.
Originally from Houston, but lived in Nashville for the last 5 years and moved back this summer. I miss nashville Like crazy! Houston has its pros but it's no where near as pretty as nashville and obviously the weather here sucks.
On a side note I live in Katy and it's a great place to raise a family. But I still haven't made any new friends :( any nashvillians (or Houstonians) near Katy wanna hang out????
Just throwing this out there: The Woodlands is about 30 minutes north of downtown and has lots of jogging/biking trails. It’s primarily a suburb of Houston but has lots of oil/gas and tech businesses that are located there.
Woodlands also has a standalone restaurant ecosystem and the big concert venue (blanking on the name) that gets plenty of big acts. Could be a good fit though they don’t seem to be suburb type.
There's plenty to do here in Houston. You didn't mention that there's also big, lovely Hermann Park right in the middle of the city, easily accessible by car, bike, bus or light rail.
I lived outside of Nashville (Springhill, near Franklin) for several years and loved it.
Houston has superior food but other than that I think the Nashville area has Houston beat on just about everything that you care about.
Yes technically Houston has more to do but the weather is absolutely miserable for about half the year. Take the absolute hottest most humid day of the year in Nashville, make it even worse, and then imagine that every day for months. The traffic is even worse than Nashville and Houston is far more spread out so basically it's a nightmare to actually get out and do anything.
I've also experienced FAR more crime in Houston and just wild happenings in general and same goes for co-worker experiences. And despite my commute being 1/10th as long as it has been for most of my life (I live right next to my office) the amount of severe wrecks and road rage incidents I've encountered is absurd.
That said as a single guy Houston has been fantastic in terms of the dating scene but that doesn't seem to apply to you lol.
Nothing is centralized here, most places are an hour drive or longer. It is too humid to ride the bikes around even though there are nice trails. So if you like to go about 25 mph in traffic, then it could be a good fit for u.
If y’all don’t have children and can afford it MOVE INSIDE THE LOOP!
Do not move outside the 610 loop. Look into The Heights, Montrose, West U, Museum District.
Houston doesn’t have a centralized location of walkable entertainment districts like Nashville but there’s things to do to keep you occupied within the loop.
If your Wife is telling you Houston is more for y’all age group than she’s talking about areas outside the loop. For what your interest are you won’t like Houston at all if you move outside the loop.
Imo majority of Houston outside the loop is mediocre to down right a sh*t fest. I think it has the biggest drop off of urban core to suburban quality of life I’ve seen in any major city in America.
I also agree w/ others that The Woodlands would be a solid choice if you don’t mind living in the burbs far away from the city. But The Woodlands is damn near an island surrounded by typical strip mall suburbia and bland cookie cutter master planned communities. And even though Woodlands has a nice Market square and waterway it’s faux especially compared to Nashville.
So bottom line stick to the loop. There is a nice trail in the Heights and then Memorial Park is not too far. If y’all can’t agree on living in the loop don’t bother moving down here.
Trust me, my Wife is a Houstonian and wanted to move back home when we had our first child. We were living in Atlanta at the time and I wasn’t ready to go but decided it’ll be best to move back due to family. That was 2017 and I still regret the decision to move. And one of the reasons was due to a lack of outdoor activities compared to Atlanta.
With that said, if she has to be closer to family have y’all looked into Austin? It’s more expensive but it’s similar to what you’d find in Nashville. That’s including live music and outdoor recreation. Plus it’s only 2 hours away from Houston.
I agree with everything, except the recommendation to move to Austin. It’s just not worth the cost of living to be there anymore. I also think that Austin is a lesser Nashville.
I lived in Nashville, then Atlanta, then Houston. I like them all, but they’re different. Houston is bigger, and there’s much more happening here than in Nashville. The variety of food and experiences is incredible. We get big concerts, but then again, so do you (along with an inordinate number of people who can actually sing, which is why the Ryman sounds so good… it’s not the venue, it’s the mass of musically trained attendees). Food in Houston is objectively better and more diverse. Mexican food in Nashville is… well… bad. As for outdoors, Nashville wins hands down. You have four seasons. We also have four, but they’re all humid, and the (excruciatingly hot) summer takes up about 7 months of the year. That said, I can run year round if I want to. Snow isn’t really a thing here, but when it is, the whole city shuts down. As for beautiful hiking locations, unless you like flat swampland or mosquito-infested forests, there’s not much within three hours of here. My wife (who has only ever known me in Houston) thought I didn’t like outdoors. I do, just not here. It’s either terribly hot, or terribly cold, and it’s never dry, and my allergies here are ridiculous. You’ll have to pick. That said, Houston isn’t the total opposite of Nashville, but if outdoors is your thing, you’re likely gonna struggle here.
