Texas_bound

We're moving to Houston (estimate: in a few months) and don't know what areas to look to buy a home in. Looking for low crime, great schools, homes in $300's range. Prelim research online turned up The Woodlands and Kingwood as really nice neighborhoods/communities, looking forward to settling for good. Husband will be working downtown Houston (central) and we're trying to keep rush hour commute under 1 hour. Please help! ps- how bad is the humidity REALLY? I'm from DC/Virginia and the summers here are like living in a swamp!

dfr4848

Welcome! Both The Woodlands and Kingwood are very nice. As to schools, keep in mind (in case you don't know) that the school districts have independent boundaries (which is why they're called Independent School Districts). So, for example, Kingwood is in part of two different school districts depending on where you live (and one has a much better reputation than the other). If you are only considering public schools, you might also want to look at Clear Lake (NASA) area and the Sugarland/Pearland areas. For your price range, you should find plenty of nice houses.

Might also mention that there are several areas much closer in that are zoned to some good schools in the Houston school district such as Bellaire, Meyerland, West University etc. Having said that, not all of the schools at every grade level are necessarily considered good (and there are options including magnet schools, special cirriculum schools [eg, High School for the Performing and Visual Arts] and private schools). Of course, the housing costs are higher in closer in you get.

As to humidity, yep we've got it. July - early Sept are generally the worst months. I've been in DC in the summer, so you've got an idea, but it lasts longer here. And remember that parts of Houston (mainly southeast) are in fact swampy so it literally is like a swamp. But falls and winters can be very nice.

Hope this helps.

Texas_bound

Hi dfr4848, Thanks for the info; all was useful! Didn't know about the independent school boundaries; and never considered the other areas you suggested - will be looking at those as well now. Those areas are closer in than Woodlands and Kingwood and would save on daily commute time. Any idea of rush hour commute times from Woodlands and Kingwood? Thanks

AustinTraveler

You will find a wealth of information on this relocation forum:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/houston/

rkkwan

It just depends on what kind of houses you want. For $300K, you can build a brand new McMansion in the suburbs like the Woodlands and Kingwood. The commute is better from Kingwood on the recently widened US59. Woodlands to Downtown on I-45 can be pretty bad, but you may use the Hardy Toll Road instead. There is also the Woodland Express commuter bus.

On the other hand, $300 can also buy you a decent-sized house in the Meyerland area that dfr4848 described. Several of my relatives live in that area, as well as some of my colleagues who work in Texas Medical Center. Some parts are zoned into Bellaire High School, one of the top public HS in the country. But these will be 40-year old houses, one-storey, 2,500 sq feet at your price range.

You need to come down here and look, and actually drive the routes during rush hour to get a true feel of the traffic situation.

Texas_bound

Thanx for the website AustinTraveler - great reading - answered alot of questions. And rkkwan, thanx for the great commute info plus seconding the idea of Meyerland. 40 year old houses are fine with us; it's really about the school quality and crime stats since our kids are elementary/middle school-aged. Thanx

ilovetulips

Here is a website to check out
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/

Look at accountability. In Texas at this point schools are rated based on passing scores of the TAKS test. It is a bit controversial because some people don't like a student's knowledge based on one test, but it is the current standard. Exemplary is the highest rating.

Here are some school districts that generally have a good reputation"
The Woodlands, Kingwood, Klein, Sugarland, Clear Lake, Pearland and Cypress-Fairbanks (Cy-Fair.) These districts are north, southwest, and west of Houston. Good luck and yes the summers are hot. Imagine wearing a hot wet blanket!Thank god for AC.

ilovetulips

I just remembered another school district with a good rep- Katy ISD, it is west of Houston.

dfr4848

Texas bound - As to your last question, commute time from The Woodlands and Kingwood at rush hour could be around 50 - 60 min absent wrecks etc. FYI - All of the freeways that radiate from downtown have extensive, dedicated HOV lanes for buses and car pools and the Park & Ride system is also extensive (which uses the HOV lanes). Some of the routes extend as far as 25-30 mi from downtown. There are also several toll ways, one of which fkkwan mentioned (The Hardy Tollway) from just outside the Woodlands to the North Loop. The Metro web site has details if you're interested.

