What is life in Houston with young kids really like? How bad is the weather?

The weather is relative no matter where you live--California included. Houston has different weather from Fremont, CA. There is no question about that, but apparently the weather is not that bad otherwise Houston--and TX as a whole--would not continue to grow in population. Look at everything the area has to offer before you blast it based on a bias.

You'll like Katy. Sure would be interested to hear about these "stories"; can't imagine what they could be saying that are not the same in other large cities (and not in the suburbs, where most people live anyway). A couple of things that my friends from CA say you will have to get used to: 1) Pedestrians use crosswalks here. Don't expect a car to yield to you if you jaywalk, though most of the time they will. Also, if a car stops for you walking in a parking lot, you pick up your pace briskly and wave nicely to repay the kindness. 2) Be prepared to smile and wave a lot at people you have never met and may never see again, because they are smiling and waving at you. Don't get freaked when someone in a line at the bank or fast food counter strikes up a conversation with you, asks how your day is going, etc.

Houston's hot all year round, but particularly miserable during the summer months. Temperatures don't fall below 90! It's really lame and suburbaney. I grew up here, and am living in Houston now. The few good things about this place are that it's supposedly got some jobs (even though the city's unemployment rate, at 7.1%, is pretty dang close to the national average), that the folks here are friendly and down-to-earth, that the cost of living is comparatively cheap (for a Californian, you'd be amazed at what the costs are), and the fact that our housing market didn't explode. Katy's a good area to live in if you have kids. Their school district (Katy ISD) is one of the best in Texas. Hopefully you will be working there and not in downtown. The commutes to and from downtown Houston are abominable. I used to work in Pasadena (southeast Houston), with my offices in Upper Kirby. I'd spend 1¼ each way on the road. And when you're driving on Southwest Freeway, you are worried about death because everyone is driving super-fast and likely won't let you change into their lane.