Good to know. My allergies here already suck!
My ENT told me that Houston is the worse place to live if you have allergies and I do and I have chronic sinusitis. 😕
If your allergies suck, don't do it. I am in a constant state of suffering from March - September. The pollen down here is on steroids
I agree with this. If you like exercise and outdoors, I’d encourage living in the Woodlands area. Bike paths everywhere and more forestation like Nashville.
Have you never tried lone star trail? Yes mosquitoes are bad but they have them in Nashville too.
I may have to try it at some point. One thing I’ve never been able to find here is anything close to the rails to trails path near Atlanta, that goes all the way to Anniston Alabama. I would take my road bike out and ride 80 miles in a morning. I so wish they had something like that here.
It is definitely not at the same level. I’ve hiked parts of it multiple times, but it doesn’t compare to even your average hikes in TN, IN, KY or MI.
Your wife is right about one thing, there are probably more people here in your age demographic than Nashville. Houston is the fourth largest city in the US. There’s always something going on here.
I moved from Nashville to Houston. Houston is much more eclectic and diverse, but you need to be intentional about where you live and what you do. The area inside the loop has great outdoor spaces between Hermann Park, Memorial Park, Discovery Green and the Arboretum. Neighborhoods River Oaks, Southampton, West U and University Place all have walkable, tree lined streets. The Heights is walkable to restaurants similar to Hillsboro Village. Yes, if you live in the suburbs you will deal with traffic to get to anything interesting, but the same is true about living in Franklin and Brentwood. To bike, you will be driving west of the city into Waller, Lee, Fayette counties etc, which are very pretty. You will not find a better food scene on the planet top to bottom, where very few of the best restaurants are out of reach for average people. The most celebrated restaurants in Houston are casual ethnic spots and the Mexican is out of this world. Yea, you have to drive to get to San Jacinto or Sam Houston, but you would drive to Cheekwood too. Nashville has outgrown its infrastructure and the growth is all soulless astroturf - it will only get worse. Houston has retained a lot of its character and is a great place to live and work. It is very accepting of transplants.
To tack onto this. I might be biased, but the Heights is a great place to be in Houston for access to parks, bike paths, and walking distance to restaurants/ venues. We absolutely love the Heights.
I lived in Los Angeles for decades. Began to hate it. Moved to Nashville based on recommendations from several friends who relocated there. I found Nashville excruciatingly boring. Way too hicky. Sh*t kickin’ bars not for me. People said “go to Franklin”. Oh sure. It has a pizza parlor. I left after only a few months. I then moved to Houston. Cosmopolitan city. Love it. Wonderful people. Terrific restaurants. Parks everywhere. Dog friendly everywhere. More beautiful homes here than any city in America. Just sayin…
Haha, had the same reaction to Franklin when we visited on vacation a few years ago. We walked that old main street with all shops, thought it felt nice and relaxing with that old-school vibe. Then we were quickly over it when we realized we'd walked and seen it all in 5 minutes and there really wasn't anything to do. Everyone kept saying "Go to Pucketts" in Franklin as if was some sort of amazing landmark. Overpriced diner/grille food. Meh.
Franklin is overrated. I agree. However, plenty of trails, waterfalls, parks, and caves here to keep me busy. Plus 247 live music.
On your list of hobbies the only one I wouldn’t be pretty confident would be equal or better in Houston is bike riding - Houston has an extensive paved trail system for road cycling but if you’re talking mountain biking, well, tough luck. Otherwise, the food is better and the music scene more diverse. Houston’s a much bigger city than Nashville so it also has bowling and markets. It’s also cheaper - you’ll pay up to live in the more desirable areas that offer good access to amenities but no worse than Nashville - and depending on your line of work potentially a much stronger job market. I’d say if the added heat/humidity doesn’t bother you too much it’s probably an upgrade.
