Swinging Country

Historic Montrose gay bar to close — right after celebrating its 35th anniversary

Brazos River Bottom, the gay country and western bar and dance club that has called the Montrose area home for more than three decades, will be closing its doors at the end of March.

Robert Harwood, co-manager and bartender at BRB, tells CultureMap that the 100-year-old building at 2400 Brazos Street has seen better days. The owners have sold the property, and are eyeing a few different replacement locations — and Harwood estimated just a 50/50 chance of finding something suitable.

"There's been a lot of things go on here over the past 35 years," he said, noting a number of different bar owners and Houston's changing LGBT scene.

The owners have sold the property and are eyeing a few different replacement locations — estimating just a 50/50 chance of finding something suitable.

Just consider the recent makeover of Mary's, Houston's historic gay bar, into a coffee shop. And the fact that the BRB is now smack dab in the booming Midtown area (35 years ago there was no such label as Midtown), where apartments, condos and mixed-use complexes are going up everywhere.

BRB's calendar is packed with scheduled events until closing night, with Sunday night shows, free Thursday evening dance lessons and entertainment events associated with Luey Weekend in mid-February and the TGRA's Texas Tradition Rodeo in mid-March.

But there will also be two bittersweet causes for celebration in these last days: The BRB's 35th anniversary party during the second weekend in March and a blow-out on its last night, March 30.

"I'm sure it will be busy 'til the very last minute we close," Harwood said.

The 100-year-old building needs a lot of work, explained Robert Harwood, that it's not currently feasible to complete.

Brazos River Bottom Bar, closing, February 2013

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The 100-year-old building needs a lot of work, explained Robert Harwood, that it's not currently feasible to complete.

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Market Upset

Houston shocks as one of 10 worst big cities for first-time homebuyers

Row of houses in Houston, Houston homes for sale

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Houston is the worst Texas city for first-time buyers.

The Houston housing market may not be for everyone. In a surprising turn of events, Houston has flopped to the bottom of a new list of the best U.S. cities for first-time homebuyers.

WalletHub's new study — which analyzes the affordability, quality of life, and real estate market in 300 U.S. cities — ranks Houston No. 271, or the 30th worst city overall in the U.S. to buy your first home. And, when broken down by city size, WalletHub ranks Houston the 9th worst big city for first-time buyers (No. 61 out of 69).

Houston's lack of appeal for first-time buyers is essentially due to its poor affordability and quality of life scores, rather than the state of the city's housing market, according to the report's findings.

H-town ranks 216th out of all 300 U.S. cities for its affordability, and it appears farther down the list for its quality of life, landing 284th nationally. Houston's cost of living, however, is better than most cities, ranking 51st overall.

The city's real estate market ranking is among the top 100 in the U.S., at No. 91, but that wasn't enough to outweigh its less-than-stellar rankings in the other main categories.

Other metrics (where No. 1 is the best and No. 150 is average) that factored into Houston's overall ranking include:

No. 31 – Total home energy cost
No. 77 – Rent-to-price ratio
No. 99 – Median home-price appreciation
No. 148 – Foreclosure rate
No. 246 – Real estate tax rate
No. 270 – Property crime rates

While Houston boasts the lowest Texas ranking on the list, it isn't the only Lone Star city that is less than favorable for first-time buyers. In fact, only one Texas spot — the Dallas suburb of McKinney — lands among the top 100 of the report. A total of 20 Texas cities rank outside the top 100, with Laredo (No. 200), Mesquite (No. 202), San Antonio (No. 208), and Dallas (No. 233) joining Houston as the state's worst.

First-time buyers across the country are entering the housing market at a difficult time, the report says. The National Association of Realtors reported the share of first-time homebuyers sank to an all-time low in 2025, to 21 percent, whereas the historic national average is 40 percent.

"Buying a home for the first time is an exciting and important milestone for many Americans, but achieving that milestone is getting more difficult as prices and interest rates continue to rise," the report's author wrote. "People willing and able to invest in a house this year must balance what they want and need with what they can afford. Often, people begin searching for their dream home without a realistic idea of market prices, interest rates or even their eligibility for a mortgage."

wallethub real estate housing market first time homebuyers houston reports