Grad University of Houston Student With Wife And Kid Moving In

[Mishal]

Hello,

I am moving from Ottawa, Canada to Houston for my Ph.D in Economics at University of Houston.

I have a wife and kid and my top priority is safety. However, living on university funding, I also cannot pay more than 700 bucks for rent. 600 would be more manageable but willing to go up to 700.

I read this:

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...?showtopic=6863

and found out that many neighbourhoods are dangerous.

Can you make some suggestions regarding which neighbourhoods to look into?

Also, if I buy a car, is commuting from Sugarland or Pearland feasible in the long run?

Finally, how worried should I be about the hurricane season?

[sarahiki]

Hello,

I am moving from Ottawa, Canada to Houston for my Ph.D in Economics at University of Houston.

I am a wife and kid and my top priority is safety. However, living on university funding, I also cannot pay more than 700 bucks for rent. 600 would be more manageable but willing to go up to 700.

I read this:

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...?showtopic=6863

and found out that many neighbourhoods are dangerous.

Can you make some suggestions regarding which neighbourhoods to look into?

Also, if I buy a car, is commuting from Sugarland or Pearland feasible in the long run?

Finally, how worried should I be about the hurricane season?

I don't know if you can rent a place in the Heights for that, but it would be worth trying. Easy commute to UH, nice for families. Either Sugar Land or Pearland would be good choices, too, especially if, as a student, you have a little flexibility in your commute time. Neither place is very far, it just takes a hella long time during rush hour. Those are three good options; I don't think you need more.

As for hurricanes, don't worry. Get supplies and plan to hunker down. Pearland might face mandatory evac but other neighborhoods you are considering would not.

I don't know if you can rent a place in the Heights for that, but it would be worth trying. Easy commute to UH, nice for families. Either Sugar Land or Pearland would be good choices, too, especially if, as a student, you have a little flexibility in your commute time. Neither place is very far, it just takes a hella long time during rush hour. Those are three good options; I don't think you need more.

As for hurricanes, don't worry. Get supplies and plan to hunker down. Pearland might face mandatory evac but other neighborhoods you are considering would not.

Oh, and by the way, welcome to Houston! UH is a great school. I hope you like it here.

[TheNiche]

Hello,

I am moving from Ottawa, Canada to Houston for my Ph.D in Economics at University of Houston.

I am a wife and kid and my top priority is safety. However, living on university funding, I also cannot pay more than 700 bucks for rent. 600 would be more manageable but willing to go up to 700.

I read this:

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...?showtopic=6863

and found out that many neighbourhoods are dangerous.

Can you make some suggestions regarding which neighbourhoods to look into?

Congratulations on starting on your Ph.D. I have an undergraduate degree in economics from UH and have no doubt that you'll get a good education there.

Since you're on a $600-$700 budget and need a place that is relatively kid-friendly, I can say with some confidence that you are going to have to rent an apartment. And would I be correct to presume that you'll be needing a two-bedroom unit?

The offerings at that price and with those qualities are somewhat limited. Some areas you ought to look at would be zip codes 77054, 77089, and 77546.

The closest one to UH is 77054, and I've lived there ever since I moved to Houston to go to UH. There are a fair number of Asian and South Asian families with small children and is a safer area than it is reputed to be...but you don't see many kids of school age because the elementary and middle schools draw from low-income areas. The high school is Lamar, though, and has a very good reputation.

77089 is southeast of town near I-45 and Beltway 8, and is mostly zoned to Pasadena ISD. The district doesn't have a terrific reputation, but the specific schools right there are decent and the neighborhood is safe. And since you (as a student) probably won't be commuting during heavy rush hour traffic, it's somewhat better located than Pearland. You can probably find a reasonably nice two-bedroom apartment in your price range.

77546 is Friendswood, and the schools here are the best on the south or southeast side. It's a little further out of your way, but you can definitely find an affordable two-bedroom apartment in a safe area.

Also, if I buy a car, is commuting from Sugarland or Pearland feasible in the long run?

It's somewhat difficult to live well in Houston and not own a car, especially as a student with a family. You'd best budget for the car, and liability insurance is required by State law.

Finally, how worried should I be about the hurricane season?

