Are you looking to buy/rent? Family, couple, single?
Schools in the area a concern or just home and commute?
Is there any telecommuting option at your job?
Houston PING
If you're single...then live in a high rise in Downtown Houston...or close to it. There are a number of apartments you can rent...close to River Oaks...however, I do not consider any of those areas too safe.
Take a look at the Sugar Land area. It has a lot to offer. They are almost finished expanding the freeway (59SW) past the Grand Pkwy, so the traffic situation has improved substantially. That said, if you leave during rush hour, you will still have to sit in some traffic to get downtown. Only way to avoid traffic is to work around rush hour. Even then, you still get caught behind a wreck from time to time.
There are Metro commuter buses that run to certain locations in downtown. If you work near the Metro hub, then check for locations near the park-and-ride Metro bus lots. There is one on Bay Area Blvd. in Clear Lake. Check local police websites for crime statistics. Looks can be deceiving. Crime is mobile in Houston like most other large cities, so assume the worst and keep your eyes open.
Ping to Bacon Man and Hap, who live in Katy and can tell you its benefits, although neither of them goes downtown.
But they live very close to where the Westpark Tollway ends, and that would (I think) make a downtown commute almost bearable.
Did you see this?
If you have a Houston map Check out the area north of Memorial Drive between Shepard Dr and Memorial Park. There is a variety of housing types there, little old cottages, huge new mansions and new townhouses. The commute to down town will be quicker than the time needed to park your car. My friend rents a small house on N. Terrace Dr. and I am sure there are others. If time to downtown is the issue this would be a great place to look.
Within reason commute time should not be the best criteria for buying a home. I live ten miles from work and do not work downtown. It takes thirty minutes or more each way. That is just the way it is. If a light is flashing or out completely add twenty to thirty minutes.
Getting into downtown early is not a problem and typically one could leave early to get home and miss the traffic.
As to safety get some training, buy a gun and then get a CHL. Stay on yellow alert and you will be fine.
To get some perspective spend a week in Mo-Town or Baltimore and Houston is a cake walk.
I-10 is just about completed and moves traffic better than any of the other corridores. In Cinco you have a commute choice of I-10 or Westpark Tollway....
I can’t offer any real good first hand info but I travel through Houston a lot and commuting would be a bitch as far as I’m concerned. But the locals responding may have some good locations with easier commutes.
Since you have children in Austin - Dallas area then the Northwest section maybe an option.... Out 290 and between that and I-45. This may not offer a good commute situation though.
I definitely agree with Ditter. There are a lot of nice townhomes just east of Memorial Park, north of Memorial Drive, west of Shepherd. Memorial Drive has no traffic on it and makes a very nice 5-10 minute commute to downtown.
I don’t know who these people are telling you to live in Sugar Land, Clear Lake, or the Woodlands. These are all far away suburbs which would have an hour+ commute each way.
Katrina refugees headed south or west. Areas south, near Hobby airport, or west around Westheimer and Beltway 8 have a lot.
Oak Forest or Garden Oaks...major intersection is Shepherd and 610 Loop North.
The area is under going a major property value shift. Many 60 year old homes are being torn down for rebuilds in the 500 to 750K price range. There are still many nice 60 year old homes to be had and the property values are still reasonable and the neighborhood has beenone of the best property investments in Houston.
go to www.har.com and type in either Oak Forest or Garden Oaks (Garden Oaks is very pricey) BOTH areas have a very reasonable commute to the downtown area.
Check out anything in the ‘Village’ area of Piney Point, Hunter’s Creek, et al. They are enclaves of Houston, which in the past had lower property taxes, good municipal services, local community flavor, off the Memorial Drive, south of Hi10 and West of 610 several miles.
Likely to be a high rent district, but property values should hold their own. Not as high as River Oaks, but more stylish.
I haven’t been there in about 20 years but probably retained its value.
Well, 6 years ago, I wouldn’t have told you where we live, but since they’re building here now, I have been forced to over-come my selfishness and will share our “secret”, which is no longer a secret.
We live in Crosby, which is about 26 miles from downtown Houston. My husband works almost downtown, and it takes him 25 min. to get to work at 6am. The freeways aren’t bad unless there’s a wreck.
The homes in our neighborhood are probably priced the best in the Houston area, although they’re definitely not high-end homes. Costs of new homes are $110 to $290 or so. We have a lot of natural beauty in our neighborhood, as a big gulley winds through it. There are lots of deer everywhere. We have access to Lake Houston from our neighborhood and to the San Jacinto River.
I bought gas at our local Super Walmart today for $2.46/gal. reg. unleaded (with the 3 cent discount card).
I hope you find just the place you’re looking for. God was good to us and answered my prayers when He moved us here.