RN Moving to Houston Texas

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I have been an RN living and working in Florida for almost three years. I am planning to move to Houston, Texas in 4 months. I have 4 children (1 in college and 3 younger ones). I have experience in med-surg, telemetry and oncology. I am chemo certified. I would like to move to an area in Houston that has very good schools, safe neighborhood for single families while still being affordable. Any feedback, especially personal experiences would be welcome. Thank you

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Don't move around here. It sucks. Houston has beautiful suburbs all over....but think about the traffic, the taking on Houston highways is nothing I would ever, in my life do everyday. I'm in tx. Live close to Houston....about 80 miles outside.

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Squat is right about the traffic in downtown and rush hour. Personally, I'm south of Houston (Galveston 40 miles south). Where I am, relatively no traffic, state hospital, teaching hospital, and only about 45 minutes to Houston.

In order of areas I think you should look into:

  1. Clear Lake area about 25 minutes south of downtown. Clear Creek ISD is rated very highly, and there are several nice neighborhoods and hospitals in the area (Clear Lake Regional, Mainland Medical Center, St. John's, and UTMB in Galveston (30 mins).
  2. Cypress area. This is northwest of Houston and is a growing area with plenty of suburbs and new hospitals. I don't have too much experience but I know it is definitely a place to look into.
  3. Spring/Woodlands area. This is north of Houston, and is considered a more affluent area with plenty of hospitals and suburban living, and the school is system is rated well.
  4. West Houston/Katy. West of Houston with plenty of Hospitals and a lot of city life.
  5. Sugarland area. This area is southwest of Houston, and offers many hospitals like Methodist, St. Lukes, Memorial Hermann. There are nice neighborhoods considered a more affluent area.

The major hospital systems found in Houston are: Memorial Hermann, Methodist, St. Lukes, and MD Anderson. I hope my post helps and feel free to contact me with any other questions. Good luck.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Welcome to Houston!

With your experience, I am sure you won't have any problems finding a job. Mboc ^^^ has done a great job of summarizing the major suburban areas.

If you're "put off" by driving in traffic, this may be on e of the most negative aspects of your move. However, (speaking from personal experience) traffic in Houston is much easier to cope with than Austin or DFW area. Thanks to the "safe clear" program that has been in effect for several years, Houston freeway snarls never last very long unless there is a 'spill clean up' required - LOL. Just fire up your GPS and go for it!!

If you are looking for something familiar as a Florida transplant, you may want to focus on the areas south of Houston, along the Houston-Galveston corridor. But, please pay attention to the flood districts (Harris County Flood Control District - Flood Education Mapping Tool) and evacuation zones. (Harris County) I'm sure that hurricanes aren't a mystery to you, but you need to anticipate what you'll be dealing with. If you decide to buy a house, make sure you are working with a reputable Realtor who is well versed in all the "unique" aspects of Houston living and you won't have any problems.

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Thank you guys for your comments so far. The reason I am looking in the Houston area is because my cousin lives there. She is not an RN so she is not able to help me with that part of the move. I was looking in the Sugarland area as she advised. She did say Katy was a bit too far, however, in the end it is whats going to be best for me and my family and I really don't like driving in traffic to go to work. I would prefer to work in a large reputable hospital with lots of growth potential. I have a Bachelors degree in nursing and would like to go back to school to get my Masters. I am also a charge nurse and a preceptor.

Any thoughts on areas like Humble , Atostocita and Pearland?

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Mbart:

Humble is near Spring/Woodlands area and there are several hospitals there. I know a few people that live there and it is nice suburban housing. Atascocita is just east of Humble.

Pearland is a little different, there is an Old Pearland that is in close proximity to the clear lake area, but then there is a newer Pearland which is by 518 and 288. You can take 288 straight up to the medical center about 20 minutes with no traffic. Pearland is nice and growing, they recently built the Pearland Town Center which is a big walk through shopping center. There are several neighborhoods in Pearland and depending on the area, there is new housing or older housing available. I believe there are also some smaller hospitals nearby, but the medical center is near, and the clear lake hospitals are also within a reasonable distance (20-30 minutes depending on which part of Pearland).

Good luck.

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