Moving to htown

[Mayhem]

Listen to this woman ... there is SO much value in this post.
I turned down a GOOD job, downtown, because of the commute.

And if you're already calling it H-town, you might want to check out the 5th Ward.

I hear the part of H-town around UofH is really nice place to raise kids.

[stykshooter]

Woodlands or Kingwood both have the Hardy toll road into downtown

[txjustin]

You better understand the insurance costs if you move to a coastal county.

Also, like Mary said above, take a mock drive day in any area you plan on living. Traffic can really, really suck. Like bad. Suck really bad.

For the record, I live in Rosenberg and commute to Beltway and Beechnut. Not too bad. Downtown is a whole different animal though.

[d_e_smith]

59S is the lesser of evils getting into down town.

[Ætheling]

Houston is not a bad city relatively speaking but it is a big city so by default there is a lot of crime and trash (true with any large city). If you have a family you dont want to live in the actual city of Houston but rather the surrounding areas and drive in. You dont want to put your kids in the public school system inside the city limits unless you want them to join gangs LOL. Serioulsy, I was born inside the loop and lived there for a while, have friends who do now but all of them when they had children moved to Katy, Spring or the Woodlands.

[texansfan]

Houston is not a bad city relatively speaking but it is a big city so by default there is a lot of crime and trash (true with any large city). If you have a family you dont want to live in the actual city of Houston but rather the surrounding areas and drive in. You dont want to put your kids in the public school system inside the city limits unless you want them to join gangs LOL. Serioulsy, I was born inside the loop and lived there for a while, have friends who do now but all of them when they had children moved to Katy, Spring or the Woodlands.

City of Houston has the Vanguard program which rivals any private school education (Awty, Kincaid, ROBS).

As far as crime, I feel like that is concentrated in those crime ridden areas.
Not much crime inside 610 from 59 to 59 (going clockwise).

I think CoH gets a bad rap as a whole when only certain parts are violent.

[BowDude]

We live in the Cypress area. Great public school - drive in and out could be a pain though. I work for Spring Branch ISD - really great public school district in the Memorial area (I10 between 610 and BW8.

[J-Bob]

I have been here most of my life. Grew up in Katy, which was great and now live in that scaaaary place (to a bunch of you guys) inside the loop. It sounds like you are looking in the areas that I would look into given your situation - Pearland and Alvin. Close to the coast if you like fishing. Close to Killen's if you like BBQ. Good public schools. Lots of nice new development out there with many daycare options. Like Txpitdog said the main thing you want to research in any area you look at are the schools.

I really like Houston. You will find lots of great people here.

[TxGiant]

I hear the part of H-town around UofH is really nice place to raise kids.

Scott Street is pretty classy

[AgHntr10]

What about Baytown?

I would stay out of Baytown, but Barbers hill/Mont Belvieu is a nice area with great schools.


Personally I would look up 59 North, Kingwood area or further North.

[1riot1ranger]

Just a word of advice.....let her drive that one morning and one evening, before you move out there and she has to do it everyday. It is not something I could do!

Clear Lake/League City -> Metro ParkNRide to downtown. Driving Gulf Freeway is terrible 24/7/365. especially with removal of overpasses and road expansion going on.

[El General]

The Heights area is making a nice comeback and though property values are soaring in that area, there are still some good deals to be found. It'll be a pretty easy commute to her job if it's near the Downtown Aquarium. Public schools area no-go anywhere around there, but there are pretty good private school options in the area. Good luck.

There aren't any deals left in The Heights.

You need to decide whether you want to live in town or commute. Commuting is a nut kick and living in town is expensive.

[johnspencer]

Thanks for the help so far.

[popup_menace]

I've lived an hour away from Houston most of my life (the period nt spent here was in Plano for a few months). This is as close to Houston id ever want to be.

[hot_rod_eddie]

I live in DeerPark, edge of Pasadena area. The schools are good, the town is nice and has everything children or adults need. The commute is nothing compared to other places. I work downtown and during the heaviest traffic the commute on 225 is 30 min. Friends at work live the same distance away along 45 south, and 290, etc and have up to an hour.