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Post by Tasha on Jul 23, 2016 3:28:00 GMT
DH and I are thinking of moving to the Houston in the next couple of years. I know it's probably soon, but I'd love to get a feel of what living there will be like! So can you give me some good, bad, inbetween. Maybe good areas to live, ones to steer clear of?
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Post by karen on Jul 23, 2016 5:50:08 GMT
I have lived near The Woodlands for several years. There is a great selection of restaurants and lots of options for entertainment. There are nice parks and outdoor spaces, bike paths and lots of trees around the area.
Will you have kids in school? What part of Houston will you or your husband be working?
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Post by dewryce on Jul 23, 2016 13:47:59 GMT
I'm not sure where you are from, so this may not really apply to you. But the first thing I would consider is the weather. Can you live in the oppressively hot, humid weather? I live about 3.5 hours away to the northwest, and it gets pretty darn hot and humid here but I know I couldn't live there and I've lived in similar weather almost my entire life.
Another thing to consider is traffic. It is very bad and can add so much time to your commute. If you currently live in LA, it will be a pleasant change. Otherwise, I would definitely plan on living as close as possible to work.
Not to discourage you, but just two factors that can make an enormous difference in your quality of life. Since you have so long before you plan on moving consider visiting for longer periods to get a feel for things in different parts of town.
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Deleted
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May 3, 2024 1:30:32 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2016 13:48:35 GMT
The bad:
Lots of traffic.
Hot and humid.
The good:
Lots of things to see and do.
Great restaurants & shopping.
Close to the Gulf of Mexico.
Great museums.
Renaissance Festival.
Great university and hospital systems.
Lots of employment opportunities.
Better prices on housing than most of the US.
Easy to get in and out of with two nice/large airports.
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May 3, 2024 1:30:32 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2016 14:30:50 GMT
agree with Pinkshirley.
Also agree that I would live as close to work as humanly and financially possible. The Woodlands is nice but probably some of the most expensive homes in Houston other than inside the Loop 610 (River Oaks/Galleria). And it is getting more crowded. Last I heard homes there weren't staying on the market even a day after listing. Multiple offers, etc. However prices out of the main city are reasonable compared to other cities.
It is crowded like LA, Atlanta, Chicago, etc unless you live pretty far out in the 'burbs.
That said, I lived there and surrounding for 42 years and if I moved back, we would live way out in the 'burbs (but we both work from home).
But you can't beat the great restaurants and hospitals!
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Post by Merge on Jul 23, 2016 14:52:02 GMT
Yes, hot and humid, but October-April is very nice. The suburbs look pretty much like suburbs everywhere, and there are some very nice master planned communities if you're into that. The city proper can be more expensive to live in, but personally I prefer it to the suburbs. There are definitely still pockets of affordability as long as you're not expecting 4500 sf and a half acre of land. But as others have mentioned, commuting is a huge factor in where you choose to live, as are schools. The suburban schools range from decent to exceptional, and you need to choose carefully where to live because there is no school choice in the suburbs - you go where you're zoned. Houston ISD, in the core of the city, has schools ranging from "nope not sending my kids there" to nationally ranked, and with the robust magnet system, your child can attend an excellent school outside your neighborhood, but it's often through a combination of skill and luck. The system can be tricky to navigate. I love the diversity of the city. We're one of the best cities in the country for my two favorite things: fine arts and food.  There are lots of festivals and cultural events throughout the year. Our economy tends to be better than the rest of the country's, though we're currently experiencing a downturn due to low oil prices. It's conservative. There are liberal pockets in the city's core, but overall the city and state lean hard right. That may bother or thrill you depending on your beliefs.  We moved here 19 years ago and have gotten used to the weather. We love the people and the food and the culture. We may not stay in Houston after our kids are done with school, but we'll probably always live in Texas. |
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Post by Tasha on Jul 23, 2016 16:15:34 GMT
The job will be near the George Bush airport. So close-ish to that will be a priority.
I will have 1 DS in high school and 3 kids in elementary school.
Can anyone tell me a good resource to find the schools I'd want my kiddos to go to?
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Post by utmr on Jul 23, 2016 16:20:28 GMT
The job will be near the George Bush airport. So close-ish to that will be a priority. I will have 1 DS in high school and 3 kids in elementary school. Can anyone tell me a good resource to find the schools I'd want my kiddos to go to? If you're working near IAH you'll probably be interested in Humble, Kingwood, Woodlands. People seem pleased with Kingwood schools but we're in HISD, so I don't know. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2016 16:52:10 GMT
Kingwood tends to be very insulated within itself. Check out kingwood.com. It can be affordable and does have good schools. Lot of employees at IAH live there (pilots for United, etc). I don't know how hard it is to break into the culture moving in though. The bad thing about KW is that there are basically two roads in or out (Kingwood Drive and Northpark) which can get backed up if there is a train or accident or tree down.
