Houston vs. Dallas

Hello Texas, My family and I are considering to move to Texas with the next year or so. I would like to know the difference between Dallas vs. Houston and which one of those cities is a better location to move to. Here is what I%26#39;m looking for:

1. Job Market:

First off, how is the job market in general? I%26#39;m working on my degree in both video production and graphic design. My mom is in the banking industry and has her real estate licsence and my brother is into the music scene and visual arts. Does Houston or Dallas have a Job market for all these things?

2. Which city supports the Arts more? This includes visual arts, music and film

3. Which city has better opportunity for starting a business?

4. Which city is better where cost of living is concerned, especially home prices?

5. Which city has better weather?

I know both cities are hot, but which one is more manageable?

6. Which city has the worst crime?

7. Which city has the best entertainment and more things to do leisure wise?

8. Which city is popular with celebrities?

9. Which city has a more diverse population and diverse culture?

10. Which city has better school districts?

Houston vs. Dallas

Oh my! You have asked the $6million question, and one that will probably elicit a lot of emotional response... There is a stereotype that folks who love Dallas dislike Houston, and folks who love Houston dislike Dallas - so depending on who you talk to you%26#39;ll get a different answer.

There are websites that can provide you with the answers to your questions.

For Houston, try: www.houstontx.gov.

For Dallas, try: www.dallascityhall.com.

You will see that both cities are international, world class cities with a lot to offer their residents: good arts, good schools, good entertainment, good jobs, etc.

Having lived in both cities (as well as Austin), I can tell you that each city has its own character. My personal impression is that Dallas is new and shiny, while Houston is vibrant and colorful. And as you can guess, those 4 adjective can have different meanings to different people. I personally prefer Houston, although I cannot say anything negative about Dallas either. It%26#39;s simply a personal preference.

\My suggestion is for you to visit both cities for a day or two before deciding where you would like to settle. As you drive around town and maybe walk in some of the neighborhoods you%26#39;ll get a feel for the cities and which one might be more suitable for your and your family%26#39;s preferences. This will be much more valuable than any statistic that the visitor bureau can put out...

Houston vs. Dallas

I agree with the previous post - you will get different opinions from different people, depending on their own experiences. I have lived in Houston, lived in Austin and spent alot of time in the Dallas area -I%26#39;m not sure if you have considered Austin too, but here are my thoughts on the three major Texas cities:

1. Job market: for the specific jobs you mentioned, there is a market for real estate in all three cities. If you are studying video production/graphic design, there are universities in all three cities, UT in Austin being the best public University in Texas. As far as music scene - hands down, Austin is known as the live music capital of the world

2. as far as supporting the arts, the bigger cities have the better museums (Houston, Dallas and actually Fort Worth has an excellent art museum) There are film groups in all cities, but Austin has a large population of Independent filmmakers - an annual film festival, the annual South by Southwest (www.sxsw.com) in Austin is attended by thousands of filmmakers and other artists (Houston has an annual film festival as well). So, to answer your question - all the cities support the arts very well - but Austin is a destination for many musicians, filmmakers and artists.

3. as far as starting a busniess, obviously the more people that live in your city, the more money you stand to ';potentially'; make. Houston is the fourth largest city in the US. On the other hand, Austinites love to support local businesses, especially if they are ';artsy';.

4. Home prices: Houston has the most affordable housing of the three big cities in Texas. You can find affordable apartments in any city.

5. weather? bottom line is, Texas is hot from late April to mid September. But we have mild winters. Houston is more humid, being close to the Gulf. Dallas tends to have the highest temps in the summer, but only by a few degrees or so.

6. Crime? Dallas, Tx actually has a higher crime rate than Houston, which amazes me - but it%26#39;s true. But, you can find safe areas in either city.

7. entertainment: all the cities have plenty of things to do - not an issue

8. celebrities? the only city in Texas where celebrities are consistently known to visit (and live in) is Austin.

9. Houston is the most diverse - it%26#39;s a much more international city.

10. overall, Dallas has the best school districts in Texas. But, there are great districts in Houston and Austin as well.

