Moving to Houston.....

[Scotmum83]

So with the downturn in North Sea oil happening my oh has been looking into other opportunities within his company. Cut a long story short it looks like Houston would be the most likely place he could work.

I’m freaking out tbh as I love where we are now and it would be such a change from living in rural Aberdeenshire. But oh needs a job and I have to be realistic about that.

Anyone moved there recently? What do you love about it?please tell me there’s lots of positives as I’m struggling to see any.

We have a 1 and 4 year old. LG will start school next August so need to think about schools too.

My DSis and her family now live there. We are very low contact, so I can't tell you much, but do know that there is a large ex-pat Scottish community in her area (Katy). They have a big house with a swimming pool and her teenage DC are all in good schools.

Thanks from the research I’ve done Katy seems to be the area for brits as the British International school is there.

Yes tons of Brits in Houston and loads from Aberdeen area that transfer through oil & gas. Your life in Houston would be hugely different compared to rural Aberdeenshire! Main thing to consider is can you all get visas? Is he looking to stay with the same company and do an intra-company transfer? That's the easiest route and would get him an L-1 visa and you and the kids (assuming you're married) would get L-2 visas. Would the company be paying for all legal and moving costs? Cost for a family to get visas and move over all in is probably around £10k. It would probably take anywhere between 6-12 months to sort out and you can go for a maximum of 7 years, then it's back home to the UK or green cards if you want to stay permanently.

The weather in the summer can be hard but overall the good weather year round does have a very positive effect on you. As long as he's earning a good salary (6 figures) you'll probably find yourself in a big house in a nice suburb like Katy with access to good schools and all the amenities you need for a nice comfortable family life. Also being in the Houston area, puts you in a good location for beach visits to places like Galveston which have a completely different vibe to the city. Your kids are young enough not to have their education impacted (exams etc) and would probably adjust very easily. Overall a good move to consider to get a nice quality of life but overseas moves can be difficult at times.

I worked in Houston for a few weeks, while I lived in the US. It's obviously VERY different to Aberdeenshire (and to the US east coast where I lived) but I did like it. From memory it was a very shiny city, and had a lot of lovely places in the outlying area. Is it gives a whole different pool of holidays.

As other say, it does have a bit ex-pat community. I know Aberdonians there 😅

We've relocated for jobs/with small kids and it's a tough one. You go where the jobs are, and make life work.

I've never relocated anywhere and have it turn out shit 😀

I think if it was just the two of us I wouldn’t think twice but it’s a bit more stressful thinking about moving the kids over. I’m not the type of person that’s just sits at home so I would make the most of it and make a real effort to get involved in the community and take the kids to group etc just as I would here so hopefully it will work out.

Thanks everyone for responding, sounds like it could be a positive experience for us. Just hope I can cope with the heat 😀

I'm from Houston and living in UK past 12 years. Lots and lots of amazing things about Houston!!! Low cost of living, you can get a huge house on lots of land for super cheap. I had a 6 bedroom 6 bath home on the water with 8 acres of land with built in pool and barn/stables that I purchased for $118,000 USD.

Great schools with lots of after school programs. Houston has lots of holiday programs such as free tennis lessons for kids in the Summer and because of the warmer weather, lots of great outdoor events year round.

Houston Rodeo is amazing and every year an incredible array of musical acts. You will find sporting events so affordable with specials such as a family of 4 to baseball games for $10.00.

Food is beyond cheap with year round fresh fruit and veggies coming from Mexico. You will have to get used to having an abundance of buffets with so much choice and customer service like you have never seen in the UK.

The only downside would be the huge change in weather as it's hot and humid a large portion of the year but if you grew up there, you are used to adjusting to it and it will take some lifestyle changes.

For me it was doing a lot of grocery shopping late when it was cooler and we always ate dinner later with more salads and the BBQ going year round.

It's more of a 24 hour city and you will be surprised to find that in Walmart that even the bank inside them are open 7 days a week and later hours like open until 9PM so you can get so much more done without rushing around after work.

Traffic will be a shock as no matter how many lanes the freeways are, at rush hour they come to a standstill but we have toll roads and so much worth the little cost. You must, must, must drive as limited public transportation unless it's downtown.

