0 CommentsWhen we moved to Houston, I toured a house with our real-estate agent. It had what was, to my New York City eyes, a good-sized room off the master bedroom. This room had windows but also, oddly, shelving on all of its walls.
Florence Kosmala, originally from France, has lived all over the world but is now happy to call Houston home. (Photo: www.hartphoto.com)
“What’s this?” I asked.
After a long, searching pause, my agent answered, “Why, bless your heart, darling. That’s a closet.”
Every year, tens of thousands of people, from around the country and the world, move to Houston. According to a recent study by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, Houston has had the fastest growing population of any U.S. city for the last decade.
And when we newcomers arrive, we are often bemused and sometimes perplexed by what we find here.
Indeed, some non-natives believe firmly in “the two-year rule,” that it takes two years of living in Houston to truly get used to it. (At year five, I’m still waiting.)
George Jordan, originally from Atlanta, actually prefers the Houston freeway system. (Photo: www.hartphoto.com)
I am not the only one to be amazed at the size and quality of the housing. “I think the first thing that shocks you is the space,” says Florence Kosmala, who is originally from Toulouse, France, but now lives in Tanglewood. “And the bathrooms are amazing and luxurious. In the third place we lived, our bathroom was bigger than my parents’ entire master bedroom.”
Of course, it all depends on where you’re coming from. Both George Jordan, originally from Atlanta but now living in West University, and Jill Stewart, a Nashville native who just moved to Memorial, were surprised to find that Houston yards are smaller than the ones in their former cities.
Jill Stewart arrived in May, just in time for the hot weather. (Photo: www.hartphoto.com)
“And the lack of zoning was a big change,” says George. “It makes you very appreciative of the power and benefit of home owners’ associations.”
Everyone notices the weather. “My daughters swam more this summer than they ever have in their lives,” says Jill, who moved to Houston in May. “And I suddenly realized that I didn’t have nearly enough summer clothes.”
When Florence first moved here from France, she did what she had always done. She opened all the windows at six in the morning. “I thought I was getting nice, crisp morning air until my husband pointed out that, no, that was the air conditioning blowing on me,” she says.
Both Florence and Susanne Crump, who just moved here from Germany by way of Miami Beach, in March of 2010, were surprised at how green and lush Houston is. “Every European will tell you that’s their first impression of Houston, even as their plane is landing,” says Florence. “We think it’s going to be dry and barren.” Susanne, who now lives in Bellaire, agrees. “I think I was thinking desert because of cowboy movies,” she admits.
Susanne Crump, who has lived in Germany, Canada, the Bahamas and Miami Beach, says Houstonians are some of the friendliest people she's ever met. (Photo: www.hartphoto.com)
Then, there’s the wildlife. Florence stopped opening her windows after an anole lizard showed up on her dining-room table. “I called my husband at work,” she says.
One newcomer couple called the Bellaire police after they couldn’t find the source of a horrible, electrical-sounding noise that was keeping them awake. It was cicadas.
And don’t even get us started on those hummingbird-sized cockroaches.
Surprisingly, there is someone who doesn’t think that Houston traffic is all that bad – at least compared to Atlanta’s. Why? Because of feeder roads, which many cities don’t have. When there’s an accident or other tie-up on Houston’s freeways, George explains, “There’s always the feeder-road option. You’re not just trapped.”
Jill was at first puzzled by the feeders. “In Nashville, you get off the highway and you’re there, wherever you’re going,” she says. “I was confused.”
She also wonders what’s up with all the medians on the streets. “When your destination is on the left, you have to make a u-turn at the next break and head back,” she points out. “You can’t just turn left.”
Another feature of Houston that strikes newcomers is its friendliness. “That’s what helped us in deciding on Houston,” says George. “We were sold on, and enjoy, the hospitality. We have the closest connection with our neighbors here of any place we’ve ever lived.”
I must admit, though, it took me a long time to figure out that when Houston women, like that real-estate agent, say “Bless your heart,” they probably aren’t being especially spiritual, but may instead be poking a little fun at you.
