Fort Worth and San Antonio/Austin are more liveable cities than Houston on a day to day basis.
Houston has a lot of both positives and negatives.
Positives : A lot of science (NASA etc) , a true business center. Offers quite a bit as you would expect from a city that is only behind New York,Los angeles, and Chicago in population.
Better job market than just about anywhere else in Texas. For all its problems of any city this size, Houston is far,far better run than Dallas. Houston also is ultra modern compared to most really big US cities.
Negatives: Sprawl, looks like a concrete,glass jungle to outsiders. Humidity is simply oppressive, rivaling what I have experienced in Miami and New Orleans.

I have lived in Houston for about two years. I moved down here from Denver to take a job.

Depending on your attitude, Houston is not as bad as many of the posters make out.

The main negative is the traffic situation. It is not just the fact that the roadways are congested. Traffic was also terrible in Denver. The difference is the mentality of the drivers. As a general rule, the average Houston driver is profoundly stupid, blatantly negligent, and overly aggressive. You can take the friendliest and most intelligent person from Houston, put them behind the wheel, and watch them rapidly devolve into a baboon. Way too much testosterone mixed with low IQ on the roads.

Having said that, there are some great things about this city, if you can avoid getting killed while driving. People are generally mostly friendly. In Denver, everyone sort of ignores each other. People are much warmer and more welcoming in Houston. Awesome restaurants. Affordable housing. Decent cultural attractions. Very strong economy.

Houston is what you make of it. If you are negative and pessimistic by nature and constantly look for things to complain about, you will find plenty. However, if you stop feeling sorry for yourself and try to have a positive outlook, this isn't such a bad city.

I wouldnt' want to stay here for the rest of my life, but I can enjoy myself here for a few years and then move on.

Perhaps this isn't fair because I only spent one day in Houston on business.  Driving around on the highways and getting a tour of various communities, I hate to say the one word that kept coming across my mind was "Eeeew."  Houston is lots and lots and lots of endless sprawl.  It's a city, it's big, one gets the sense that there's no "there there."  Kind of endless suburbia due to the lack of zoning and cheap real estate.  I did go out to a club at night.  Again, maybe not fair, but I didn't find the people particularly friendly...or unfriendly.

It's alright. Downtown is pretty mediocre, but the NASA Space Center is a must-visit. Otherwise...nothing special. I'd like to go to the Yao Ming Chinese Restaurant though...

Well, Houston isnt great, but it is better than many of the cities ranked ahead of it.  the worst part is the traffic, which is mind numbing, and the hot humid summers, which you have to experience to believe. its like you are at the equator or something. 105-110 heat indexes are not uncommon. But, it does have big city amenities, and it doesnt snow, so that's good. Johson Space Center and the Art Musuem are the best tourist attractions.

I've lived in Houston for 4 years now. For the most part, this "city" and I use that word very loosely, is a testament to the plight of conservative values enforced on urban sprawl. With every boast that this city is a "cultural melting pot" it grossly understates that even though multiple cultures live here, they hardly interact. As for myself I am Detroit born and bred and had spent the majority of my life in the inner city of Detroit. My old neighborhood was on the East side of Detroit, Mack and Bewick area. From there to the WSU area. Even for a burnt-out, dilapidated, crack-head, infested city there was tons to do: neighborhood block parties, innovative clubbing experiences, beautiful architecture(in some areas), local artist events and support. Houston in contrast is basically little L.A. with a country conservative twist. If that is to your liking and you happen to know that you're a bore, come and enjoy this city. It's an excellent place to get fat by the endless sea of restaurants. The women are truly top notch as far as aesthetics are concerned. The men here are quite usually machismo dullards with barely a thing of interest to say. But if you love the look, the money, or the meat-head, this is your place. The local artists here are considered freaks by their own communities and given hardly any support by it's city, unless it's on a commercial scale. So to close, DO NOT COME HERE! If you have business here, conduct it and leave before this town infects you with it's blatant idiocy, durty souf, blinged-out grill havin, gun rack owning, backwoods sister lovin, redneck monkey infested, citizens. That basically covers all the cultures and ethnicities that have the unfortunate displeasure of being born here.

ive been to Houston and before i went there i thought it was a big city with lots to do.  Well i was wrong, well half wrong. its a big city all right but there not much to do.  Its big the air quality could be better and the public transportation is not able to deal with a city the size of Houston. There are good things abou the city, one being they have a great medical center.......thats all i could think of on the goods.

