Relocating to Houston - apartment suggestions?
 

Hi all,

My company is relocating me to Houston from Canada. I'll be working near the airport (Bush) and am trying to figure out what communities to look in for an apartment. Some background: I am a 24 year old single female and ideally I'd love to find a nice apartment in a safe neighberhood that is somewhat central while still being a decent commute to work. At this point in my search it seems like it's a tradeoff - I can either be close to work OR central, not both!

Any suggestions? Friends of mine have suggested the Woodlands but others have warned me against that community because it's so far away from the center of things and is more family-based. Other friends suggested Midtown but I'm concerned about a long commute. Any communities closer to the airport than Midtown that are safe but still have a lot going on and a young population?

I'm really confused at this point, so I really appreciate any help! Thanks :)

Hi, Erin - the communities that are going to be close to IAH are Kingwood, Spring, and The Woodlands - you're right; those are very family-oriented communities. You would be in suburbia. The midtown area is better for young singles. Most of the people I know do have long commutes to work - it's really just part of living in Houston. I drive about 45 minutes each day. There's a site called apartmentratings.com that might be helpful to you. It lists complexes by city and gives ratings for each.

The info you got is good. IAH is nowhere near the center of town, though there are loads of suburban developments that have sprung up in the area.
If you want an urban vibe with the crowd in your age range then it will mean a daily commute. There really is not a viable public transport option to get from downtown to work near IAH.
IAH is roughly northeast of town. The areas that would fit your needs are south/southwest of downtown. Montrose / the museum area and nearby are the hippest parts of town and where I would start to look. Great concentration of shops, restaurants, galleries, etc. and close to downtown for when things go on there. There are also parts of the Heights that are somewhat gentrified but it can be spotty. Whatever you do, stay away from anything that would mean traveling on IH 10 west of 610 - it is a traffic nightmare.

If you work normal hours, you'll be going against the traffic if you live in Mid-town and work near IAH. 30 minutes will get you there. Not bad at all.

LOL - that's the route I travel every day!

I completely agree with other posters about living in Midtown/Downtown/Greenway Plaza/Rice University/Montrose area.

The other thing to think about that would probably help your commute is how the Hardy Toll Road fits into your locations on both ends, both living and work. I live near Rice University and travel extensively, so I can speak from experience that taking 59 N from the Shepherd/Greenbriar exit to 610 W to the Hardy Toll Road (with EZPass toll tag), I am always 30 minutes door to door to the airport +/-5 minutes. Depending on how you are budgeting, you'd have to factor in a few bucks every day coming and going from work, but I'd say its worth it for the quality of life it sounds like you are looking for.

Good luck...despite with others may say, I've lived all over the US (SF, Austin, NYC, Tampa, New Orleans) and while people may look at me funny when I tell them I relocated to Houston by choice, the quality of life is hard to beat, IMO.

Erin didn't ask but when someone is relocating to a new city for a job it is the one easy chance a person has have to find living accomodations near where they will be working. I know I spent the better part of 20 years commuting into a major city from the suburbs and believe me the trip got "old" pretty fast. I then had the opportunity to move to a new city and found a home less than 12 minutes from my work location. I became a changed person, much more relaxed and had so much more personal time each day. Now, you can't pay me enough to to wat to drive more than 10 or 15 minute to work.

While I understand the desire of a young single adult might have to live where the "action" is the trade-off in time spent commuting might negate any perceived benefits. If you think about it you are probably going to spend much more time commuting to/from work and actually at work than you will for any other sigle activity except sleeping and staying at home watching TV.

Well, so much for free advice and one person's opinion. I wish Erin all the best in finding a suitable place to live.

hockeyfan makes a good point; an EZ tag makes it very easy to get around the toll roads; you don't need to stop or have change with you - just breeze through the gate and the fee is deducted automatically from your account. We love living in Houston; hope you enjoy it.

I am in general agreement with the above comments. The Midtown/Rice University/Museum District/Greenway Plaza/ areas (all near downtown) are really nice with lots of single people, diverse and unique restaurants and shops, cultural options, and multiple housing options. Some of the areas around/near IAH, such as the Woodlands are very nice with lots of amentities, but definitely more family oriented and more the surburban environment. Just depends on your preferences.

It's worth repeating that if you lived in the close-in or downtown areas, you'd be going against traffic to the IAH area so you would usually be able to avoid the typical communte hassles. FYI - we live near Rice University, and, for example, can easily get to IAH for early morning flights in less than 30 min.

Although I'd not consider it close-in, I'd also agree about avoiding (at least for the near future) the area around IH 10 (Katy Freeway) west of Loop 610. It's currently being expanded to up to 24 lanes (that's not a misprint) and it can be a nightmare on good days (of which IMO there are few).

Good luck!

Wow, thank you all for your help! I think I'm definitely leaning towards the Midtown/Museum District etc. now. I arrive in Houston on October 17th so I think the best thing for me to do will probably be to drive around to all these neighberhoods and get a feel for them. I've got 4 days to find a place before I start work - wish me luck! I'll let you all know what I end up with, neighberhood-wise :)

If you find a place you like, try to do the drive to your office at the same time of day you'd be leaving for work - will give you a good idea of how long your drive will take. Good luck!

