On the Move: Houston area attracts new residents from California

Tim Surratt Tim Surratt Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close On the Move: Houston area attracts new residents from California 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

While a large number of people continue to move to Houston each year as part of a corporate relocation, there are also many who move here by choice. That decision to move might be based on a multitude of factors, from better career opportunities, to a lower cost of living, and an improved quality of life.

It also helps that Houston has a business-friendly environment, a healthy real estate market, the availability of jobs, and there isn’t a state income tax. Coupled with a robust, diverse economy, and the welcoming culture of the people who live here, Houston has much to offer new residents.

And although people continue to move to the Houston area from all over the world, it’s difficult to ignore the significant uptick over the past few years of new residents who hail from California.

One such new resident is Cobi Harris. She and her family moved to the Houston area from Newbury Park, California, this past July. She actually lived in Houston 17 years ago. At the time, she lived inside of the city, but this time the goal was to live on the water.

“My husband was Googling, and he decided that we could get a house in the Houston area on the water for a lot less money than it cost us for our house in California,” Harris said. “He first found Tiki Island, and then he started looking to see what else was around there.”

Soon thereafter, the Harris’s came here to look at several areas and properties with their Realtor, Tim Surratt with Greenwood King Properties. It was then that they decided to purchase a home in Seabrook, which was located right on the bay.

“They called me from California and asked if there was anything that I could find for them that was on the Gulf, and that would cost less money than their cottage in California,” said Surratt. “In no time we were able to find them a spacious, recent construction waterfront home with beach access for 20 percent less than they sold their home for in California. So, they relocated here two months later, and they have never looked back.”

Harris said that when she left Houston all those years ago, that she did so for many reasons, one of which was the weather. She said that she hated the weather in Houston, and that while visiting friends in California, she decided that she wanted to move there.

So, when her husband said that he wanted to move back to Houston, her initial reaction wasn’t that favorable, but she said that she soon softened to the idea.

And, living on the water in Seabrook, is much different from the life she remembered when living in Houston’s inner city.

“Seabrook is a very little town, but it’s next to Clear Lake and Kemah and all of these other little cities like League City and Webster, which are all kind of mixed together. So, I don’t really go up to Houston very often since we moved here,” Harris said.

As for the weather, she said that it is different on the water, and that it doesn’t feel as hot or as humid to her.

“We have the breeze down on the water, which is really nice,” Harris said. “Obviously, we have tropical storms too, but in California, we were always surrounded by wildfires, which was very scary.”

Since moving back, she added that she and her family have been enjoying the quality of life that Seabrook affords, which is also significantly less expensive than living in California.

“My son goes to the elementary school here and he is so much happier. He was happy in California too and didn’t want to leave all of his friends, but now that we’re here, he absolutely loves it. He loves school and all of the new friends. He joined the Cub Scouts, and he’s always out in the bay, so it’s just a totally different quality of life for him,” Harris said.

She added, “Seeing him so happy makes me happy. And, I feel like my husband is a lot happier here, too.”

It is interesting to note that Harris belongs to a few different mom’s groups, including one that is in her old neighborhood in California. She said that the desire to leave California is one of the most common topics of discussion within the group.

“They want to leave California because it’s so expensive, and so I tell them that they would be happy in Houston. The people are nicer, everything’s less expensive, and it’s just a totally different lifestyle out here than in California,” said Harris.