I woke up in the middle of the night last night dreaming I was no longer in Houston....then I realized it was just a dream and I was right back into the nightmare that is living in Houston. It wasn't possible to give it zero stars so I was forced to give it one. This "city" is not actually a city but rather a sprawled dirty mess of conservatives and filth. I can't believe illegal immigrants from Mexico even decide to come to America after coming through Houston. It seems like they would say, "well if this is what America is going to be like I'd be better off going back to Mexico. This place sucks." Something like that.

If you've never been to Houston, just in your mind's eye combine the bad parts of New Orleans and Detroit, through in some country from say...Huntsville, Alabama and Knoxville, TN (or just anywhere in Texas), pick any of the most boring suburb you can think of, and add to that a large part of Mexico city...and you have Houston.

moved here for a good paying job about a year ago.... can't believe i'm still here as much as i hate it.

i really hope/wish to be out of here within the next couple of months...

the only reason to ever come here is for business/work, REALLY.

all the one star ratings are accurate, the others are just not seeing Houston for what it really is.... a big sprawling, swamp, conservative, polluted, bug-infested, nothing-to-do, 3rd world crap hole.

come if you must for work then plan your soonest possible escape.

hopefully a category 7 hurricane will flatten this place one day and they can start over.

Houston is probably the worst city in all of the United States. It is absolutely horrible. Sprawl, dirty, boring, conservative are just a few things that describe Houston. I got a well-paying job in Houston last summer so I took it. I moved from Tulsa and it made me almost miss Tulsa!! (can you believe that, and I hate Tulsa!!). I lived there for 4 months and couldn't take it any longer. I would rather be homeless somewhere else than have a well-paying job in Houston. The city is dirty, tacky, and uncultured (which is odd because there is a diverse population) and the suburbs are cookie-cutter. I almost fell asleep when driving through the 'burbs, that's how much it sucks. If you move to Texas (which is a mistake in the first place no matter what), move to Austin.

I visited in the summer, and it was the most horrible, disgusting heat I've ever experienced...and I lived in Las Vegas for years.  I thought that such a large city would have a lot to offer...I was wrong.  Houston seemed very conservative for such a large city...and this is evident in the city planning.  It is a sprawling disaster, which has had its obvious impacts on the "city."  I say "city" because Houston doesn't even feel like a city.  It feels like a huge suburb with horrible traffic and tall buildings. You can't walk anywhere.  Everything is a chain.  I did a lot of research and talked to a lot of people and the main thing to do was go to the Galleria.  So I went, expecting it to be some amazing thing because everyone has said so much about it, and after we got there (after driving for an hour in traffic with blistering heat) I came to found that it is basically just a big mall, wow.  People also talk about the art in Houston and how there is so much.....those with this idea have obviously never been outside of Texas.  Houston is just an awful city in an awful state and it almost makes Dallas look desireable.

Been there only once. It was in the summer and the bugs seemed to run the place. I heard a line about women wearing Off instead of perfume. After a day, I tended to believe it. I didn't hate the place, and maybe I wasn't there long enough to see the finer points that people kept talking about, but I was indifferent to it.

I hope I'm not stepping on any toes here, but this is easily the worst city I have ever visited. There's no other place that even comes remotely close to being as bad. Driving through this world capital of tackiness (yes, more tacky than Vegas) is like pulling the arm of a slot machine: you don't know what you'll get next. Will it be Highrise, Strip Club, and Chain Restaurant? Or will it be Strip Club, Chain Restaurant, Highrise? What a nightmare Houston is for any true city dweller: all of the negatives of urban life with all of the negatives of country life. Flying in, I asked someone who had lived in Houston for 40 years what to visit. He said, "Um, there's the Galeria mall. And...um...a great medical center." I can see why the medical center needs to be world class, given all of the pollution and the truly debilitating heat waves. To its credit, the food was very good during the week I spent there. But that's about it. What other city has a website reassuring people that it's a good place to live? Check it out: www.houstonitsworthit.com. It's very tongue-in-cheek.

