mfowler Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Hello,My wife and I are going to be moving to the area in a couple of months. She is going to be working in Northern Houston and we were told to check into the Woodlands, Spring, or Kingwood up there by the HR rep for the company. What are your thoughts on these areas and or any other northern areas that may be better?Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goastros Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 What are your interests besides working? What major freeway will she be working near?Out of those three I would choose the Woodlands. Spring has gone down some as well as the schools. I'm not a fan of Kingwood, again because of some of the schools and the far east side inching closer and closer. But, it depends on what your interests are and how far away you want to be from the things you enjoy doing. Plus it matters what your budget is, whether you have children in school, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfowler Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 What are your interests besides working? What major freeway will she be working near?Out of those three I would choose the Woodlands. Spring has gone down some as well as the schools. I'm not a fan of Kingwood, again because of some of the schools and the far east side inching closer and closer. But, it depends on what your interests are and how far away you want to be from the things you enjoy doing. Plus it matters what your budget is, whether you have children in school, etc.Hi there, we don't have any children. Just a dog which we would like to take on walks on trails if possible. Our budget is about $230k max, we are ok with less however because we are planning on moving out of the area again in about 5 years. So resale value would be good to have.We like to do sports mostly, golf, volleyball, softball. We are interesting in being able to explore the area. We love the water and know that this is far from the ocean compared to other places but since her work is at the very northern part we would like her commute to be short.She will be working near the George Bush International Airport but I am not sure what highways that is near. I-45 I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmic08 Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Hi there, we don't have any children. Just a dog which we would like to take on walks on trails if possible. Our budget is about $230k max, we are ok with less however because we are planning on moving out of the area again in about 5 years. So resale value would be good to have.We like to do sports mostly, golf, volleyball, softball. We are interesting in being able to explore the area. We love the water and know that this is far from the ocean compared to other places but since her work is at the very northern part we would like her commute to be short.She will be working near the George Bush International Airport but I am not sure what highways that is near. I-45 I think.Woodlands is your best bet for trails and water. The commute just depends on how far in The Woodlands you go. Some of those deeper neighborhoods take like 15 - 20 min just to go through the lights and get to I-45. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfowler Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 Woodlands is your best bet for trails and water. The commute just depends on how far in The Woodlands you go. Some of those deeper neighborhoods take like 15 - 20 min just to go through the lights and get to I-45.Is the woodlands a nice area though? I am seeing things about malls going bankrupt there or something? Is it still an up and coming neighborhood or is it going downhill? Mostly making sure it is a safe environment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMME Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Is the woodlands a nice area though? I am seeing things about malls going bankrupt there or something? Is it still an up and coming neighborhood or is it going downhill? Mostly making sure it is a safe environment.I think the Woodlands is pretty well set to stay, probably even more than most. There are things going bankrupt all over and even less so in Houston. The Woodlands was built with a slant towards saving all the trees. So malls and gas stations and any other retail is pretty much hidden behind trees from the road which keeps the area looking very pretty. It is very clean and well maintained. I am an inside the loop girl and would never ever move in the burbs, but if I were to consider one, it would be the Woodlands. Bush Intercontinental Airport is off of I-45 north or 59 north. Spring and Kingwood are off of 59. The Woodlands is off of 45. Good luck to you! Where are you coming from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sowanome Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I can see this thread exploding/getting very busy shortly...here's my 2cents : http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/index.php?showtopic=15598Also, what's your age group? 20's, 30's, etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Spring and Kingwood are off of 59.spring is off of 45. