Where to Live?! - Houston,TX

Hi K.,

When we moved to the Houston area 13 years ago, we had a great relocation realtor. She told us that she lived in the Klein school district which was good, but she thought that Cy-Fair was better. She said she would only sell us a house in those two areas. I am so thankful for her insisting on Cy-Fair. We have had great teachers and wonderful neighbors here in Cypress. We live in a small gated community called The Reserve at Cypress Creek. It is close to Hwy 290 and Hwy 249.

Good luck!
C.

We live in the Champions subdivision and I love it. A mix of young moms, middle-age people, and seniors. Schools are good. Can get to the freeways and thus around the city very easily. Hope this helps

Hi, I would recommend several areas depending on your income and what you are interested in as far as community involvement, hobbies, etc.

Galleria area (middle of town, high end, lots of shopping, heavy traffic, freeway access to downtown)
Heights (inner loop, funky area with older renovated houses, great dining, close to downtown, some traffic, up and coming, expensive)
Bellaire (actually it's own city within a city, nice homes, close to downtown/Galleria, can be expensive, has own police force)
Pasadena (south of town, fast growing area, homes can be expensive, some bad areas still, traffic can be issue, close to Hobby airport, still that country feel, long drive to downtown)
Katy (west of town, FAST growing, can be expensive, lots of traffic into and out of town on I-10)
Woodlands (north of town, expensive, HEAVY traffic in and out of town, crowded)
Tomball/Magnolia (northwest of town, still very country, but with lots of necessities, relatively inexpensive, straight shot into town on 290, but traffic can build up once in town).

Those are just a few places I can think of. I live on the far west side of town towards Katy, off Barker Cypress. It's growing also, still good prices, low crime, easy access to I-10 and 290. I've lived here for over 20 years and wouldn't live anywhere else in town. Average home price in THIS area is $107,000, rent is $1100/mo (for house OR apartment). Just my opinion on the above areas from my friends living there, etc.

All schools are good, but HISD is very large and has had it's share of problems and has a very diverse student population. Cypress Fairbanks, Klein and Katy school districts are very good, lots of NEW schools going up. We live in the CyFair district and I'm glad. Have put 3 kids through it and don't regret it one bit.

If you have any further questions let me know. I can also recommend an excellent realtor to help you out, either buying or leasing. Actually, I would recommend leasing something for 6 months or a year first to see if you like the area.

Good luck!

My husband is in sales and travels in and around Houston all day. Before we bought our house we lived in Copperfield. Traffic was horrible on that side of town. We now live on the northwest side of town close to Tomball and Willowbrook mall. We live in Norchester. We really wanted to live in Heatherwood but we are happy with our house and our location. The school district is excellent. My husband says that we picked the perfect location because he can get on and off the beltway without being stuck in traffic. We also like having all of the green space around us.

We also like the Woodlands area but the traffic was a big deterrent to us.

Good Luck to you and your family.

Cinco Ranch is excellent! You would be in the Katy School District, which is fantastic.

Also, Cinco Ranch is a new and growing area, so you will find many people with children your age. It's always good to live in a "new" neighborhood when your kids are little - makes for a good circle of friends for you and your child.

Best of luck!

All of the areas you mentioned are great but will require your hubby to spend a lot of time in traffic. Not sure what value of home you are looking for, it would help me better advise you. Inside Houston check zip codes 77005,77006, 77056, 77401 and 77057 for homes. All are nice areas depending on the price of home you are looking for. I am an insurance manager so I am familiar with all areas of Houston. Let me know if you need a good agent on your new home. We are located in the Galleria area.

I am a city girl. We live in Garden Oaks. We have an excellent elementary school and community. The elementary school, Garden Oaks elementary, was just written up in the Houston Chronicle this past weekend. It was mentioned that is comparable to private schools.

Garden Oaks is located at 610 and Shephard which is close to downtown.

Take a look.

I also recommend looking at Spring Valley and Memorial.

K.,
Welcome ahead of time to Houston. I was going to suggest all three of those places, except, I live near the Champions Golf Course and this area is getting over crowded and not as desireable for resale. It's pretty on the golf course though if you never want to leave! The drive to downtown from the Woodland's is about an hour and 15 in traffic. The drive from Cinco ranch is probably about 45 to an hour. I would highly consider Cinco Ranch because it is newer and not so crowded I think. Very pretty and young area. The Woodland's is also pretty and young, but I think it's becoming somewhat congested itself.
That's the best I have to offer. Good luck to you and your family. :)

D.

West Houston is a great area and Spring Branch schools are very good. Spring Branch has great re-sale value and there are many stay at home mothers in the area.

Good Luck.

Champions is beautiful and a nice area to live in. You are right by the mall, restaurants, and things to do. Cy Fair school district is awesome and a lot of the neighborhoods in the area are very nice. Welcome to Houston!!!!!