I love Houston. The most diverse population of any city I've ever been to. Who cares about touristy stuff. Plenty to do in this city. Great museums, excellent shopping, vast array of restaurants, excellent nightlife around the entire city, especially downtown. Very prosperous city with lots of young people. Noticed lots of construction downtown with new lofts, apartments and condos. Love the new light rail. Didn't notice any cowboy hats and western stuff. Did notice lots of Porsche's BMW's and Mercedes. Low cost of living, diverse population, sports, the arts, culture, the beach, shopping at its best. What more could you ask for? Hot summers yes, but mild fall and winters. Spring is pretty nice too. Big vast city but everytime I visit I have a blast. Also residental real estate is unbelievably cheap.

Been there. Houston seems closer to a giant sprawling suburb than an actual city. There's no city center like you have for the cities around the East Coast.

Also, I have never seen more 'gentelmens clubs' and strip bars around than in Houston, TX. I'm no prude but since the city already has a dirty smelly feel to it having all those clubs around didn't help.

Stay away.

There are about 2 weeks of the year that have decent weather: the rest is HOT, very humid, rainy, stormy. Allergies abound and make you feel bad all year, with mold and pollen being worst. Interstates and roads are hard to drive on due to huge trucks and bad signage. There isn't much to do, once you've checked out the wild flower festival and the movie theater. Sorry.

Very nice, clean, well thought out street system. Vey easy to get around. There is a lot to do. People are very friendly. Has bad areas like every city on Earth, but for the most part is an awesome, fun city.

An absolute sewer. I lived here for 1.5 years and all I can say is this city is full of traffic, pollution, and the weather is just disgusting. I wouldn't even call this a city, it more closely resembles a giant suburb-no place to walk, nothing but highway and parking lots. One more thing-if you say you are from the East Coast (I'm from DC) people in Houston will carry an uptight arrogant tone towards you, as if somehow they are morally superior to you. Also keep in mind that I must've driven past at least 100 strip joints in my time in Houston-they are just everywhere-ironic for a city that holds itself so highly.

I lived in Houston for little over two years and I am never going back. The place is a hellhole. I absolutely hated the fact that it's almost impossible to walk in Houston, there just aren't any sidewalks for pedestrians. Everyone in Houston owns a car and that is why the traffic is just horrendous. Houston's air quality is one of the worst in the US because of the traffic and the petrochemical industry in the region. The pollution is especially bad in the summer when you add 100 degree heat and nearly 100 percent humidity to the equation. It's not all that rare to have like 3-4 ozone watch days a week during the summer in Houston. Houstonians seem to be very keen on their so called Memorial "park". Sure it's nice if you enjoy jogging in a "park" where there is on one side of the "park" a freeway and on the other side a multilane highway (Memorial drive). Talk about a refreshing experience. The greatest myth about the Houston weather is that it's only bad for like 3-4 months a year. Yeah right, the heat and humidity are really bad from early May till early November and just plain bad the rest of the year. There may a couple of nice days every now and then but that's it. If you enjoy spending a lot of time indoors then Houston just might be your place. Texans as people are nice in general, that is if you agree with their views and enjoy the same things that they do. At least for me, I felt like an outsider most of the time when the discussion came down to politics, religion, music, guns etc. Houston just wasn't for me.

Houston has way too much urban sprawl and pollution due to petro-chemical plants in the vicinity. On the positive, the economy is very strong is the region, so good jobs are plentiful. The people are also fairly nice here. But the city is sort of non-descript character-wise.