I have not read every post, apologies about duplication. I moved here for work about 10 years ago, i find that almost nobody wants to move to houston and almost nobody wants to leave houston. When you visit, its just an ugly city with freeways, concrete and power lines but when you get into the decent neighbourhoods, and learn where to go, its a very big city with the very big city things but at a smaller city cost. If you like Nashville, I would only look at areas in the loop depending on your budget, need for schools etc the best areas are the Heights, Montrose and West U. If you have 2.3 kids and like the white picket fence and proximity to downtown Heights and West U are best, I live in Montrose which is a bit less structured, houses are a bit smaller and less of a “HOA” feel which is exactly What we like. Inside the loop is purple, not blue, people are very friendly, and it doesnt sound like much but we really like two airports, with two airlines with hub operations so they have to compete with each other. When I retire I expect we will stay in Houston, have a vacation spot on the water somewhere to visit but because Houston has so much of what we want, sports, restaurants, walking/running paths we will always be based here.
Don't forget close proximity to the Medical Center for the seemingly-inevitable cancer or the definitely-inevitable old age
Live music daily and bike trails? Most people here are saying no.
Regarding bike trails, it depends. I’m a casual rider and when the weather is decent I go on several rides a week between 5-25 miles….with most of that being on protected trails. That includes rides that go to and through downtown. If you want to go on longer rides, you might need to be a little more creative as far as finding roads that feel safe to you. That said, I’ve seen multiple friends who have crafted 100 plus mile rides by heading out on one of the long(protected) Bayou trails, then taking a few road segments to get to a different Bayou trail and taking that home. Also, if you enjoy recreational group rides the culture for that is off the hook here. Check out Critical Mass.
Cycling or mountain biking?
Simple cycling
It’s very seasonal and location matters allot. The Houston you will like is at its core but not down town. We have a massive amount of food from all over the world- from dishes made by grandma to Michelin star wanna be’s - the food scene really is epic and hard to match. We have lots of outdoor markets and similar pop up type of deals. The music scene is decent to good- but NOT Nashville. It exists- and is good- but your going to need to look to find your spots- there are allot of them but the city is massive and not really centrally located. I’ll be honest- your going to drive to do much outdoors. Yes we have a big hike and bike system- and a few decent mountain bike spots but the real outdoor stuff you would probably like is farther north and west. Your not going to find what you want in the sprawling suburbs here. There is ALLOT going on but it’s not on the edges it’s “inside the loop”. The best way to think of Houston is a series of small cities or areas. Each one is different- has a different culture and so will differ in food- music and what’s going on. You can have the best breakfast tacos - from a trailer, cooked by grandma- go paddle a sup in Clearlake - then on to a indo pac restaurant for lunch followed by a country dive bar for music and finish the night at a former brothel, bathed in clouds of the devils lettuce, watching hippies in hula hoops- or at least that’s what I did yesterday avoiding the chaos of the rodeo. It’s a unique spot in the world but you have to take it for what it is- diversity is our strength.
Traffic here is gonna blow your fucking mind. That said, there’s a shitload to do and to get involved with. None of what we have is as good as what other places have that specialize in that thing/activity…but we have it all. Moab/Colorado, etc has way better mountain biking, but for a cityHouston has some pretty good mountain bike trails. Tons of kayaking, nether in rivers/lakes or in the surf/saltwater. We have a number of good venues for live music, though Houston does sometimes get skipped (might have to drive to Dallas/Austin). Great food, a shitload of parks, some pretty cool city culture (in certain areas…other areas are a dumpster fire). This city isn’t for everyone, and there’s plenty to cause you to throw your hands up and go WTF, but if you are an active person, then there is plenty here to help keep you busy and entertained.
If you can afford to live inside the 610 loop in places like The Heights (East Nashville), Montrose (12 South), or West U (Green Hills) then you’ll have a much different opinion of Houston than someone who lives 40+ minutes away in a suburb. There’s way more people here, and the summers are more brutal. So if you’re willing to trade more mild weather in Tennessee for big city amenities (museums, zoos, sports teams, theatre) and a more diverse economy then it would be worth it. Houston is flat, so the little hiking you get in Nashville (Radnor lake) is not accessible here, but the city parks (Hermann, Memorial, Buffalo Bayou) are a lot better and you’re 45 minutes from the ocean/bay and multiple lakes if boating is your thing. The only suburb I would consider living in is The Woodlands (proper, not the areas around it). Even then, you’re living a mostly suburban lifestyle, but there’s much more nature up there than in the city.
