This. West Houston is really quite awesome. You can find all ranges of houses here, from the $90ks to the $1m+ depending on the subdivision. Lots of close by shopping, food, easy access to freeways to any part of the city, relatively low crime, good schools, etc. etc. You'll get more value for your money out here than in expensive areas like West U.
So since there are areas where majority is either Asian or Mexican or black, etc. Are there any areas where there are large groups of Russians or Ukrainians or Dutch, etc?
this is a big big deal. In fact this is huge. As for asians there are more in houston than dallas but overall as much as it pains me to say it there is less crime and villainy in dallas ft worth area. Houston has more international flavor and better restaurants than dallas but with that international flavor comes crime and there are huge parts of houston that are pretty bad. All of SW houston is pretty bad. Sugarland is asian but ghetto in many ways, Mo city (crime), pearland might be what you are looking for with asian and international but also lots of riff raff and crime. I went to eat with a friend in pearland recently and it was scary. Chinatown SW houston is really bad. Look at murders in that part of town its ridiculous. West university,bellaire,memorial,river oaks is nice but are small areas surrounding ghettos so you are talking very small swaths of land with bad areas all around. From a schooling standpoint if in these areas you will still need to drop another 10k at least for private school per kid otherwise your kid will end up going to a public school with all kinds of bad elements from the surrounding areas. Also taxes in houston will be a big pain. Houston tax HCAD and HISD is one of biggest ripoffs ever. Be careful getting a place that is seemingly cheap (300-600) then getting BEAT UP on yearly taxes. This is huge problem in houston. So because of the mix of bad and good, bad and good, thats why as much as dallas sucks I think from a schooling and non ghetto element it wins. dallas sucks because of no trees and lots of lame ass people, hicks, blowhards but the kids family aspect there are many neighborhoods grapevine, southlake and north/west dallas that from a family point of view are just plain not as ghetto and scary. Also damn hot in dallas but slightly less humid. So in houston that brings us to the only neighborhood I would really look at (and I just moved back to houston from california, grew up in bellaire and SW houston btw) and that is the woodlands. woodlands is nice, it has trees, and not all the ghettoness of houston. Problem is it is far from city center so your work needs to be near or woodlands commuting an hour each way is super lame. my 2 cents.
why do you say this? DO you have no love for the bus system? The bus system goes to the woodlands. the bus system also goes to Kingwood which is right next to the Woodlands and just as nice.
Really? I moved out of West Houston back in 2008, and one of the main reasons was due to crime. It increased dramatically in the time I lived there (2005-2008)
I see no one has mentioned the beautiful Acres Homes area. J/k stay away from there. I've always like the Cy-Fair/Copperfield area. Plenty of shops and restaurants pretty good schools and some nice homes.
Houston is a great place to live. Once you have done your due diligence and agree with that, it's a matter of what part of town to reside in. For my taste; two young kids, concerned about convenience, safety, school quality, and investment - I chose Katy. The other suburbs are just as nice, if not nicer. Pros for Katy: -Multiple paths of exit and entry; I-10, Westheimer, Westpark Tollway -Vicinity to major Houston employers; Energy Corridor -Vicinity to dining and shopping; Katy Mills, Memorial City, City Centre -Convenience to 'in-town' places (Downtown, Chinatown); I-10, Westpark Tollway -For normal convenience items (groceries, gas, hardware store, electronics), it's a 10 min drive - tops -School district has many of the state's top middle and high schools Cons for Katy: -It's not trendy, it's a suburb -It lacks culture -If I make the mistake of driving during rush hour, it's a nightmare My pros outweighed the cons, and I can manage the cons appropriately. Good luck in your move. As with what someone else mentioned, if you find something you like, don't hesitate.
I would live in the Woodlands if I moved back to Houston. That's an easy choice for me, as I'm familiar with that area. I grew up in Magnolia.
With EZ tag, traffic has really never been a problem for me. I live in old Katy and drive to work all the way in Deer Park. Drive time around 50 minutes.
If you want your children to see people of different races do not live here it is all white. Being a white guy I refuse to raise my children where they are not exposed to the world.
Houston and humidity go together like pizza and tomato sauce. You can't have one without the other. Otherwise, uh, you'd just have, er, a cracker with cheese? So keep it in mind. A lot of Asians live here. A lot. South Asians are numerous in Houston; maybe they're used to the humidity anyway. They've certainly made a niche here. Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese tend to live in SW Houston, Alief (you were on the right track with the name), and Sugarland/Missouri City. (Indians and Pakistanis are also in these areas in abundance. There's even an impressive Hindu temple in Stafford.) Since you seem to be upper-middle-class in your $$$, I'd try Sugar Land. You can try Missouri City, which is basically Sugar Land's less expensive neighbor. But hell, I'd get a job here first (after you've visited and said "me likes"), then finda home that isn't gonna be a sucknuts commute. I second this. Katy is a bedroom community, not bad, but blandly white. Great schools, though.
Dude, quit looking at the winter temperatures and look at the rest of the year. It is mother****ing hot as **** for 8 months out of the year here. And humid. It's disgusting. DISGUSTING. Not any better overall than the suckass winters up there.