I agree with the above posters. They both gave very accurate and a non-bias information about the two cities.

I will go to www.city-data.com to compare all the Texas cities in great detail. City-data offers statistics on the things that you have mentioned above.

For school ratings and performance scores go to www.tea.state.tx.us This is the Texas Board of Education website.

You could find the ratings of all the school districts within both cities.

I will say that both cities have the things that you are looking for. I think that you should definitely visit them both before you make your decision. That way you will get a better understanding of what the atmosphere and culture is like in both places.

By the way, welcome to Texas!

As someone who has studied political science, I can tell you that Houston probably is the least attractive aesthetically speaking, however, that in itself lends itself to lower, more affordable housing and one of the best job markets right now. Houston all has a high percentage of new business start-ups that are successful. That is the key to that question - how many ';successful new business start-ups are there. A lot of cities can boast a high percentage new business start-ups but how many of those succeed.

University of Houston Clear Lake %26amp; Main Campus both have degree programs in your field of study. University of Saint Thomas has a communication program in their Liberal Arts school that includes video production. Most students at St. Thomas get internships at television stations or radio stations.

have you considered Austin?

Houston defiantely better than Dallas. I would rather climb thru a sewer in Houston than go to a party in Dallas. Dallas is by far the worst city in America.

San Antonio - Austin would be my choice.

Houston%26#39;s general ';feel” to me is one of a large city - lots of traffic, plenty of bad areas, etc. I%26#39;ve never lived there and I%26#39;m sure there are lots of wonderful areas, but I just don%26#39;t care for the vibe.

Dallas makes me think of the stereotypical rich Texan-oil baron. I have a sister that lives in McKinney and the old section has a wonderful home town feel, but too much of Dallas reminds me of upper-middle class burbs. I don%26#39;t see the soul.

Soul is exactly what I like about SA and Austin - SA has a working class Latino herritage vibe that I enjoy even though I%26#39;m neither. And Austin has the college/liberal idealism vibe that I enjoy even though I%26#39;m neither.

Food for thought.

I have a friend that lived and worked professionally in Dallas and then moved to Houston. At first she was not very impressed with Houston; however, once she learned what Houston has to offer, she won%26#39;t leave.

In my opinion, anything I can do in Houston can be done in Dallas. I have spent plenty of time in Dallas, but I still favor Houston and call it home.

5. Which city has better weather?

I would say Houston has better weather, because it doesn%26#39;t fluctuate much. Dallas may ice over in the winter and flood in the summers. Besides major tropical storms, Houston can be very predictable.

6. Which city has the worst crime?

Every city has crime. Let us know where in Houston you are looking and you can get a truthful answer.

9. Which city has a more diverse population and diverse culture?

Houston, diversity is what makes Houston so great. You can drive down Bellaire and start at 1930%26#39;s Bungalow homes and finish end up in the Vietnamese part of town. That%26#39;s just one example.

This is a topic that can really generate a lot of strong emotions!

I was born and raised in the Dallas area, but have spent many years of my adult life in the Houston area. I have to say that I love them both! If I was to choose now between the two - putting aside the fact that my entire family is in Dallas, I would choose Houston. We just moved out of Houston in August and I miss it terribly.

It is much more diverse than Dallas. At one time in the mix 90%26#39;s Ft Bend county, was considered the most ethnically diverse county in the nation!

Crime is reportedly better in Houston, but I know both cities have their problems.

As far as the careeer interests, I would think Dallas might have a slight edge for you, but both cities have plenty of opportunity in all your mentioned areas.

Weather? Houston wins that one. Yeah, its hot and humid in the summer, but I love the fact that it rarely freezes. I%26#39;m a shorts kinda person. Plus I love the beautiful landscaping that the year round warm weather affords.

I would think Houston would win the cost of living award. I know when I compared what it cost us to live, as opposed to what our families spend in the Dallas area, we definately had the better deal.

As far as the arts go, both cities have plenty to offer.

Good luck.