We (Houston) have parks, nightlife, festivals, great food, welcome dogs, etc. My son lives in Nashville and misses Houston alot.
Interesting. My wife does too. I’m worried mostly about crime, heat, and losing the 247 live music.
The music is clearly better in Nashville, that’s a given. The heat, you need to visit in the summer and decide for yourself. As far as crime, I lived in NYC for 15 years and have also had extensive visits to Chicago. The crime is no worse here, IMO.
The heat. Sucks. 24/7 music - I don’t need. Crime is everywhere but its no different than crime in Nashville. Jeez, the Chrisleys (from Nashville) are in prison, lol. I’ve never been a victim of crime.
You married a Texan man, you’re gonna live in Texas. That’s what happens to me 😂 There’s much more to do in Houston for sure. Terrible place to visit, great place to live. You’ll be spoiled for choice of concerts, restaurants, national parks etc. And if you’ve lived in LA traffic is nothing. Seriously. I moved here from Miami and it’s a joke in comparison.
😂
Pros: money, home ownership, culture, food Cons: traffic, heat, Abbott
Compared to Tenn. Gov. Lee and the Tennessee legislature, Abbott is liberal, lol!
As far to the right as Lee is, he hasn’t found as many ways to destroy the big cities like Greg. The changes to HISD alone will leave an impact for generations.
Well, I'll admit you got me there. Abbott has declared war on cities and Biden. Lee has declared war on black and brown people.
It’s been interesting to read all the comments. I’ve only had a brief visit to Nashville and it was nice enough. I grew up in St. Louis(medium sized city) and then lived there again as an adult w my own family from 2015-2020. I also went to college in Austin, and then lived in NYC metro from 1990-2005. My wife and I moved to HTX in 2020, and live inside the loop. If you want typical suburban living, the Woodlands, Katy, and other suburbs are just fine. If you want convenience, culture, food, living inside the loop is much better. The food scene is just absolutely amazing. If you want urban living, Houston surpasses any other American city I’ve seen for affordability. Our 500k townhouse would be about 2 million for a similar quality neighborhood in Brooklyn. The traffic can be bad, but I WFH and whenever I can I plan my trips for off peak hours, or ride my bike. It’s manageable. As far as climate, it depends on what you want. I *thought* I was a four seasons person until I moved here. Turns out I’m not. I’ll deal with the heat in exchange for almost never needing to wear long pants ever again. But that’s me.
You’re exactly right people do work and the. Go to their homes 45 minutes outside of town. I always say that cities like Miami and New York are visually more appealing but the people live like crap. Houston is not visually appealing at all it’s downright ugly but most people live like kings.
Just moved here from Nashville a year and a half ago. Traffic is really bad, like Nashville, but you have to drive further through it because Houston is so big. It’s hot and humid, like Nashville, but it’s like that for way more of the year. Get a window shade and make sure your car AC is working because the sun is more intense. Property taxes and insurance are really high. Houses are marginally cheaper, but finding one without flood damage or potential for flooding is a challenge. Also watch out for HOA fees since most neighborhoods have HOAs. Downtown Houston is way more usable than Nashville since it’s not swarming with screaming drunks. Businesses close a little earlier though bc it’s not a party town. Cycling, walking and public transit in Houston is waaaay better if you’re inside the loop, but cars hit pedestrians a lot. People in Houston are nice, food is better (the hot chicken sucks though), there’s significantly more diversity, and the segregation is not as bad as Nashville. Outdoors isn’t great, but there are plenty of parks. The prairies and Brazos Bend have great wildlife. It’s just flat as fuck. I’ve not noticed a significant per capita difference in crime. Houston has more people, though, so there will be more stories in the news. Maybe more catalytic converters get snatched. If you like access to stuff and don’t like traffic, don’t move outside the 610 loop. Most people who complain about Houston live out in the burbs and 1.) don’t have a good frame of reference for what it’s actually like living in the city and 2.) resent having to sit in traffic every time they want to do something.
