COMMENTARY: Is living in Houston still worth it?
Houston floods. Anyone who has lived here longer than a year knows this. On average the city gets 54 inches of rain each year, making it one of the wettest cities in the state.
Last month Tropical Storm Imelda dropped a massive 43 inches of rain on Houston, giving the city its second “1,000-year flood” in just over two years. With the city of Houston suffering massive floods on what feels like a yearly basis, is it even worth it to stay?
Yes.
For one, Houston’s sports teams are all doing fantastic right now. The Texans have one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL in Deshaun Watson. Patrick Mahomes, with the Kansas City Chiefs, is the only quarterback in Watson’s age class that’s performing better, and he’s the best quarterback in the NFL right now.
The Rockets have been knocking on the door to another NBA Championship series for the last five years, and with James Harden and Russel Westbrook returning this year, another playoff run is imminent. Lastly, the Astros just secured their third consecutive 100+ win season and are poised to make another run at the World Series this year and no one wants to leave right before the Astros win another World Series.
In addition to having fantastic sports teams, Houston has also been ranked as the most diverse metropolitan area in the entire United States. This ranking comes from a combined score based upon socioeconomic, cultural, economic, household, and religious diversity rankings and Houston ranks in the top 125 of each.
If the United States is considered the melting pot of the world, then Houston is the melting pot of the United States. This diversity has led to the formation of many ethnic enclaves in the city. Chinatown, Koreatown and Little India are great examples and each has a number of great shops and restaurants.
Speaking of restaurants, the variety of Houston’s cuisine is second to none. From southern comfort food and Tex-Mex to Korean BBQ and Vietnamese pho, Houston has got it all and does it flawlessly.
Affordability is another plus; the cost of living in Houston is fairly low when compared to other major cities in the United States. The cost of living in Houston is estimated to be around $60,000 per year.
This sounds pretty expensive, but when compared to the $73,000 per year it costs to live in Los Angeles or the $98,000 per year it costs to live in New York City, it is very reasonable.
The low cost of living in Houston likely has to do with the fact that the city has one of the strongest economic bubbles in the United States. During the Great Recession of 2008, the city of Houston was not hit as hard as the rest of the country because of its strong industrial ties.
The Port of Houston is the largest port in the U.S. and one of the busiest, with Houston exporting more crude oil than any other U.S. city. Houston also houses nearly 20 Fortune 500 companies, the fourth highest of any city in the U.S.
Lastly, Houston has one of the lowest unemployment rates when compared to other large cities. Houston’s unemployment rate is 3.9%, while cities like Los Angeles and New York City have unemployment rates of 5.1% and 4.5%, respectively.
While it is true that there are cities in the U.S. that are safer from hurricanes and floods, many of them still have their own host of natural disasters to look out for. California is located on the San Andreas fault and is prone to earthquakes, Oklahoma is right in the middle of tornado alley and tornadoes regularly ravage the state, and New York City often has freezing cold winters and blizzards are a frequent threat.
If none of the previous reasons were sufficient enough to sway the decision to stay in Houston, then consider one more: Houston is home to the greatest four-year university in Texas, the University of Houston-Clear Lake.
