I understand that UH seems attractive from a virtual tour, but I can tell you that many times we traveled to schools that looked promising on line only to find the school to be far more commuter-oriented than expected.
The average age of student at UH is 22 years old, with nearly 20% of the students older than 25 years of age. More than 25% of the students are part-time. Only 2% come from states other than Texas. 50% of new freshman live on campus, but this drops way down after the first year, as only 19% of students live in campus housing.
Yes, Queens College is mostly commuter, has older students, and there very few dorm rooms available for freshman. But the attraction of going there is being a Macaulay Scholar, which offers you amazing opportunities for seminar style classes, study abroad options, and access to internships.
UH is not the cheapest option - QC is. You are choosing a field that is not well paid (ESL) and in many states (including NY) graduate school is required for certification. If you can save the money in undergraduate and focus on relocating after undergraduate for graduate school in Texas, or wherever else it is you want to teach, then that would be a great plan.