I give this review as a former 6 year resident. The pros of the city are actually many: though it is over 100 years old, it looks really new, it is reasonably priced, has a warm climate, has as much to do as most other big cities, and the people generally have a good attitude. The tourist attractions I would say are the Aquarium, the Johnson Space Center, the Museum district, the downtown arts district, Memorial Park,the Water Wall at the Williams Tower, the Montrose district, Galveston Bay/Clear Lake recreational area, and the Reliant Stadium/Astrodome/ Six Flags complex. Plus probably the widest variety of restaurants of any city anywhere. Now for the cons: traffic is pretty bad, at most times of day or night, weekdays or weekends. There is always construction. Public transportation doesnt work in a city this large (nearly 600 sq miles) , so everybody drives. They have built a light rail, but it only works downtown. It is polluted, and the SE side smells like sulphur. Also, the city is probably the most haphazard large city in the nation. There are skyscrapers everywhere, businesses mixed in with neighborhoods, illogical street names and directions, bad neighborhoods mixed in with good ones. There is actually one street , T.C. Jester, that starts and stops in 4 different places in the city. Also,some will find the humid weather uncomfortable. It is only really bad from mid-May thru mid -Sept. The rest of the year is really nice climate wise. So, as many people discovered during the Super Bowl visit last year, Houston is an ok place to visit. Just dont commit any felonies during your visit. More people go to death row from Harris County than any other county in America.

Yet another city from Texas that is full of idiots. I wish Mexico would grab Texas by the balls and add them to their country.

I'm originally from Texas and not a fan of Houston. It's dirty, rainy, and unbelievably humid for a great deal of the year. The highways aren't easy to navigate and since there are no zoning laws, someone can build a Taco Bell next door to your house. That said, jobs are plentiful it is a good city to earn money in. The cost of living is low (housing is cheap). I've always said I'd be willing to suffer there a year or two in order to get a good start and earn better than average pay, but then I'd move to some place way better. I wouldn't recommend living there for the long term.

Construction - neverending; weather - atrocious; road conditions - horrendous; traffic lights - too long; Drivers - amateurs; turn signals - rare; wrecks - abundant; crime - abundant; smokers - too g*****n many of them; air quality - low quality; pro sport teams - a joke; people - friendly (the only good thing to say about this hellhole).

One of those cities that i can't wait to see the condition of after it's economic bubble pops. Which it will. Who would stay there? People should just stay in the cities with personality and wait for the economic cycle to come back around to their advantage, instead of packing up and heading to pathetic dull places like Houston. No diferent at all from plcaes like Atlanta, Charlotte, or Phoenix.

Houston gets a bad rap and I think a good bit of it is unjustified. True, it lacks the character of New Orleans, the neatness of Austin and its really big but for some strange reason I don't mind H-Town (I've been to 30 states and I don't currently live there BTW). As a place to visit it ain't too much but as a place to live, you can do far worse. Jobs are plentiful, Homes are affordable, nice neighborhoods abound and there are many shopping opportunities. The city is multicultural and I think this is more of an asset than a detriment. Houston women are good looking and the nightlife is pretty good. The people can be pretentious but are basically friendly and easy to get along with. The weather is basically no worse than any other Southern city (that humidity will keep your skin from aging, you know) and it seldom gets really cold. If you like the outdoors, there's lots of opportunities around Houston although you may have to drive out a bit.

Sherman should have come here instead. What a humid dump!

Only things good about it are: Half-Price Books and the March weather. Very bland. Makes one ache for the countryside. Got to get out of this town! ...Cy

Visited there in June 1994 for the NBA Finals. ... I'll never forget the moment. The people were OK; they invited us New Yorkers to their finest bars and restaurants. It would've been much sweeter had the Knicks won that Game 6 or 7 down in Houston.

moving to H-Town soon very savvy city and not at all like the image one thinks it would have great cost of living clean city diverse and growing in all areas yes the weather is hot in summer but what can you do? needs to start adressing sprawl.....and public transportation ......however after 10 years of NYC THIS PLACE IS CHEAP LOVE THE GROWING DOWNTOWN....ADORE THE HEIGHTS .......PRETTY AREA