But overall I have friends who live there and love that atmosphere...almost small townish.... Insperity is a big employer and they are on the corner of KW Drive and 59 and a lot of their employees also live right there....
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Post by Tasha on Jul 23, 2016 21:27:10 GMT
Thanks for the Kingwood suggestion. We'll check that out!
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Post by debmast on Jul 24, 2016 4:00:08 GMT
It's hotter than Hades. If you have any curl in your hair, you will need a terrific flat iron if you let it curl on it's own because the humidity is insane. Traffic is awful.
All that being said, we've been here 10 years. We live in Katy and we like it a lot. My 15 year old would faint if we told her we were moving. She loves her school and her "people" and even the heat. But it is not a location for you if job is near Bush. Too far. Also that being said, my hubby drives to the Galleria daily. I work for Katy ISD so my commute is minutes. But we liked the school district and the area and what Katy had to offer, so he makes the drive.
Seriously, summers are hot. But everywhere has AC. And there are pools. And the rest of the year makes up for the sweat we endure during summer.
Good luck! The Peas actually helped me during my move to the Houston area all those years ago.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jul 24, 2016 20:20:50 GMT
Houston has been home base for us the past 25 years and I really love it. Yes, July-Sept are hot as heck and the traffic is just awful. The positives far outweigh the negatives for us though. Excellent museums, theatre, ballet, opera, symphony. Food scene that is great and getting better all the time. Great shopping. The key is to live as close to where you work as possible. Anything less than a 30 min. commute is considered close. Check out HAR.com. It is the MLS website for the Houston area. You can do a search by zip code, neighborhood or by map. It also has information on the schools in the area. It is sorted by district, public, private, charter, as well as showing the ratings of each. Good luck with your planning. There are many here on the board who live in the Houston area, so someone will probably be able to answer any questions you come up with! |
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Post by hop2 on Jul 24, 2016 20:31:43 GMT
Houston has been home base for us the past 25 years and I really love it. Yes, July-Sept are hot as heck and the traffic is just awful. The positives far outweigh the negatives for us though. Excellent museums, theatre, ballet, opera, symphony. Food scene that is great and getting better all the time. Great shopping. The key is to live as close to where you work as possible. Anything less than a 30 min. commute is considered close. Check out HAR.com. It is the MLS website for the Houston area. You can do a search by zip code, neighborhood or by map. It also has information on the schools in the area. It is sorted by district, public, private, charter, as well as showing the ratings of each. Good luck with your planning. There are many here on the board who live in the Houston area, so someone will probably be able to answer any questions you come up with! Remember to check out the commute on weekdays. 40 minutes on Sunday could easily = 75-80 mins on a week day drive time. ( here anyway ) volume can double or triple drive time from when roads are empty. Lol |
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Post by aleighl55 on Jul 25, 2016 17:37:01 GMT
I'll second Kingwood if you want to live in the city. I live in Dayton, further out in the country, but my husband works at IAH and the drive isn't too bad. I takes about 45 minutes unless there's a wreck. We like to be within driving distance to everything just not live there, dealing with the traffic on a daily basis.
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Post by cindytred on Jul 26, 2016 7:23:25 GMT
I lived in Houston for 13 wonderful years. We moved away 20 years ago and I still miss it so much and would move back in a heartbeat! My brother lives there so I get to go visit every summer! You should expect it to be hot and for there to be lots of traffic.  The cost of living is lower than in most places. Be ready for lots of shopping and lots of eating because Houston has the best restaurants in the world! Also Houston has some of the friendliest people in the world. |
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Post by leftturnonly on Jul 26, 2016 8:00:29 GMT
If you've never been to Houston, then you've never seen anything like it. It has steadily gobbled up land and communities until it is this enormous, sprawling mass.  link
This is why living near where you work is so important. |
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Post by auntkelly on Jul 26, 2016 11:48:04 GMT
I have lived in The Woodlands for the past 9 years. From my front door, it's about 40 minutes to IAH. Many pilots live in The Woodlands, including my former next door neighbor.
The schools are excellent and the people are very warm and friendly. The shopping is great and there is an adundance of restaurants. There are miles and miles of beautiful walking trails. People come to live here from all over the world, so there is a lot of cultural diversity.
The summers are hell, but the winters are heavenly.
My husband just retired and we are moving back to Oklahoma to be close to family and friends. I will miss The Woodlands!
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There are lots of festivals and cultural events throughout the year. Our economy tends to be better than the rest of the country's, though we're currently experiencing a downturn due to low oil prices.
The cost of living is lower than in most places. Be ready for lots of shopping and lots of eating because Houston has the best restaurants in the world! Also Houston has some of the friendliest people in the world. 
