Suitability of Houston as a Good Place to Live and Raise a Family - Coursework Example

Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Suitability of Houston as a good place to live and raise a family When one is deciding on a place to settle down with their family, one needs to consider their finances, values as well as do thorough research on how safe and sustainable a place is as compared to another. Experts say that while many locations may seem to be appropriate to raise children in, small cities may be more suitable especially if they have plenty of resources and entertainment options as compared to large cities which are costly to live in. when settling down to find a suitable place to live in, there are lots of factors that you will need to consider including the cost of living and the job prospects. Houston is a city where families can consider settling down with their families for many reason. This essay will focus on several aspects that have made Houston to be a city of choice for many families looking forward for a nice place to live and raise their children. Houston is the largest city in Texas and the 4th largest city in the United States. According to the census conducted in U.S in 2010, Houston city had a population of 2.1 million people. In the past few years, the city has been developing new residential areas which are attracting more diverse and young crowds. Houston’s proximity to the Gulf has made it a place of choice for those who like enjoying the sea. With quite a number of neighborhoods and suburbs, there is a lot for home seekers to choose from. There are three particular areas that are best to settle down in Houston. To begin with, there is Sugarland. For those people who want to stay away from the big city’s bustle and hustle, this place offer a very comfortable place to stay and raise a family. The suburb is fairly affluent with the family income ranging around $ 130,000. The housing facilities range from $300000 to $400000. This high price comes with a payoff as these neighborhoods have their own tennis courts, private clubs and golf courses. The suburb has very good school system and it is a host to big companies including call Sugar Land home, and Minute maid which provide great job opportunities for the residents for just a short distance. The area is well known for its outstanding school system, and several major corporations, including Minute Maid, call Sugar Land home, providing job opportunities just a short distance away for residents. Best of all, the big city is only a short 20-mile drive away. The other place to live in palace is the Downtown. Over the past few years, Downtown has been creating high-end housing as well as condos which have seen many young people as well as old residents looking for housing facilities there. Price of houses in Downtown is quite high with a top-quality condo going for $2 million. However, this tag comes with a lot of benefits including easy access to the light rail and the bus system. The third best place in Houston is Missouri City. It is cheaper that Sugar land and offer the middle class families with very good life good price tags. The middle class income falls for just below $ 100,000 and the housing cost $185,000. The area has very low crime rates and the public system is fast growing. There are 5 health facilities and eighteen universities, professional schools and colleges. The area has a variety of restaurant and bars to choose from (CNNMoney, 2008). Culture is one of the major factors that a family would consider when looking for a suitable place to live would have to consider. Houston is a city with a lot of diversity in terms of culture which means anyone intending to settle there with their family will not have to worry about their culture. The metropolitan is said to be a home to more than 1.1 million of people who were born outside the United States and about two thirds of the population is from the Mexico border-south of United States( Glaeser E.L,2008 ). The city holds many annual events to celebrate their diversity. One of the annual events that has been there long enough is the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo event that is held annually for 20 days from late February to early March. Another celebration that families living there enjoy is the night-time Houston Pride Parade which is held June every year. Houston city has invested more education which will assure parents for quality education for their kinds. seventeen school districts are situated within the city of Houston and the Houston Independent School (HISD) is the seventh largest school district in the U.S. The school has a hundred and twelve campuses that serve as vanguards schools specializing in disciplines such as sciences, performing and visual arts, and health professions. In addition, there are charter schools which are run separately from school districts. The city also comprises of more than three hundred private school many of which are accredited by the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission recognized agencies. This schools offer a variety of different religious and secular viewpoints. As for the high education, four distinct state universities are located in Houston. The University of Houston which is ranked among the top fifty American Research Universities is a nationally recognized top-tier research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Moreover, a number of private institutions of high learning ranging from Rice University to liberal arts colleges are situated within the city. The other factor that makes Houston ideal for raising a family is good health care. Health care is one of the most important components in one’s life since it’s the biggest asset one can have in life. According to “The city is the seat of the internationally renowned Texas medical center, which contains the world's largest concentration of research and healthcare institutions”. With more than 75,000 subordinates, institution at the medical center include two specialty institution, 13 