World class medical and you will find for most minor emergencies that we have 24 hour walk in clinics everywhere.

People are uber friendly and helpful and don't be surprised if you pull out a map if you have several people offering to drive there so you can follow them, and then invite you over for a BBQ :)

Good luck and if I was able, I would move back to Houston in a heartbeat.

Thank you callkiki it’s good to here from a local too. It definitely sounds like we’ll have plenty to do.

We are a British family, been living in Houston for the past 5 years, dds are now 9 and 13.

Dds attend the British School in Katy and we live near Rice Village (little shops, restaurants, pubs, all walkable). To be honest, Katy isn't my cup of tea at all, streets and streets of cookie cutter houses, chain restaurants etc, a bit soulless. There are many nicer areas of Houston with charm and energy. Houston itself has loads of restaurants, theatres, museums, loads of community activities and events.

Kids get the bus to school, about 30 minutes on the freeway (most of Katy takes 20 minutes to get there) although your little one would be too small for a bus.... There are lots of excellent local schools too and it's not really until kids reach senior / high school that the content and pace of teaching makes crossing from US to UK systems a bit tricky. I would look at West U (the elementary school is excellent), also the Heights has a great young family community. Montrose is quite funky too but no idea about schools. Will your dh's company provide a relo consultant? Don't get plonked in Katy or Lakes on Eldridge just because that's where they stick all the Brits, explore all that's on offer first....

We lived in Aberdeen for 5 years (dh is also in the oil industry), then moved to Singapore, then Houston. Let me know if you have any questions at all.

I've never lived in Houston, just visited a couple of times for work, so PPs have much better info. I have to be honest about the weather, though, the heat is unbelievable! I've been there in June and it was 100 degrees Fahrenheit and I scuttled from one air-conditioned building to the next!

I know it's not like that year-round, but DH and I know we can't take the climate (there's opportunities in our fields there as well) so have ruled it out. Sorry to be a party pooper!

I don’t recognise Houston from CallKiki’s post.
I find it expensive, food, insurance, health copays etc... we leak money here. We’ve got pre season tickets to the Texans on Saturday through work $75 a piece. You might get good deals to see the Sugarland baseball team for $10. We’ve not managed to get tickets before for anything. Rodeo tickets through a work “lottery” are $50 each which is a good deal and worth it.

For your little one, have a look at
Hike it baby Houston
Free forest school of Houston

There is a west Houston expat tots with loads of nationalities and a brit playgroup in Katy every Friday (some non Brit’s in it too)

You definitely need 2 cars, it’s An easy city to navigate in terms of layout, but it is overwhelming with the number of cars on the road and the insane driving. You get used to it though.

If your company isn’t paying for schooling, katy school district is excellent which is why most families end up out here. It’s not my cup of tea and very suburban, but it’s fine, relatively safe and quiet.

Yes the heat and humidity are awful. I walk 5 mins to meet the bus stop and drop in sweat. No getting used to that

As I mentioned, we moved here from Singapore, which has a similar climate (and higher humidity) 12 months of the year .... Houston is a great relief! Tbh though, we don't do much outside in the summer unless it's sitting under fans or in the pool / beach etc. We move from air con house to air con car to air con shop to air con office. The spring and autumn are just gorgeous though.

I don't recognize Houston from Callkiki's post either. Have lived here on and off for 11 years. Hot during the summer, but the rest of the year the weather is mostly pleasant.

Expensive now to live here in terms of food (groceries and eating out at decent restaurants), utilities, etc., and while houses might be cheap to purchase out in Katy, you have to be aware of property taxes, and the reality of a commute. Definitely be aware of where your husband's office is before you begin to look at areas of the city to live in - it is absolutely huge, so while Katy might suit you, if your husband's office is nowhere near you may be looking at a huge commute. The rental market is fairly strong too, so no bargains to be had, particularly after Harvey.

It all depends on what you and your family enjoy spending free time doing - the city centre is very much more alive with theaters, the zoo, and a few green spaces. Suburbia is practical and easy for the day to day, but won't offer the same activities.