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMME Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 spring is off of 45.yep, you're right. I don't get outside the loop that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfowler Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 spring is off of 45.Hi all thanks for your comments.So I am 30 and my wife is 29 so we are younger people moving there I am assuming. I didn't see another thread on this but I will check the one you linked. Thanks for that. We are coming from update NY and do not know the Houston area very much at all but so far have really liked the pictures we have seen of various parts of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Hi all thanks for your comments.So I am 30 and my wife is 29 so we are younger people moving there I am assuming. I didn't see another thread on this but I will check the one you linked. Thanks for that. We are coming from update NY and do not know the Houston area very much at all but so far have really liked the pictures we have seen of various parts of it.What about you; where will your work be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfowler Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 What about you; where will your work be?Oh my job isn't an issue, I am going to telecommute to my current job in NY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMME Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Houston is a very spread out city with lots of different neighborhood personalities. I suggest to anybody coming here that is not familiar with the area to take at least 3-6 months to decide where to live. Lease for awhile until you know where you want to be. Particularly if you are coming from the east coast. Our suburbs tend to be very self contained, one dimensional while the innercity neighborhoods hold a lot of diversity in people and architecture. It is a matter of personal taste which you would be more comfortable in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Hi there, we don't have any children. Just a dog which we would like to take on walks on trails if possible. Our budget is about $230k max, we are ok with less however because we are planning on moving out of the area again in about 5 years. So resale value would be good to have.We like to do sports mostly, golf, volleyball, softball. We are interesting in being able to explore the area. We love the water and know that this is far from the ocean compared to other places but since her work is at the very northern part we would like her commute to be short.She will be working near the George Bush International Airport but I am not sure what highways that is near. I-45 I think.Lease an apartment near where your wife works on a month-to-month basis. Don't unpack, just use the time to learn the area and make an informed decision.I think that you'd be a good fit in either The Woodlands or in Kingwood. These are both master planned communities with a lot of community activities. Both have some water amenities, but whereas Kingwood backs up to Lake Houston, a large body of water suitable for most recreational activities, The Woodlands only has some small sculpted lakes meant to compliment their commercial district.Both communities have malls nearby, both of which are owned by General Growth Properties. The owner is in bankruptcy, however that has no impact on the operations of the malls. General Growth actually owns a sizable share in the Woodlands Development Company, but they also are still operating. It wasn't Chapter 7, where they close up shop spontaneously. And General Growth is such a large company that its failure doesn't reflect on the financial performance of individual assets.Both communities have sections that are far enough off of the freeway that it could make commuting difficult, however these also have the newest housing.Personally, I'd recommend going with Kingwood if you're committed to a master-planned community. It's off of US Highway 59, a recently-rebuilt freeway that is hard to congest, and is closer to a recreational body of water. However, you might also check out smaller communities like Summerwood and Fall Creek off of the northeast part of Beltway 8. Summerwood is nice because it is close to Lake Houston (but also closer to your wife's job) and is a short and scenic drive away from Dwight Eisenhower Park, one of Houston's hidden gems. The school districts in this area haven't historically been very well regarded, but they have been improving recently. And since you don't have kids, the only reason that matters to you is that your investment would be protected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 To put another spin on it, commuting from in-town to IAH is going against traffic, so that commute would be smooth. I'll bet the Hardy Tollway, northbound has hardy any traffic in the morning. I totally agree with leasing something first and finding where you fit best. If you've got movers, they could alway hold on the big items until you find a perm place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMME Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 To put another spin on it, commuting from in-town to IAH is going against traffic, so that commute would be smooth. I'll bet the Hardy Tollway, northbound has hardy any traffic in the morning.I totally agree with leasing something first and finding where you fit best. If you've got movers, they could alway hold on the big items until you find a perm place. Another point, I am not asking your leanings, just offering my perspective. If you lean towards the conservative you will love the suburbs of Houston. If you lean moderate or even more so towards being liberal, you will really like living inside the loop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieMay Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 To put another spin on it, commuting from in-town to IAH is going against traffic, so that commute would be smooth. I'll bet the Hardy Tollway, northbound has hardy any traffic in the morning.I totally agree with leasing something first and finding where you fit best. If you've got movers, they could alway hold on the big items until you find a perm place. Joining the chorus to say: "Don't buy too soon." Lease for a while & see what we have to offer. Given your youth & lack of kiddies, our nicer "Inside the Loop" neighborhoods might be in the running. For example, the Heights area is just north of downtown & not a bad commute against traffic. Check out other sections of this site for more information. Although I get nosebleed Outside