hospitals, four nursing schools, two medical schools, and schools of identity, pharmacy, public health, and all health-related careers. The centre is also host to the research and academic health institution and they include UT Health, Baylor College of Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, The Methodist Hospital, and Texas Children's Hospital. The Baylor College of Medicine has been year to year ranked within the top 10 schools in the country; likewise, the MD Anderson Cancer Center is in the seat as one of the top two United State hospital specializing in cancer care by World Report and U.S news since 1990. Such quality health care access is important for families who live or plan to live in Houston especially children who need access to regular health care as well as access to special services when acute or chronic conditions occur. People hear the term “low crime rate” and know that it is a good thing to take into consideration when you move to an area”. The sense of security for not only yourself but the rest of your family is one thing that you should be aware of. According to the Police Chief Charles McClelland, Houston’s murders fell by 37% from January to June 2011 as compared to same period in 2010 (Hearst Communications Inc pg.1). The city’s crime rate including nonviolent and violent crimes decreased by 11%. The police boss said this and I quote "I truly believe Houston is the safest big city in America, and thanks to the 5,300 men and women who are going out here every day, and the citizens who have partnered with us and work very, very hard to protect themselves and their property "We are very proud of that (Hearst Communications Inc pg.1)." Such a drastic drop in crime rate has brought a sense of security for family living in Houston. Apart from personal, family and personal property security for family living in Houston, this is a good place to raise a family since there is a small chance of children being around people who commit crimes since the area do not have level of violence or other criminal behaviour. Houston has lots of tourism and recreation facilities which are also another reason that makes Houston a destination of choice for most families. Houston has a Theatre District at Downtown which holds parks, plazas, movies and the Bayou Place Entertainment complex where families go to spend their free time. This complex is a very large multi level building that has in it live music, bars, billiards, restaurant, music, full service restaurant and Sundance cinema. Houston hosts Verizon wireless theatre which stages live stage plays, concerts and standup comedy. Houston also hosts the Space centre which offers many interactive exhibits including the shuttle simulator and moon rocks. Other tourist attractions include the Downtown Aquarium, Galleria, Sam Houston Race Park, Splash Town Water Park and the Old Market Square. Houston has about 337 parks which include: Sesquicentennial Park, Discovery Green, Terry Hershey Park, Sam Houston Park, Hermann Park, Tranquility Park, Memorial Park and Lake Houston Park (N.A, 2012). Another advantage of living and raising a family in Houston is that the cost of living is relatively low for most middle income earners in America. Houston is said to be a middle class city as indicated by its economy. Comparing Houston and Manhattan, both have about two million employees. In Manhattan, about 600,000 employees work in the insurance, finance and professional services with only about 2% working in the construction and manufacturing sector,. On the other hand, Houston is said to be a manufacturing powerhouse which makes food products, electronics and machinery with a lot of middle class jobs and a retail sector which is twice as big as compared to Manhattan. The prices of houses are very affordable for the middle class (Clark J.B, 2008). Houston is well connected to the rest of the world where the most common form of transportation is the automobile with about 71% of the population driving to work and this facilitates through Houston’s freeway comprising 739.3 miles of freeways and expressways in a ten-county metropolitan area. Also, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) offers public transportation in the form of lift vans, light rail and buses. In additional, the city is served by 3 airports where two of them are commercial and served around 67 million in 2011 (Houston TranStar pg.1). From the above analysis, we can conclude that indeed Houston is a suitable location for those families that are looking for a place to live and raise their families. All the necessary amenities including school, roads and hospitals are available. The cost of living is low and there are affordable housing facilities. Finally, there are recreational facilities which are available for families. References CNNMoney(2008) Best Places to Live- 64. Sugar Land, TX Retrieved on 8th February 2012 from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008/snapshots/PL4870808.html Clark J.B (2008) No. 1: Houston, Texas Retrieved on 8th February 2012 from http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/2008/05/2008-best-city-houston.html Glaeser E.L (2008 )Houston, New York Has a Problem-The southern city welcomes the middle class; heavily regulated and expensive Gotham drives it away. Retrieved on 8th February 2012 from http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_3_houston.html Hearst Communications Inc (2011) New FBI stats suggest crime's in decline in Houston retrieved on 8th February on http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/New-FBI-stats-suggest-crime-s-in-decline-in-2078035.php Houston TranStar (2011) About Houston TranStar Retrieved on 8th February on http://www.houstontranstar.org/about_transtar/ N.A (2012)About Houston -Arts and Museums Retrieved on 8th February 2012 http://www.houstontx.gov/abouthouston/artsandmuseums.html U.S. Census Bureau, (2010) 2010 Census. Retrieved on 8th February 2012 http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_GCTP4.CY07&prodType=table Read More

