Relocating to Houston, TX

Before I moved to Houston, I'd already have a job lined up because the competition for nurses is quite high! I used to know RNs there that made about $50/hr in some the hospitals. But you most likely will need 2 or more years of RN hospital experience before anyone will interview you. That's about all the good I can say about Houston is the pay vs. cost of living. Cypress on the northwest side, Katy on the west side and Sugarland on the southwest side are nice cities in Houston terms. In between Katy and Sugarland are VERY wealthy areas.

Honestly, Houston is a sewer, filled with very high crime even in the so-called good areas. A few years ago Houston transplanted many folks from Louisiana during the big hurricane. Houston was always dangerous before that. But, gangs from New Orleans have amplfied the danger 10-fold. I would recommend getting a concealed carry license and having a gun loaded in your car and at home? Plan for toll road expenses and commute times which can be quite lengthy due to awful congestion. Plan on pollution. Plan on awful tasting water. Plan on your car getting stolen at some point. Plan on getting flood insurance because most of the city is at risk and nearly every year some part of the city is under water causing everything to be moldy. Houston can be a nice place to visit for vacation and I'd recommend that before moving.

I as a Texas native and still here would say before you make any kind of move visit the city at least for a week and have a job in place or at least an interview if you have a savings that is pretty good and you can make it for a little while (depending on the area you live in) Sugarland, The Woodlands, Cypress, Katy, Richmond, Oak Ridge North, Pearland are all very nice and low crime suburb areas of Houston. It is true Houston does flood because of the way it is shaped, I remember being in one when I was younger and visited my grandpa in 3rd Ward right across from TSU. It wasnt bad but same can be. There are good and bad about Houston as with any city but I was say look into maybe a residency as some of the hospitals (MDAnderson, Memorial Hermann, Texas Children's, Ben Taub) jut to name a few to check out. But again I would suggest going to visit at least for a week or maybe if you get an interview somewhere. Houston is a great place to be at for medical, nursing persons. Best of Luck

The crime in Houston is not that bad. Its overblown because of the sensationalism of the news. KHOU is a really bad culprit in this city. Telling half stories, skewed truths.

That being said the city is a dump mainly because of no zoning laws. Wherever you can fit a business you build a business. There is no rhyme or reason as to why a business is located where it is in this city.

As far as pay its the highest paying city in the nation for RN's.

Ok thank you so much for that information. I'll take all of it into consideration. I've received a call to set up an interview for a company that does pediatric private duty. How hard was the process of transferring your nursing license? When I take boards, I plan on applying to TX first and then getting endorsed through MI, which is my home state.

Thank you. I've been down there at least 10 times over the past 3 years. My most recent visit was the first week of March. My family live in Missouri city, Fresno and southwest Houston.