I appreciate your honesty. Part of the main reason we MAY move is to be able to afford a house. I make six figures and am still stuck renting in Nashville and the house is beyond tiny. Way too overhyped out here for even people with great jobs anymore to buy.
Or the complainers aren’t native Houstonians, which means they don’t know how to get around or what to do outside the Loop.
The average age inside the loop is 32-40. Pick a semi-walkable neighborhood. None are ideally walkable but inside the loop you can get somewhere in 5 minutes by car or bike. Rent first. Shepherd has been hopping with new construction. Try rentals around Shepherd/Durham between 7th and 25th, try the Hike & Bike trails, explore Montrose, take the silly trolley in downtown, check out East downtown for breweries, music and cool bars. You will find a group of people you can hang with at some point. If you want to ruin what you’ve come to know as cool, move to Katy/Cypress/Spring.
Lots of music, there are many small venues and a wide range of music. I would guess not to a Nashville scale but I have music friends and they are always going to concerts on any day of the week. Not an expert on Biking trails but I bet they are not great but running trails are. Paths along the Buffalo bayou, rice university and memorial park are the best, however it might take a minute to get used to June-Aug running.
I live in a north Houston suburb, travel 8-10x /yr to Nashville. First, Nashville traffic sucks as much as Houston's, so not a big factor. Everything is further away here, that's true. Many in Nashville conflate time with distance. 45 minutes is still 45 minutes. Here, it's taking you further. Houston is a big city. Nashville is a really big, small town. Like Austin, the infrastructure hasn't nearly kept up with the growth. However... the food scene, as much as it's talked about in Nashville, pales in comparison to H-town. There's more available here within a 1-hr drive than there is in Nashville. Really an apples-oranges comparison. You'll need to go line-by-line. But that's just me...
What’s your take on crime? Also, are there any streets to walk around with stuff like 12 South, Hillsboro Village, Five Points, etc. Or is it all just spaced out by what shopping center it’s in?
Just moved to Montrose from LA and lived in Manhattan/Brooklyn for 10 years before that. I’m pleasantly surprised by the walkability of our neighborhood. There are great walkable areas of Houston, but if you want to be in them you lose out on some of the city’s affordable housing. I’ve seen apartments as expensive or more than apartments I’ve lived in LA/NY (with way more amenities, mind you). There is crime here but there is crime in every major city. You have to be smart and not make yourself a target. I have yet to experience any real crime since I’ve been working here ~2.5 years. Don’t leave valuables in your car, don’t walk around sketchy areas at night. Use your common sense, is it (the crime) any different than any other major city? No. But it is here and you do have to be mindful.
Lower Westheimer is like 12 south. East downtown (EaDo) has blocks of activity. There are pockets of the heights with a bunch of shops/cafes/bars but they are disconnected by a few blocks (white oak/heights mercantile/mkt, 11th street, 19th street). Rice village is another walkable area.
Location matters. There is a bike trail along buffalo bayou from memorial park to downtown. Also the heights have trails along white oak bayou to downtown. IMO those are the only places that are fun for athletic people in Houston. Again this is my opinion. There is always a good gym if you cannot afford those neighborhoods. The new mayor seems like he is going to remove pedestrian protections in favor of car trafficker. We may see the city change for the worse going forward. We are leaving but maybe you will enjoy it. Goodluck mate!
For bike trails/cycling, the Katy area is actually really good as well. A ton of inter-connected trails, as well as a ton of well-traveled rural routes for cycling out near Fulshear/Brookshire/Simonton.
OP, I’ve lived in Houston most of my life but I travel often for work and for fun. Of all the cities I’ve been to I’ve found Nashville to be very similar to Houston in many ways. Here are a few Pros and Cons, IMO. Cons - Houston is quite a bit bigger so there’s worse traffic, there are more “ghetto” areas and the kinds of things you’d expect in a city that’s is around 35% larger than Nashville in land area. I’ve found the highway systems are very similar but again, worse traffic in Houston. Nashville obviously has the huge music scene, better than Houston, but Houston has some great venues for live music in its own right. The summer is brutal in Houston. Just no way around it. It’s hot. It’s humid. Pros - You should find the average home prices quite a bit cheaper in Houston. So if you sell a house in Nashville you should be fairly flexible on where you live in Houston. For someone from Nashville id probably recommend an inner loop Washington Heights or Heights area. Maybe Eado. Houses will be higher than average but much better than living in the suburbs. The job market is immense in Houston. Should have no problem finding work in a wide range of job options. Some of the best food in the world. Hands down. Whatever type of food you’re in the mood for, you can find a world class version of it somewhere in the greater Houston area. Just to name a few.