To follow up on the school issue, make sure to ask very specific questions about what district AND which schools within a district a house is zoned to. As rkkwant mentioned, for ex., most houses in Meyerland are zoned for Bellaire HS (which is very good), but some of the neighborhoods next to it aren't. Don't assume the house across the street is zoned to the same school or even the same district. Those boundaries can literally run down the middle of the street and you may not be told unless you ask.

Also get info on tax rates. Since TX doesn't have income taxes (either local or state) we've traditionally relied on property taxes, which are assessed by the county, the city and the school district in which you live. They can vary greatly - and can be very high. (Supposedly we got a "break" from the legislature last year, but it doesn't seem very noticable at the moment).

dfr4848

Should be "rkkwan" - sorry I butchered it. I kept hitting the wrong keys and didn't proof.

cd

Our son lives in Houston and when he began searching to buy a home he choose according to school districts.
His children attend Cypress-Fairbanks (Cy-Fair.) His son is into music and plays trumpet in the school marching band and they are really good.
One thing that always surprised me is that you do not see children outside playing in the summer. It is just too humid. I can walk from his front door to the car parked in the driveway and break a sweat.

volcanogirl

Hi, Texas-bound! If you haven't already discovered it, har.com is a great site for those wanting to buy in the Houston area. You can put in different parameters such as budget and square footage, and it will show you a list of houses (including pictures) that fit your needs. The west side of town is nice and includes areas like Wilchester, Nottingham, and Nottingham Forest. They're in the Spring Branch School District which has a good rep. Katy area schools are good too, but are further out, so longer commute time.

Yes, the humidity is bad, but March/April/September/and October are really beautiful. Best of luck!

babyfat

i moved from houston to dc a few years ago. i was hoping to really beat the heat and humidity, and not so. YES, houston is hotter and more humid. and it lasts longer. but dc gives it a good run. so, it is more humid [i would say 20%], but not twice as humid...NOT like new orleans!

surfingmomma

Hi Texas bound.
A big welcome. as a native Houstonian, I would like to caution you that we are 'tropical', and usually get 48" of rain per year. Because of that, we do have areas of the greater Houston area that flood. Please please check that out carefully. the further south of downtown you go, generally, the more likely areas are prone to flooding. OF course, you would at that point, be heading toward the Gulf of Mexico. There are exceptions to flooding, of course, so again, pleaseeeeeeee check it out, and ask lots of questions.

the school districts that were mentioned are very good, IMO--like The Woodlands, Kingwood, Klein, Cy-Fair, etc.

the HOV lanes are very helpful, and there are also mass transit areas to park your car, and ride a bus to down town. these mass transit/parking areas are in the outlying areas of town.
In the outlying areas of town, as in the school districts mentioned, our subdivisions of homes, often have our own hired police officers 24/7. This makes for a constant police presence patrolling around, and safer neighborhoods. You will need to ask a realtor if the neighborhood has "hired police patrols".

I've visited DC in July, and it was about the same hot, humid climate as Houston. Our hot days, last from Mid-July--sometimes to the end of september. the rest of the year--we're outside. we have maybe 6 or 8 weeks of "winter" here, and once every 10 years we get a light snow. Everything shuts down (i know that's funny to you), but we don't know how to drive in the snow/ice, so we get the day off.

Houston is pretty metropolitan---lots of cultures, arts, religions, etc. You do need a car---we don't have mass transit.
I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.

travelgirl2

I attended the end of elementary school and all of middle school in the El Lago / Clear Lake area. This is many years ago, but I think probably still relevant. I moved around alot while growing up and these schools were among the best I attended. I spent a couple of years in high school in the northern Virginia area, outside of DC, and that school was comparable. (Other schools I attended in upstate NY and southern California had much, much lower academic standards. All public schools.)

Being near NASA meant that many of our neighbors were professionals, engineers, even astronauts. Education in that area was highly regarded, similar to the northern VA area.

The Houston summers are even more hot and humid than the northern VA summers, if you can believe it. But, you'll handle it, I'm sure.