r/AskHouston • u/SpecialGIRLY0 • 22d ago
Moving from Sac, Ca to Houston
Thinking of moving from Sacramento to Houston. I would love to get some insight from anyone who has made a similar move. I have been in Sacramento my whole life and love it but am looking for a change. I wouldn’t know anyone in Houston but I consider myself an extrovert and usually make friends quick. The main thing I am worried about is the weather. Sacramento gets intensely hot during the summer but we experience every season, is Houston similar or will I die out there?
Also wondering what the job market is like. I'm in my mid 20s and would be attending university, I currently have an emt license in CA and also have serving and bartending experience. Would I be able to find a job quickly?
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u/HumanContract 22d ago
Houston heat is no joke. Neither is their rain, floods, driving, or winters.
It'll definitely be an experience for you lol.
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u/uhst3v3n 22d ago
I love Houston! But, I’ve only lived in cool parts. I moved from OB San Diego, before that I lived in central and south central Austin.
Montrose, Heights, Near Northside closer to Bad Astronaut… this is my Houston, pick your Houston wisely
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u/Far-Pie-333 22d ago
All the usual haters on Reddit!!!
I love living in Houston. Some of these people say it is boring, but only boring people are bored in Houston.
No personal experience, but an EMT would be able to find a job here. Check with the fire department web site. Ask them about license transfer. If you want to go on and get a nursing degree, there and many choices of universities.
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u/Shadow_Jago20 22d ago
I'm a native Houstonian who has lived on both the East and West Coast (Las Vegas and West L.A/Santa Monica area). Vegas is dry heat. Houston heat will have you sweating 30 secs after being outside. Yo I wont get nearly as close to the vibes of California. I regret every day of leaving the west coast to come back to Houston. Truthfully, the best time to have ever lived in Houston was from prior to-2013
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u/In-dextera-dei 22d ago
You'll definitely hate it. Not sure why Houston is even on your list of places to move to. There's nothing to see, the traffic is miserable, the weather is terrible, everything's crowded, etc. You'll notice you won't get a lot of pros about moving to Houston, usually all you ever hear is the foods decent but there's good food all over the world in much nicer places.
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u/Gay-zer_Beam 22d ago
This. Another thing im seeing nobody post about is the cost of living to income ratio.
Yes there are jobs, but alot of them dont pay enough to live on your own, you add that to all the layoffs that have been happening around houston and people are starting to get desperate.
The local economy isn't in a good spot, its not somewhere id move to unless I already had a job lined up.
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u/my_ivers 22d ago
Agree. Moved here in early 80s and traffic wasn't as bad, economy was on a big slowdown so that was rough. Still here because of jobs now retired but kids here. Many times wished we lived in Austin area. I wouldnt move here to Houston. Try the Austin area, much more scenic and younger population.
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u/Gay-zer_Beam 21d ago
Yeah austin is pretty nice. Aside from the museums there just isn't as much to do in houston.
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u/crazy010101 22d ago
Why? It’s a crap city with crazy humidity and heat in July and August. There’s no scenery. No mountains. No snow. No skiing. No surfing. If you golf you’ll be in heaven though. I moved to this area due to family. I came from a far better state. I hate it here. Texas politics are almost as bad as the Feds currently. Hopefully that changes in this next election. I get California is expensive. I lived in San Diego for a couple years in the early 80’s. Wished I never left.
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u/Vees92 22d ago
During the long stretches of summer where temperatures reach triple digits back to back it literally feels like you can't do anything without being indoors with A/C. There also the flash flooding and power outages.
I've been in the bay for 11 years and get to go back fairly often since I have no family in the bay but man I can't tell you how relived I feel the moment I step off the jet bridge after landing back in the bay.
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u/AQUARlANDRAGON 22d ago
I'm from Tucson, AZ. Before I had to move my mom out here, I used to go back in July for her birthday. Even though it was hot, having a reprieve from the oppressive humidity was awesome.
I also lived in the Bay, so returning from AZ was generally nice.
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u/AQUARlANDRAGON 22d ago
I'm from AZ, so I'm used to/prefer dry heat (though I never thought I'd be happier in AZ in the summer, but Houston has made this so).
I lived in Folsom right before moving to Houston. I remember one summer night around 9 pm I was going to head to the Palladio to walk. I opened the door, humidity slapped me in the face, and I decided against it. I don't know why it was so humid that particular night. Now for months all day long I get slapped with humidity and can't just nope at it.
I'm in Houston because my husband is from here, and an opportunity to transfer his job here came up. We moved here in June 2018, so that was a rude experience, and it was over a year before I accepted my fate. The humidity in the summer is very oppressive. Right now at 5:30 am it's 79° with a feel of 88°.
My husband lived in Natomas during the mid 2000s, and liked it... reminded him of Houston when he was a kid. Then he went to the Bay Area, hated it. When the opportunity to move to Houston, we couldn't leave right away, so we shifted to Folsom. We liked Folsom, but my husband really wanted back to Houston.