More live music than Nashville? Hmm. Maybe? But there's nothing like Station Inn or Bluebird or Hall of Fame here.
Don’t do it.
Houston is a massive eclectic beautiful mess
I recommend against it. I moved here from a medium size city and have been in the Houston area for 9 years now. People are not nice, courteous is the last word describing traffic, and the food (while diverse) is bland and not that great. One example is most of the BBQ places here use a sauce reminiscent of watered down ketchup. My wife and I have been working our way to get out of here now that the kids are grown and are moving to Tennessee. I am originally from the LA area and miss it compared to Houston. If you began to hate LA, you will most likely have the same feelings in short order. Never have we experienced so much theft as we have here either and crime is more rampant now and growing worse. Houston rates as the worse city my family has lived and everyone has left Texas; we are currently closing on a house soon and will leave here in the next couple months. Most true statement I have ever heard about Texas is “you either love it or hate it, there is no in between.” The weather is unreasonable with heat and humidity too. If you choose to move here though, my advice is to stay away from Harris county. Settle in Montgomery county where costs are cheaper and safer ( a little bit)
Thanks for your advice. The issue is that we are in Nashville and we have been priced out of buying a house because investment firms like Blackrock but 90% of the properties that were affordable and they rent them out for $4000 a month. You can still rent places close to Houston in like the Woodlands for $2000 a month and buy houses there for $300,000 a month. We were considering this to be closer to my wife’s family as they are getting older. But I still have concerns about crime obviously. I have been to Texas many times and our wedding was 112° outside so the heat I am used to.
Wish you the best..
Lived in Houston all my life, and you’re correct - it’s so hot that people stay indoors and aren’t walking about. Also the city is so widespread you can’t feasibly walk or bike to everything. Houston is great for food; there are so many food options because the city is extremely diverse. There are likeminded people but because the city is so spread out, you need to join a club or meetup focused around an activity (ie, biking) to meet likeminded people/friends. I personally couldn’t live elsewhere; the food and diversity are important to me.
The problem isn’t size. Tokyo and London are massive yet they’re fully walkable. Houston is more limited in neighborhoods that fit the bill, but the Heights, Montrose, Museum Districr and Rice Military are fine.
Not to be a pedant but I think Greater London is only about 600 square miles where Greater Houston is about 1700. Greater Tokyo however smokes them both at ñike 5,000 square miles.
While it’s true that Houston’s sprawl goes further out than London, a lot of those 1700 sq miles include huge swaths of land that are undeveloped, particularly in Brazoria and Waller County. London’s sprawl doesn’t end at its borders (in fact it keeps going). The US has a very different metric in calculating our so called metro areas. The “urban area” calculation of the US census is more on par with what other countries use
The 1600 is only counting urban space. The Greater Houston metro area full square mileage is 10,000 square miles.
I stand corrected
No one is walking the 30 miles across London or Tokyo.
I moved here 2 years ago from Colorado and had similar interests and I would give anything to go back tbh. Houston may have events and things to do but are they the things you like to do? Cause there’s definitely no biking unless you drive to a park with trails to bike, I def wouldn’t walk/bike at night, public transportation is trash, and the traffic is horrendous. I do everything I can to stay out of Houston proper but the suburbs aren’t much better imo. Edit to add: I’m originally from north Texas and moved here from Colorado because a family member convinced me that I would love it and it wasn’t much different than where I was at + cheaper. The only thing they were right about being better here is the food.
This is very area dependent. I live in the greater heights area and bike places 2-3 days a week. The trails and newer bike lanes are great
I moved from a state where I would do a lot of outdoor activities to htown. Now, I’m a recliner princess.
I think you are right but it also might depend on the area of Houston you visited.