As for hurricanes, don't worry. Get supplies and plan to hunker down. Pearland might face mandatory evac but other neighborhoods you are considering would not.

I'd be hesitant to buy a house in Pearland because banks require a windstorm insurance policy for anything in Brazoria County, but if you're just planning on renting an apartment then Pearland is probably a really good option.

And since most of Pearland is recent construction, you shouldn't have any problem sheltering in place during a hurricane. They're far enough inland that there's essentially no threat of storm surge or flooding, so mandatory evacuation orders aren't at all likely. The odds of a major hurricane in any given year are actually pretty small, though.

[Mishal]

Thanks to both of you for a lot of information.

Yes, I am looking to rent an apartment because a house is outside my budget. However, my kid is a new-born and I won't be needing a 2 bedroom for now. Also, it means that I am not concerned about quality of nearby elementary or high schools either.

I have a few more questions:

1. 77054 is the area around the Astrodome, correct? I heard most of the Katrina evacs crammed into there and hence crime is higher. Is this true?

2. Could you elaborate on why the area in 77089 'doesn't have a terrific reputation'? Is it because of crime or flooding or something else?

3. The Houston Police dept. crime stats report A LOT of car thefts. Does this mean car insurance is very expensive? I pay around $1000/yr for my 98 Toyota Corolla here in Canada. But car thefts are unheard of (at least here in Ottawa). What ballpark figure am I looking at in Houston?

Of all the neighbourhoods, Pearland seems the most attractive for me. Is there any other particular information about Pearland that you may want to give to me?

Thanks a lot again.

[sarahiki]

Thanks to both of you for a lot of information.

Yes, I am looking to rent an apartment because a house is outside my budget. However, my kid is a new-born and I won't be needing a 2 bedroom for now. Also, it means that I am not concerned about quality of nearby elementary or high schools either.

I have a few more questions:

1. 77054 is the area around the Astrodome, correct? I heard most of the Katrina evacs crammed into there and hence crime is higher. Is this true?

2. Could you elaborate on why the area in 77089 'doesn't have a terrific reputation'? Is it because of crime or flooding or something else?

3. The Houston Police dept. crime stats report A LOT of car thefts. Does this mean car insurance is very expensive? I pay around $1000/yr for my 98 Toyota Corolla here in Canada. But car thefts are unheard of (at least here in Ottawa). What ballpark figure am I looking at in Houston?

Of all the neighbourhoods, Pearland seems the most attractive for me. Is there any other particular information about Pearland that you may want to give to me?

Thanks a lot again.

I was seriously looking at Pearland for a while; it's got some very nice neighborhoods with nice parks and playgrounds, lots of families. If your wife is going to be home with the baby, I think it would be a good place to be. Plus there are tons of nice supermarkets & shopping centers. The downsides, as I see them, are:

1. Traffic. Just getting around Pearland can be tough, especially on the west side, due to rapid development.

2. Not as many interesting restaurants as within Houston; mostly chain restaurants. Same with shops.

Those aren't big negatives, and the trade-off, in a neighborhood like Silverlake, for example, is a nicely-maintained, lovely place to live with parks & playgrounds, that's relatively safe (I say relatively because there has been a little crime spike lately, though it seems to have been mainly one bad dude who has been arrested).

[TheNiche]

Thanks to both of you for a lot of information.

Yes, I am looking to rent an apartment because a house is outside my budget. However, my kid is a new-born and I won't be needing a 2 bedroom for now. Also, it means that I am not concerned about quality of nearby elementary or high schools either.

I have a few more questions:

1. 77054 is the area around the Astrodome, correct? I heard most of the Katrina evacs crammed into there and hence crime is higher. Is this true?

2. Could you elaborate on why the area in 77089 'doesn't have a terrific reputation'? Is it because of crime or flooding or something else?

3. The Houston Police dept. crime stats report A LOT of car thefts. Does this mean car insurance is very expensive? I pay around $1000/yr for my 98 Toyota Corolla here in Canada. But car thefts are unheard of (at least here in Ottawa). What ballpark figure am I looking at in Houston?

Of all the neighbourhoods, Pearland seems the most attractive for me. Is there any other particular information about Pearland that you may want to give to me?