the Loop, some of those wooded suburbs Up North are pretty & in the process of becoming civilized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goastros Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Definitely post questions about specific subdivisions in the Woodlands on their forum here at HAIF. You should find some people that actually live there and have a wealth of information.I live inside the loop because my job is downtown and my husband's job is nearby as well. If we worked North of Houston we would look in the Woodlands or even further out. Unless you're into hanging out at hip local bars and coffee shops and Austin wanna be restaurants the inner loop is not worth the premium price. You can get much more for your money in the Woodlands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheeats Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Definitely post questions about specific subdivisions in the Woodlands on their forum here at HAIF. You should find some people that actually live there and have a wealth of information.I live inside the loop because my job is downtown and my husband's job is nearby as well. If we worked North of Houston we would look in the Woodlands or even further out. Unless you're into hanging out at hip local bars and coffee shops and Austin wanna be restaurants the inner loop is not worth the premium price. You can get much more for your money in the Woodlands. Wow. Seriously? Hip bars and Austin wanna-be restaurants are the only things inside the Loop? And I thought Inner Loopers were snotty! What about all the interesting, non-chain restaurants - big, little, cheap, expensive, ethnic, vegeterian, etc - or the sports teams or the many museums or the theatres or the shopping or the parks or the farmers' markets or the parades or the wide range of activities only available in the city? Things like the Arboretum, the Art Car Parade, the Orange Show, Menu of Menus, iFest, Via Colori, the Azalea Trail, home tours, architecture tours and so on? Yeah. Those things are all worthless. The suburbs offer all of that AND MORE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Wow. Seriously? Hip bars and Austin wanna-be restaurants are the only things inside the Loop? And I thought Inner Loopers were snotty! What about all the interesting, non-chain restaurants - big, little, cheap, expensive, ethnic, vegeterian, etc - or the sports teams or the many museums or the theatres or the shopping or the parks or the farmers' markets or the parades or the wide range of activities only available in the city? Things like the Arboretum, the Art Car Parade, the Orange Show, Menu of Menus, iFest, Via Colori, the Azalea Trail, home tours, architecture tours and so on? Yeah. Those things are all worthless. The suburbs offer all of that AND MORE. In keeping with that poster's screen name, I would describe her post just as I describe the Astros..."a swing and a miss!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goastros Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 There are plenty of unique restaurants in the burbs. All the other activities (parades, the Arboretum, the Art Car Parade, the Orange Show, Menu of Menus, iFest, Via Colori, the Azalea Trail, home tours, architecture tours) are not necessarily things that you would do everyday--besides, the Woodlands has The Cynthia Woods Pavillon for concerts where even the Symphony plays and the Mercer Arboretum--they are not totally lacking in cultural events. The Woodlands is not in another state--it is within driving distance so they could attend any event they wanted in the city. Since work is an everyday thing, I deem it more important to my quality of live to live as near as possible so I can get home as quickly as possible to be with my family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Since work is an everyday thing, I deem it more important to my quality of live to live as near as possible so I can get home as quickly as possible to be with my family.In that case, it is probably worth noting that The Woodlands is farther from IAH than the Houston Heights. Not only that, but since Woodlands residents would be driving WITH rush hour traffic, and Heights residents would be driving against it, the commute from The Woodlands takes longer as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 My personal advice: don't let the political opinions of your neighbors or prospective neighbors influence your lifestyle preferences. Live where you think is a nice place. There will be all kinds of people--friendly, mean, snobby, humble, extroverted, or introverted--no matter where you live, without exception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 In that case, it is probably worth noting that The Woodlands is farther from IAH than the Houston Heights. Not only that, but since Woodlands residents would be driving WITH rush hour traffic, and Heights residents would be driving against it, the commute from The Woodlands takes longer as well.For $225k, compare this, in the Houston Heights (notice the Realtor didn't even bother with photos of the interior, always a red flag): http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=YTo this, in The Woodlands: http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=YOr this, in Kingwood: http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=YOr this one, right near a very nice park on Lake Houston: http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=YOr this, which is only a couple miles from the boundary of the airport: http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=YGiven their budget and the location of work, the Heights may not be the ideal location. Neither is The Woodlands necessarily ideal. As you point out, it is pretty distant. ...but it's not like there aren't very suitable alternatives to either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 For $225k, compare this, in the Houston Heights (notice the Realtor didn't even bother with photos of the interior, always a red flag): http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=YTo this, in The Woodlands: http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=YOr this, in Kingwood: http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=YOr this one, right near a very nice park on Lake Houston: http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=YOr this, which is only a couple miles from the boundary of the airport: http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=YGiven their budget and the location of work, the Heights may not be the ideal location. Neither is The Woodlands necessarily ideal. As you point out, it is pretty distant. ...but it's not like there aren't very suitable alternatives to either.Note that I am not commenting on home size, merely pointing out the flaw in goastros' post. I fully realize that to some, square footage is king. To others, it may be the commute. To others still, local amenities are important...and which amenities are important will vary among different people. And, yes, the political leanings or comparative biases of one's neighbors might be important. Even I have been forced into this comparison, since I now work in Montgomery County instead of Houston. Frankly, the increase in my property values inside the loop over the last 10 years compared to what I would have achieved buying in the Woodlands, makes it hard for me to consider moving up there, even for the shorter commute. It is simply too profitable staying where I am. But, that's my comparison, not goastros, and not the original poster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMME Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I am in full agreement with RedScare. For me, I don't want a lot of square footage, but I may like to have more acreage. For me, conservative/liberal leanings makes a difference. I don't want to live near where the majority of my neighbors that I am interacting with regularly (or hope to) are not rabidely conservative (in my case). And if I was a conservative, I would think I wouldn't want my home, my sanctuary to be filled with rabid liberals. I love the moderates for neighbors. Those are people who might have strong or mild political beliefs, but respect the manner of not discussing politics or religion in mixed (politically/spiritually) company and instead seek to find the similarities in people rather than differences. In the loop, you are going to find more liberals, some moderates and a few conservatives. In the suburbs you can reverse that order. That's all. I am not saying all are not lovable. Just more lovable to some than others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Even I have been forced into this comparison, since I now work in Montgomery County instead of Houston. Frankly, the increase in my property values inside the loop over the last 10 years compared to what I would have achieved buying in the Woodlands, makes it hard for me to consider moving up there, even for the shorter commute. It is simply too profitable staying where I am. But, that's my comparison, not goastros, and not the original poster.If it's so profitable as to justify the time and expense of your Houston-Conroe commute, then surely you can rent out your home instead of selling it, continue to realize gains from appreciation, and also buy something up there that is closer to your job. It's not like there are a shortage of options available to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I love the moderates for neighbors. Those are people who might have strong or mild political beliefs, but respect the manner of not discussing politics or religion in mixed (politically/spiritually) company and instead seek to find the similarities in people rather than differences.It's been my experience that those behaviors are not the sole domain of moderates. You'll find them wherever you happen to live, and they come in all flavors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I agree with those on here who say rent first and get to know the city before buying. I know so many people who moved here and thought they found a good deal on their house only to find out that they don't like their neighborhood later. Houston has a lot of diversity and I think the city has something to offer for everyone, just make sure you know what you're getting into before you move way out north (can you tell I live in the inner loop?).My PhD supervisor moved here from San Diego and he found a house in Meyerland and I'm sure it's nice but he used to always tell me he thought Houston was boring and ugly compared to where he used to live. And then the other day he said "I just realized Houston is not so bad, but I have to drive to the inner loop before I really enjoy my surroundings". I think he just realized he would have been happier living in a smaller house in Montrose than a bigger house outside the loop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 If it's so profitable as to justify the time and expense of your Houston-Conroe commute, then surely you can rent out your home instead of selling it, continue to realize gains from appreciation, and also buy something up there that is closer to your job. It's not like there are a shortage of options available to you.Except that I like living here, and do not choose to make myself miserable while realizing gains from appreciation. I'll just continue to bag those capital gains until such time as I choose to move. I left out the fact that I do not want to live in the Woodlands, because it is not germane to this topic.I hope you get a job soon, as your posts have left the realm of debate and enter the annoying. Idle hands are a troll's workshop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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