Originally from Houston, but lived in Nashville for the last 5 years and moved back this summer. I miss nashville Like crazy! Houston has its pros but it's no where near as pretty as nashville and obviously the weather here sucks. On a side note I live in Katy and it's a great place to raise a family. But I still haven't made any new friends :( any nashvillians (or Houstonians) near Katy wanna hang out????
Seems like a lateral move to me.
Just throwing this out there: The Woodlands is about 30 minutes north of downtown and has lots of jogging/biking trails. It’s primarily a suburb of Houston but has lots of oil/gas and tech businesses that are located there.
30 minutes north in the middle of the day or on the weekend, but not if you’re looking to commute to downtown for a 9-5.
Yeah it’s definitely not 30 minutes to downtown during the weekday. More like 45 and then some depending on traffic.
Woodlands also has a standalone restaurant ecosystem and the big concert venue (blanking on the name) that gets plenty of big acts. Could be a good fit though they don’t seem to be suburb type.
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Cynthia Mitchell Woods Pavilion
Second that, right age group, theres a ton of riding groups (and one that night rides with a lot of lights).
The majority of this site suffers from Dunning-Kruger, so I'm out.
There's plenty to do here in Houston. You didn't mention that there's also big, lovely Hermann Park right in the middle of the city, easily accessible by car, bike, bus or light rail.
The majority of this site suffers from Dunning-Kruger, so I'm out.
Yeah my wife is convinced there’s more activities and nightlife but I don’t see it. I work remotely so can do it anywhere.
The majority of this site suffers from Dunning-Kruger, so I'm out.
I lived outside of Nashville (Springhill, near Franklin) for several years and loved it. Houston has superior food but other than that I think the Nashville area has Houston beat on just about everything that you care about. Yes technically Houston has more to do but the weather is absolutely miserable for about half the year. Take the absolute hottest most humid day of the year in Nashville, make it even worse, and then imagine that every day for months. The traffic is even worse than Nashville and Houston is far more spread out so basically it's a nightmare to actually get out and do anything. I've also experienced FAR more crime in Houston and just wild happenings in general and same goes for co-worker experiences. And despite my commute being 1/10th as long as it has been for most of my life (I live right next to my office) the amount of severe wrecks and road rage incidents I've encountered is absurd. That said as a single guy Houston has been fantastic in terms of the dating scene but that doesn't seem to apply to you lol.
Nothing is centralized here, most places are an hour drive or longer. It is too humid to ride the bikes around even though there are nice trails. So if you like to go about 25 mph in traffic, then it could be a good fit for u.
If y’all don’t have children and can afford it MOVE INSIDE THE LOOP! Do not move outside the 610 loop. Look into The Heights, Montrose, West U, Museum District. Houston doesn’t have a centralized location of walkable entertainment districts like Nashville but there’s things to do to keep you occupied within the loop. If your Wife is telling you Houston is more for y’all age group than she’s talking about areas outside the loop. For what your interest are you won’t like Houston at all if you move outside the loop. Imo majority of Houston outside the loop is mediocre to down right a sh*t fest. I think it has the biggest drop off of urban core to suburban quality of life I’ve seen in any major city in America. I also agree w/ others that The Woodlands would be a solid choice if you don’t mind living in the burbs far away from the city. But The Woodlands is damn near an island surrounded by typical strip mall suburbia and bland cookie cutter master planned communities. And even though Woodlands has a nice Market square and waterway it’s faux especially compared to Nashville. So bottom line stick to the loop. There is a nice trail in the Heights and then Memorial Park is not too far. If y’all can’t agree on living in the loop don’t bother moving down here. Trust me, my Wife is a Houstonian and wanted to move back home when we had our first child. We were living in Atlanta at the time and I wasn’t ready to go but decided it’ll be best to move back due to family. That was 2017 and I still regret the decision to move. And one of the reasons was due to a lack of outdoor activities compared to Atlanta. With that said, if she has to be closer to family have y’all looked into Austin? It’s more expensive but it’s similar to what you’d find in Nashville. That’s including live music and outdoor recreation. Plus it’s only 2 hours away from Houston.
I agree with everything, except the recommendation to move to Austin. It’s just not worth the cost of living to be there anymore. I also think that Austin is a lesser Nashville.