Cowboys running around? - No Humidity - yes Tshirt and shorts in Dec and Jan? - Yes Lots of things to do? - YES Good Museums Good Zoo Great Restaurants Good Sports teams: Astros, Rockets, Texans, Cougars, Owls Great clubs Great bars Not far from the Ocean Not far from Lakes

I've been stationed here since March and I just know it will be the worst three years of my life. The traffic, the weather, the construction, all horrendous. I don't see how this city is the fourth largest in America. I can't wait to leave this armpit of Texas in 2007. Oh yeah, and the radio stations here are terrible.

just gross

Houston, you have a problem. Your weather sucks, there is nothing to do, and your people aren't very nice!

For the most part, Houston is a realy cool city all around. It has everything you would want in a large city and then some. The only drawback to this city is the atrocious traffic that seems to be far worse than what it should be. It is definately in my top 5 worse cities with bad traffic. You better hope you don't get in a wreck in this city, because most of them will not stop and help ya...

When I lived in Texas as a child, I thought Houston was a real sewer, and if Moose's recent review is accurate, it sounds like not much has changed. I know my dad hated driving in Houston-the traffic was a nightmare. However, Houston is not all bad. I loved the zoo there, and the museum. I remember being impressed with the Galleria Mall there, too.

Why would you want to visit this toilet unless you had to on business? This is a city with virtually no character or personality, an ugly eyesore totally in the hands of the oil greedheads and real estate developers (Houston is the only so-called major city in the U.S. that does not have zoning laws: my, how reasonable and forward-thinking!!!). A perrenial traffic jam. The climate sucks, you can take in all of the tourist attractions, lame as they may be, in about two days, and the culture level of this dungheap is that of a third world country (but then again, a good deal of Texas is a third world country, so it figures). The home of the criminal conspiracy that tried to pass itself off as a respectable corporation, Enron, a prime supporter of that dimwit in the Oval Office. They should dismantle this grave mistake of a city and start all over again.

Concrete, hot, traffic - other than that it's ok

As a resident of Houston, I really can give you a detailed analysis on this complicated city. As everyone knows, the humidity in the summer is horrible, and the city floods very often due to its low sea level. The traffic is also horrendus due to the neverending road construction plagueing the city. However, anyone who doubts this city's uniqueness and charm is smoking something. For one, we have the NASA Space Center. Then, we have the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, a city tradition which has been going on for 70+ years. The Houston Zoo and Museum of Natural Science is definately a place worth visiting. We also boast a firstclass aquarium. As Texas's largest city, we are very much the center of capitalism- its very economically convienient to live here- many people flock here from Upstate New York and New England in search of betterpaying jobs. Its definately a place worth visiting once or twice just to experience Houston-a mixture of southern tradition, western culture and "new age" style.

No opinion really just a news flash.....Blaqpwr lives in Houston.

Houston has spent a lot of money trying to appear as an important cultural destination. Sorry, some things cannot be bought. Just a comfortable city to live in. Too many freeways. Great for medical issues.

No doubt, Houston has terrible heat and humidity for a good chunk of the year. But on the plus side, it's near the ocean, and features some of the best restaurants anywhere. Sure, it may not have a whole lot of native "personality", but it is what it is--the classic American boomtown. The epitome of American free enterprise!

Houston is an OK place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. My friend and her husband live there. Houston to me seems to be lacking in personality or flavor, other than the fact it's in Texas and has lots of cowboys running around. It has a fair share of good restaurants to eat at, and being close to the Gulf of Mexico, the beach and Galveston is an easy weekend trip. But Houston itself doesn't have a whole lot to offer in terms of tourist attractions, other than the Space Center and Astroworld. Another thing is, the city is so spread out and flat, it seems to take forever to get anywhere. It's also oppressively hot and humid in the summer- so bad you can't stand to go outside during the day. Wouldn't be too bad to live there in the winter, though.

I always maintain that there is at least one nice thing or place in just about everything. However, when it comes to Houston I'm at a loss. This place rotts! The epitome of the concrete jungle, hot, bland, I can't think of anything good.