Erin - we're glad to help. If you have some more specific questions, let us know and we'll try and provide some answers/insights.

Erin,

There are a number of apartment options in all of the neigborhoods you are considering, but as a starting point, you could take a look at the following website and check out Camden Midtown, Camden Plaza, or Camden Greenway.

http://www.camdenliving.com/internet...ar_houston.htm

Erin,

Moving from Canada to Houston will be a culture shock, so I recommend reading many books on Texas in general and Houston in particular.

Where from Canada do you come from? If you hail from Edmonton or Winnipeg, you'll probably like Houston, but if you come from Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, or Montreal, you probably won't last longer than a year.

I'm not trying to be mean, but just honest. I know several people who relocated to Houston from Canada and other countries and this is their experience. Houston is a very hot, humid, traffic infested city with very few parks. It's a very business-oriented city, and in my opinion the quality of life is very low.

Consider Austin or Dallas as alternatives to give you a better introduction to Texas.

If your move is non-voluntary, it will be critical to read as much as possible to understand the dynamics you are entering there.

"Quality of life is very low"?

I suggest you clarify that phrase, as I found that highly offensive as a long-time resident. No, it's not the most interesting city in the world, and not great if you like your snow. But using that kind of description is totally uncalled for.

The quality of life is low? I live in a neighborhood full of people from other countries that love Houston. And I live next door to a park with miles and miles of biking trails. Houston has great restaurants, museums, theater, professional sports - and no snow to shovel. We really enjoy it; my husband is from the North and says he'll never go back because he loves the warm weather in Houston. Traffic? Yes, it can be quite bad, but Houston does have a lot to offer.

My family and I can live anywhere we want and we choose to live in Houston. Life is more convenient and affordable here than any place I have lived or visited. Houston is young and energetic, multicultural, and a city that looks to the future rather than dwelling on the past. We have several friends from Canada and we share a fondness for Alberta, and Houston! I see more parallels than differences, topography and climate excepted. We are originally from the Northeastern U.S. and have yet to be bored or feel culturally or artistically deprived. When you do want to get out of town, almost anywhere is convenient. Mexico and Latin America in particular are a short and direct plane trip away.

bkluvsNola - just wondering why you think people from Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto etc. wouldn't like Houston but people from Edmonton and Winnipeg would? I know Houston is one of the biggest cities in the states, so I would think that it would NOT appeal to people from Edmonton and Winnipeg (smaller cities) as much as it would people from Calgary, Toronto, etc. (biggest cities in Canada and all highly business-oriented).

I have been to Houston before, albeit for a week, but I do have some idea of what I'm getting into. The move is involuntary, but that said, I'm really excited about it! (Very excited to not have to start my car 20 minutes before leaving the house in the morning and spend 15 minutes scraping the snow off!)

I currently live in Aberdeen, Scotland, which is pretty small so I admit it WILL be a big change from here - but I am born and raised in Calgary, so I'm used to a big city. Once I finally find a place to live, I'm sure I'll be fine!

Erin,

My statement about why people from Edmonton or Winnipeg would like Houston is because those cities don't have as much to do as the other cities and tend to be more conservative, politically and socially.

Vancouver is very liberal and has nature everywhere, so that area is least like Houston and I doubt someone from Vancouver would even think about moving there.

Calgary is very close to the mountains, and from what I know about mountain people, they generally want to always have mountains nearby.

Montreal is a very French city and has so much culture, I'm not sure any Montreal native (especially a French Canadian) would ever want to leave. Montreal is beautiful, cultured, and refined, Houston is not.

Toronto is Canada's New York City and there is just no comparison to Houston. You just don't have the vibrant street life, night life, etc... that Toronto has. So a person from there would view Houston as somewhat of a backwater town.

Winnipeg is a small town settled by people with conservative, Midwestern type values. There's not much to do in Winnipeg, and the winters are extremely harsh, so I think Houston would be a nice change of pace for people from there. Better climate, more things to do, and easier access to other cities.

Edmonton was settled by a lot of oil rich Texans, and thus there is a fascination by many there about Texas. Heck, they even have an indoor waterpark heated to 87 degrees even in mid-winter, that's a lot like Texas weather. They have the largest mall in the world. So they like their climate controlled environments, just like Houston. For them it's to escape the brutal winters. In Houston, it's to escape the heat and humidity.

I hope this explains why I said that.

rkkwan,

"I suggest you clarify that phrase, as I found that highly offensive as a long-time resident. No, it's not the most interesting city in the world, and not great if you like your snow. But using that kind of description is totally uncalled for"

If all you want to do is get away from snow, there are many alternatives besides Houston, even in the state of Texas. Austin gives you a great climate with no snow, plenty of parks and greenery, and many things to do.

Why did I say the quality of life in Houston is low: Well, Houstonians spend the most time in the car commuting than anybody else in the US. They have no zoning, so a porn shop can crop up right next to a church. They have no mass transportation, and thus the freeways are both clogged and always under construction. And the commercial areas are just plain ugly, since there's no zoning. Sorry, but Erin needs to know what she's getting into.