The area is well known for its outstanding school system, and several major corporations, including Minute Maid, call Sugar Land home, providing job opportunities just a short distance away for residents. Best of all, the big city is only a short 20-mile drive away. The other place to live in palace is the Downtown. Over the past few years, Downtown has been creating high-end housing as well as condos which have seen many young people as well as old residents looking for housing facilities there.

Price of houses in Downtown is quite high with a top-quality condo going for $2 million. However, this tag comes with a lot of benefits including easy access to the light rail and the bus system. The third best place in Houston is Missouri City. It is cheaper that Sugar land and offer the middle class families with very good life good price tags. The middle class income falls for just below $ 100,000 and the housing cost $185,000. The area has very low crime rates and the public system is fast growing.

There are 5 health facilities and eighteen universities, professional schools and colleges. The area has a variety of restaurant and bars to choose from (CNNMoney, 2008). Culture is one of the major factors that a family would consider when looking for a suitable place to live would have to consider. Houston is a city with a lot of diversity in terms of culture which means anyone intending to settle there with their family will not have to worry about their culture. The metropolitan is said to be a home to more than 1.

1 million of people who were born outside the United States and about two thirds of the population is from the Mexico border-south of United States( Glaeser E.L,2008 ). The city holds many annual events to celebrate their diversity. One of the annual events that has been there long enough is the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo event that is held annually for 20 days from late February to early March. Another celebration that families living there enjoy is the night-time Houston Pride Parade which is held June every year.

Houston city has invested more education which will assure parents for quality education for their kinds. seventeen school districts are situated within the city of Houston and the Houston Independent School (HISD) is the seventh largest school district in the U.S. The school has a hundred and twelve campuses that serve as vanguards schools specializing in disciplines such as sciences, performing and visual arts, and health professions. In addition, there are charter schools which are run separately from school districts.

The city also comprises of more than three hundred private school many of which are accredited by the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission recognized agencies. This schools offer a variety of different religious and secular viewpoints. As for the high education, four distinct state universities are located in Houston. The University of Houston which is ranked among the top fifty American Research Universities is a nationally recognized top-tier research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System.

Moreover, a number of private institutions of high learning ranging from Rice University to liberal arts colleges are situated within the city. The other factor that makes Houston ideal for raising a family is good health care. Health care is one of the most important components in one’s life since it’s the biggest asset one can have in life. According to “The city is the seat of the internationally renowned Texas medical center, which contains the world's largest concentration of research and healthcare institutions”.

With more than 75,000 subordinates, institution at the medical center include two specialty institution, 13 hospitals, four nursing schools, two medical schools, and schools of identity, pharmacy, public health, and all health-related careers. The centre is also host to the research and academic health institution and they include UT Health, Baylor College of Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, The Methodist Hospital, and Texas Children's Hospital.

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