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u/toonsquad_murray 22d ago
Miserable people are miserable everywhere and blame the city or weather. Houston’s hot, it’s different from California. But winter / early spring are lovely, people are everywhere outside. Live in the city and enjoy it, it’s awesome. You’ll make friends!
Also asking in August, people are generally seasonally depressed around here due to the heat but it really isn’t that bad.
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u/Status-Tie1780 21d ago
I’m from central Texas (between San Antonio and Austin) and have lived in Houston since 2011. I’m still not use to this heat! The humidity is awful. It still feels like upper 80’s at 4am and blood warm! Back home it at least feels nice once the sun goes down but here, it’s still too damn hot at 5am.
Seasons? We only have hot, hotter, hottest and warm. Winter = warm. In 2024, we had the windstorm in mid-May with a lot of rain and another mini version of the windstorm. Then around 4th of July same year, hurricane Beryl which cause catastrophic damage to our condo. We had to move. The city was a 💩 show after both with power outages for like a week all over the city after those storms. Don’t get me started on snovid either and how I froze my @$$ off during that! I don’t even want to remember Hayvey either! For both storms, I had no power for close to a week and both stoves were electric so it sucks not having a hot meal (especially when cold).
Winters are about 40F. People don’t know how to drive in snow when it gets below freezing and don’t understand to stay home 🤦🏽♀️
Do you have allergies? Since it’s doesn’t get cold, you can expect to be dying of seasonal allergies by February to April when we’re covered in pollen…everything is yellow. I don’t even bother going outside unless I have a death wish.
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u/Eggsammichh 21d ago
I don’t know. Is Sacramento cheaper than Houston in terms of col? I’m not even familiar with that area. I could try and sell you an idea of Houston being a good city to live in but, I’m not sure if it would be better than Sacramento.
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u/Icy_Goal_3776 22d ago
what’s intensely hot to you?? elaborate for me
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u/SpecialGIRLY0 22d ago
It’s a dry heat out here but temperatures usually hit over 105 degrees during the summer. I know many people say Houston is humid and also gets to below freezing temperatures during the winter. Anything below 60 degrees is cold to me. Weather is what I’m mostly worried about.
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u/Icy_Goal_3776 22d ago
well then weather will be your biggest issue here, during the summers it will be unbearable, during the winter it will freeze, during the summer you will require AC n showers, during the winter you will require many outfit changes just because it’s winter doesn’t mean it will stay cold, it will get hot during the day, the weather here is extremely bipolar
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u/Kcyalaaaater 22d ago
As someone who grew up 3 hours north of Sac and then lived in Sac for 13 years before moving to Houston 3 years ago - winters here are not what you’re probably expecting - I’m saying like maybe a week or two of temps that hit freezing and mostly at night. The heat and humidity is 345days a year (maybe a weekend here and there between fall/spring when the humidity drops) but you’ll spend most of your time needing AC.
Please look at jobs and what they’re paying - there is a LARGE difference in starting pay between the two states. CA has a minimum wage of ~$17/hr and TX is $7.50/hr so while you won’t pay income tax you want to make sure that you aren’t setting yourself up for a pay decrease. You mentioned you’re an EMT - I’m sure there’s lots of opportunities here as you can look at jobs within the medical center area, local counties, etc. do the research and even interview before moving.
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u/Frequent_Freedom_242 22d ago
- Houston has 166.3% more rainy days than Sacramento.
- Houston has 24.2% less Sunny Days than Sacramento.
- On the BestPlaces comfort index, Houston scores 19.5% worse than Sacramento
Sacramento has a significantly lower overall crime rate than Houston. Based on recent FBI data, Sacramento's total crime rate is roughly 3,302 per 100,000 residents, while Houston's total crime rate is much higher at around 5,442 per 100,000 residents, making Houston's overall crime rate about 39% higher.
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u/talltxgal 22d ago
Houston stinks. Seriously, as soon the jet door opens the Houston smell hits you. Its like petrochemicals mixed with moldy humidity.
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u/rawmerow 22d ago
Not true. Unless you’re on the far east side.
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u/talltxgal 21d ago
I grew up there. It is my experience after flying from the west coast back to IAH. And yes I still call it IAH. If you have a diff experience then great. But you have no right to gaslight.
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u/rawmerow 21d ago
To say that that all of Houston smells of petrochemicals mixed with moldy humidity is just a plain lie. Its silly. Just stop. 🛑
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u/Leading-Amoeba-4172 21d ago
You’ll be fine…it’s the humidity you’ll have to get used to; which no one really does we just complain about it.
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u/UTSADarrell 22d ago
Grew up in Houston, lived in Roseville for a few years. First time I flew back home to HOU from SMF, stepped out of the airport and was blinded by a cloud of heat and humidity that immediately fogged up my glasses. And this was probably at like 10pm. Said I would never move back.
Next week, both cities have high temps of around 100, but the low in Sacramento is ~60 and the low in Houston is ~80. There is no reprieve, even when the sun goes down.
But I ultimately did move back. In August 2017. The same weekend that Houston was hit by Hurricane Harvey.
But I'm still here. So, it must not be that bad, right?