Pearland

We came for a family illness. It’s really strange to drive around and see the changes. I guess if we still lived here, I wouldn’t notice it so much. I miss it a lot.

If you’re not originally from Texas, then you might feel like you’ve been catapulted into “Friday Night Lights”. In that respect, it’s worth seeing for visitors. The high school football stadium here is huge, and so are the brand new churches. I never saw this many megachurches in one town before – ever – and I’d been to Adelaide, which is known as the “City of Churches”. Billboards promoting faith like a disposable product you can buy…not cool.

But Pearland is also booming. It won’t look the same in six months, one year or five. I live with my compadre and mate in the “old” Pearland. Towards the 288 you can see how this town is growing like hotcakes, while further south towards Friendswood, even as some housing developments are coming in, you can still see steer leaning against fences on FM 518. The newer, booming part of Pearland is more diverse, upscale and it isn’t so hard to find foreign foods in the grocery stores, but I like the quiet of “old” Pearland. On the other hand, both of us coming from Northern cities with great public transportation and sidewalks, we feel really bad for kids too young to drive, but old enough to feel wanderlust. Pearland and Brazoria County in general have not fully designed plans to acclimatize all the new people. There is NO public transportation, except for a $5 shuttle that you order the night before and that can drop you at Texas Medical Center in the city. Even Galveston Island has more options for the elderly, disabled and car-challenged. So I think this is more important than football. No, you’re right – I wasn’t born in Texas. (grin)

stepping outside is like stepping into a sauna. i wondered why there were so few sidewalks. then i went for a walk, and three people stopped to see if my car had broken down and whether i needed help.

nothing to see there, folks. move along. seriously.

I lived here for three years of high school and very quickly realized that I will NEVER be living in the suburbs, no matter who I marry or how many kids I have. This place has no soul. It’s nothing but cookie cutter houses and shopping. I ran back to the city as soon as I could.

My grandmother lives here. It’s all right for the suburbs of Houston, but I wouldn’t recommend that anyone visit it. There’s not really much to see.