Houston
2007 Locality Pay Adjustment = 26.65%
Summary chart of locality pay for 31 cities (Word document)
Houston Field Office (Diplomatic Security)
Tel: (713) 209-3482
FAX: (713) 209-3470
http://www.houstontx.gov/ Official site for the City of Houston
http://www.hou-metro.harris.tx.us/ Metropolitan Transit Authority
http://www.visithoustontexas.com/ Great Houston Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Comprehensive information on things to do, with maps, calendars, and much more.
www.chron.com - Website for the Houston Chronicle. Real Estate section has "communities" feature offering neighborhood information, school ratings, and more.
www.houston.org Greater Houston Partnership - lots of local information, geared toward encouraging businesses to relocate to Houston.
Rankings at http://www.houston.org/rankings/index.asp.
http://www.houston-texas-relocation.org/government/ Basic information, schools, weather
http://houston.citysearch.com Interactive local advertising resource featuring many Houston services, with ratings
Discussion of where to live (NW): http://www.city-data.com/forum/houston/25151-where-live-too-many-choices-not.html
Texas has no state income tax, and housing costs well below average for a large city. However, the electricity bills are high. Consider looking for energy-saving factors such as shade trees, ceiling fans, and so on. (The City-Data forum mentions this issue several times). To compare electricity companies, go to http://www.powertochoose.org (you will need the zip code of your prospective location).
http://www.houstondogpark.org/ Houston Dog Park Association
Books
Houston (Lone Star Guide) by Joanne Harrison
Gives a sense of the place and its character; does not have the most current restaurant reviews.
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