Just out of curiosity, how old are you? I have no idea what dictates “surly fuck you middle class”, but as a 30 year old my wife and I live on the Nw edge of oak forest. Sure, almost anywhere in Houston will be hood adjacent (where you live dictates how hood it will be of course), but we have a nice house in a nice little neighborhood that we could actually afford and enjoy living in. I’d just assume our house in Austin would go for double what we bought it for and we’d have to buy in buda like my friends thst still live “in Austin”.
All that to say, between affordability, jobs/money, food scene, and cultural scene, this city checks all the boxes for a young person. We’ll have to figure schools in a few years but still… my dad is from FW and i grew up in east Texas going to DFW a lot and never wanted to live here, but after 6 years I’m not sure I’d leave. Working in O&G helps for sure, but I don’t get all the negativity. I love it here for the most part.