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Greetings all, I will be moving to Houston this summer for work, and as I don't know much about the city or the area, I could use some advice. My work is located at Ellington Field. I'm somewhat of a city person and I'm hoping to live more in the city. I have done some research online and have seen some good things written about the Clear Lake area, Pearville, and other suburbs on that side of town, but am looking at neighborhoods in the greater East End and MacGregor areas. Is this a feasible reverse commute on I-45 or am I setting myself up for an hour plus each way? I would prefer to live closer in to the city, but am not so committed to the idea as to ruin my life with an awful commute. What other areas should I be looking at? For background, I'm coming from the San Francisco Bay Area, and before that I lived in Washington, DC. I love public transportation, am accustomed to walking and biking a lot, and have just always preferred cities to the sprawl of suburbia. I'm no longer in my 20's and am not seeking the high-end nightlife/party scene or only the most dense, urban neighborhoods, but my ideal living situation is a walkable/bike-able neighborhood with local restaurants and shops, and maybe some access to public transportation. Of course it looks like my work location pretty much means I'm forced to commute by car, and I'm fine with that, but I just can't stand the idea of living in a car-only suburb of tract housing and strip malls. No kids, so local schools aren't a factor, and having lived in several cities before, a reasonable level of crime doesn't scare me. Thanks, Scott

Hey, Me and my partner are looking to move from our rental home in the Vintage/Willowbrook area (zip 77070) to a home. We have saved up some money for a good downpayment. I work in the Westchase area, and currently commute about 45 mins each way on the beltway, my work schedule allows me to avoid rush hours, so that is good. We have been actively looking on the real estate listing website, for a home with 2-3 acres of land to maybe keep some horses, or plant some fruit trees, etc. We may also want to build a small guest home for visiting family. Our budget is about $350,000 - we do not need a large home, even a 2-3 bedroom home is fine. Can anyone point us to some good areas to look at? If you need more information, let me know! Thanks, Cass