Thanks a lot again.

Katrina distorted the reputation of many parts of town, some deservedly, others not so much. The area around the Astrodome got a bad reputation because the Astrodome itself housed several thousand of them. They scattered to the winds pretty quickly, though. A lot of them ended up on the southwest side of town. I never met a single one that became a neighbor of mine. And since then, all but a handful have long-since stopped receiving government assistance for housing, so if they were in a market-rate apartment unit, they have to be employed or drawing off of a big horde of savings; in either case, if they're still here, they don't fit the profile of a low-income criminal element.

I lived in a condominium in 77054 for nearly seven years and I myself have never once had a crime problem. There are a lot of medical students and a surprisingly large number of middle-aged or older folks, in contrast with the typically younger resident profile of apartments elsewhere in town. Every now and then you'll hear about a burglary, but considering how many thousands of households are clustered up together, the odds of being victimized really aren't bad at all. If you do hear of any problems, it'll probably be related to vehicular crime, and even then it is mostly targeting the cars of Medical Center workers that park along the streets and take the shuttle the rest of the way to work. The apartments just east of the Astrodome are better than the apartments to the west and you might look on har.com to try and lease a condominium from someone instead of being in a 100% renter community.

Here's an example of a condo for lease in a safe community that would probably be ideal for your household size. And considering the size of the place, it really is a good deal. Definitely call up that Realtor and quiz her; she's the top producer for that area and knows it really well. She can probably give you a really good idea of what is realistic for your budget. For the record, btw, I'm not her and this isn't just spam.

If your kid isn't going to start public school by the time you complete your studies, I would strongly recommend 77054 over Pearland. You might end up paying slightly more in rent than you'd prefer for a two-bedroom unit, but you'll save a lot of time, gasoline, and maintenance.

77089 doesn't have a great reputation because many of the subdivisions there were built over the last several years as starter homes and because Pasadena ISD encompasses some slummy areas further to the north of it (and for some reason, home buyers seem to care more about the performance of a school district more than that of individual schools). I wouldn't buy there because it'll become slummy at some point in the future. But for now, at least, it is still a safe suburban neighborhood with apartments that would be affordable to you.

Pearland can be divided into east or west Pearland. East Pearland has older housing stock and isn't at all convenient to any freeways; if you're considering something in east Pearland, just know that Friendswood is going to be better in just about every respect (including price). Friendswood outperforms Pearland in terms of schools and arguably demographics. I'm not sure about crime, though. Both of these areas are somewhat susceptible to flooding, so either check flood maps or be sure to ask for a second-story unit. West Pearland is mostly new, has better demographics than east Pearland, and isn't at all susceptible to flooding because the newer developments have built-in flood control in the form of water detention ponds. With consideration to these variables, the price of apartments tends to be somewhat high for a suburban setting.

[MaggieMay]

If your wife will be spending time at home while you've got the car, she would be pretty much trapped in Pearland. Houston's mass transit system isn't great, but the Medical Center area is well served. The place TheNiche recommends is near Bus lines and not far from our one & only Light Rail.

So your wife could pop the kid in the stroller & explore. (Please remember to wear sunscreen!) And both of you would probably enjoy greater proximity to what Houston has to offer.

That particular area is not one of the scary ones....

[sevfiv]

Like TheNiche, I'm in 77054 now and it is mainly populated with people tied to the medical center (students, patients). I would definitely start by looking at HAR or Craigslist before apartment complexes, though. I think when I was looking, the range for decent one bedroom apartments was barely right at or above your budget. The crimes also seem to be mainly vehicular. I would also advise to stay east of the Astrodome and west of 288.

For groceries, there's a Kroger at Cambridge St. and Old Spanish Trail, a larger one at Kirby and Main, and a Fiesta at Kirby just south of OST. There's easy access to 610, 288, and of course the red line rail. There is also a park on El Paseo between Knight Rd. and Cambridge St.

[rsb320]

Also, Hermann Park, the zoo and museums are just minutes away.

I also used to live in 77054 on Holly Hall, a long time ago and never experienced any safety issues. The only problem I remember was Oiler's traffic to the Astrodome on some Sundays. Oh wait, they're in Tennesee now.