Katy is great. Good school district. Memorial is nice. If you have the choice of Austin or Houston, Austin is beautiful!!! Cinco Ranch is great, i haven;t been out by th ewoodlands much, the houses are nice.

I've been in Houston over 25 years, and I've lived in several parts of town. Clear Lake was nice, and Pearland was too. Sugar Land was good, and Westchase as well. We lived in The Woodlands from the time my son was born until he was four. I loved it for all the kid-friendly activities, but we did move back into town three years ago so my husband would have an easier commute to the Galleria area. Those would be my top suggestions, but I've had friends in Champions and Katy who love those two as well. Good luck!

you might consider Fairfield north off Hwy 290, or Bridgelands and Black Horse Ranch south off hwy 290.
they are full of young energetic families. This will cut time off the commute to Austin. From these areas to UT is 2 to 2.5 hour drive along Hwy 290.

If daily travel time is important to you, check out
Seven Meadows in Katy. It borders on West Park Tollway
which has no tollbooths so only cars with eztag stickers
travel. Take it to the Beltway which is the loop
around Houston which does have tollbooths and takes
eztag also. Also, it can take you on to 59 close
to 610, another loop around Houston and close to the
Galleria. I10, an interstate, goes through Katy, is
on the west side of Houston area and the highway to
Austin. I am a 32 year resident of Sugar Land and love
it. You must check out the Town Center (for shopping,
walking, eating, and entertainment) in Sugar Land
at 59 and Highway 6. I really love living on the
outskirts of the big city, a big plus when you need
to get out of town quick with less traffic.
Go to http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Houston&state=TX and familiarize yourself with the loops and tollways. You will see the tollways (in green). Please note also, that the tollways are not always without
traffic. Schools are great in both Sugar Land and Katy. Good luck. Happy hunting.

Briargrove is located near the Galleria/Tanglewood area. The neighborhood is full of young couples with lots of kids, as well as older folks. It's quaint, safe and in a good school district. It's close to everything. Make sure your realtor at least takes you thru for a tour.
Parks are nearby...grocery stores etc all very convenient. Good Luck

Hi! Now I don't know much about the neighborhoods of the woodlands, I just know that the traffic is horrible on 45 (well the traffic is pretty much bad everywhere during rush hour). I personally (I have a 9 mth old boy myselfn and I'm a SAHM) live in the cy-fair/fairbanks area, which is close to 290, the beltway, and 249. If you want to be closer to downtown, I would look at the oak forest/garden oaks areas. They are very family oriented, lots of shops and good schools,reasonably priced 4 the home (my father lives in this area), and its close to 610 and 290. Hope my advice helps you some! = )

Hi K.,
I am born and raised in Houston-the middle of Houston. However, I now live in, I guess the "burbs" of houston. Specifically the Copperfield area. Hwy 6 & 290 would be the largest & nearest intersection. More specifically for Copperfield is between 529 & West Rd along Hwy 6. I have to say, I did not want to move this far out of the city, but it is absolutely wonderful. There are 3 story houses all the way to small patio homes. There are parks and pools in every little neighborhood of Copperfield and those surrounding it. There are several gyms, including the Langham Creek YMCA, which I love. (And they are getting a new building with larger kids area, larger weight room and larger aerobics rooms.) There are a ton of great churches to attend-large or small, and of all denominations. There are also SEVERAL mom's groups, mom's clubs, even a couple of mom's workout groups all around here. The people here are friendly, the neighborhoods are nice with lots of trees and several golf courses. Plus, from here it's only about a 2hour drive to Austin ;)

I highly recommend this area. Good luck with your search.

Hi Hyra,
I would recommend Katy, in terms of school and good environment in general. You have everything in Katy, no need to go to Houston. Lots of things to do. Cinco Ranch is Great!!
In terms of resale value, well here in Houston is best to buy near a major freeway, like I-10, or I-45, or the BeltW8, 610. Also, near downtown, the heights, Galleria area, memorial area. Go to HAR.com and type the market area and select the description. Make sure were you are buying there is not much construction going on, it seems like to might moving within the next 3 to 5 years, so if that is your case, you need to look at a more developed area.
If interested I can recommend a Realtor here in Houston. ( I am a raltor , however at this time I would not be able to help you, but I know an associate that is great as well at what she does)
Thanks,
A. L.S.

Hi K.,
I am a Realtor (as well as a mommy to two little girls). I would be happy to help you all if you would iike. I work with buyers, sellers and also do leases.
As for your question about the Woodlans, it takes at least 45 minutes to get to town depending on where you are in the Woodlands.I am a native Houstonian and would be happy to answer any questions that I can as to information on neighborhoods. If you would like to call me you may do so at ###-###-####. Good luck with your move!
S.