[sevfiv]

^Ah yes..

And how could I forget the rodeo traffic...aaaaarrrggghhhh! But that's only a couple weeks a year

[Mishal]

Thanks a lot to all of you.

I will come to Houston alone a month early, fix up a place, and then bring my wife and kid later. I will definitely look into the neighbourhoods you suggested.

It might be difficult to get an apartment for my budget in the Heights or near the Med Center. But I will try anyway.

Does any one live in the area of 77055 or 77080? The apartments are cheaper but the neighbourhoods seem safe.

[TheNiche]

Thanks a lot to all of you.

I will come to Houston alone a month early, fix up a place, and then bring my wife and kid later. I will definitely look into the neighbourhoods you suggested.

It might be difficult to get an apartment for my budget in the Heights or near the Med Center. But I will try anyway.

Does any one live in the area of 77055 or 77080? The apartments are cheaper but the neighbourhoods seem safe.

The neighborhoods in those zip codes are fairly mixed. There are some very high end homes spilling over from the posh neighborhoods across I-10, and then there are downright slummy apartments and commercial strips.

I suggest using Google Streetview to get a sense of the area around apartments that you may be considering. You can also use this crime mapping tool. When you select a kind of offense, it will show you on a map every reported crime of that type within the City of Houston. Be sure to click the 'Next' button several times so that you can get a better idea of the historical pattern of crimes. Bear in mind that suburbs like Pearland or Sugar Land are different cities and don't report data. Also bear in mind that neighborhoods with greater population and employment density tend to have more crime, but not necessarily more crime per capita.

[WAZ]

Hello,

I am moving from Ottawa, Canada to Houston for my Ph.D in Economics at University of Houston.

I have a wife and kid and my top priority is safety. However, living on university funding, I also cannot pay more than 700 bucks for rent. 600 would be more manageable but willing to go up to 700.

I read this:

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...?showtopic=6863

and found out that many neighbourhoods are dangerous.

Can you make some suggestions regarding which neighbourhoods to look into?

Also, if I buy a car, is commuting from Sugarland or Pearland feasible in the long run?

Finally, how worried should I be about the hurricane season?

My general advice - find a luxury apartment complex somewhere, and look for cheap apartments next door. From 2003 until 2007, I lived in a tiny apartment complex across the street from the Maroneal in Old Braeswood. I used to chuckle at the people who payed $1200 a month to live there when I was paying $675 a month for a 2 bedroom townhome in the same neighborhood.

If it were me I'd look specifically at apartments along Brays Bayou. Then I could leave the car at home for the wife to use, and commute by bicycle along the Hike & Bike trail. Just beware of construction along Brays Bayou.

On the matter of hurricanes: in Galveston they can be really devastating. But in Houston they're really no worse than a major ice-storm up north.

Anyway, welcome to Houston, and good luck with the PhD!

[Mishal]

My general advice - find a luxury apartment complex somewhere, and look for cheap apartments next door. From 2003 until 2007, I lived in a tiny apartment complex across the street from the Maroneal in Old Braeswood. I used to chuckle at the people who payed $1200 a month to live there when I was paying $675 a month for a 2 bedroom townhome in the same neighborhood.

If it were me I'd look specifically at apartments along Brays Bayou. Then I could leave the car at home for the wife to use, and commute by bicycle along the Hike & Bike trail. Just beware of construction along Brays Bayou.

On the matter of hurricanes: in Galveston they can be really devastating. But in Houston they're really no worse than a major ice-storm up north.

Anyway, welcome to Houston, and good luck with the PhD!

Point taken.

Thanks to TheNiche too.

I am looking forward to coming to Houston. Coming from up north, it's going to be a major shock to my system but I will enjoy that. In particular, I am slow in deciphering the Texan accent.

[Fringe]

Point taken.

Thanks to TheNiche too.

I am looking forward to coming to Houston. Coming from up north, it's going to be a major shock to my system but I will enjoy that. In particular, I am slow in deciphering the Texan accent.

Just remember to say "y'all" all the time and make sure you find a place with plenty of hitching posts to tie up your horse.