Best Suburb

[Trophy Property]

Just curious what you all think and why. Please feel free to specify neighborhoods/communities.

I guess Westchase is not considered a Suburb. YEAH, I still live in the City.

[KDubRedRaider]

I voted the Woodlands based on economics, but if I were moving to Houston with a family I'd choose Sugarland or Kingwood.

Kingwood rocks. Lots of new development coming up.

I voted Kingwood, for the relative dearth of traffic on Eastex.

Amen to that, Kingwood rocks!

[grram1]

My family has visited the Clear Lake area 3 summers in a row and we love it there . We are considering a move to the League City area. What are your thoughts on this area? We have been following the growth of Clear Lake for awhile and there seems to be many developments. It is a beautiful waterfront community and family friendly neighborhoods which we love. We are only concern about the weather and property tax. (Around 4% where we are looking at).

[Gary]

My family has visited the Clear Lake area 3 summers in a row and we love it there . We are considering a move to the League City area. What are your thoughts on this area? We have been following the growth of Clear Lake for awhile and there seems to be many developments. It is a beautiful waterfront community and family friendly neighborhoods which we love. We are only concern about the weather and property tax. (Around 4% where we are looking at).

Clear Lake is great. I'm in the area almost weekly and have grown to really like this area. There's a very cool, almost small town feel from Clear Lake, to League City, to Webster, to Kemah. I also love the clubs in the area with there laid back focus. You don't even need shoes in the Seabrook Beach Club.

[The Great Hizzy!]

I've developed a fondness for the entire SE quadrant, both in the COH and the surrounding communities. There's a real gritty yet well-manicured charm to many of the neighbors such as Eastwood, Pecan Park, Washington Terrace and South Meadows to full-blown opulence such as in Idylwood, Riverside Terrace and University Oaks, as well as the 60s era modern architectural boom communities such as Glenbrook Valley and the Quails further south. But even with that, as you head into Pasadena, Seabrook, Webster, Kemah, El Lago, League City, Friendswood, etc... you feel an energy, a kind of gentle leisureliness that makes Houston feel more like west goast Florida than, say, lower Great Plains. The diversity it adds to the region is nice.

I don't think I'm alone in this view.

For good or for bad, I think the SE quadrant is going to be getting a lot of interest as it continues to develop. At least, this is all my opinion.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

I've developed a fondness for the entire SE quadrant, both in the COH and the surrounding communities. There's a real gritty yet well-manicured charm to many of the neighbors such as Eastwood, Pecan Park, Washington Terrace and South Meadows to full-blown opulence such as in Idylwood, Riverside Terrace and University Oaks, as well as the 60s era modern architectural boom communities such as Glenbrook Valley and the Quails further south. But even with that, as you head into Pasadena, Seabrook, Webster, Kemah, El Lago, League City, Friendswood, etc... you feel an energy, a kind of gentle leisureliness that makes Houston feel more like west goast Florida than, say, lower Great Plains. The diversity it adds to the region is nice.

I don't think I'm alone in this view.

For good or for bad, I think the SE quadrant is going to be getting a lot of interest as it continues to develop. At least, this is all my opinion.

I agree 100%. Of course, I was born and raised on the SE side (Pasadena, Beverly Hills, Sagemont, University of Houston, and now South Union.) Outside of a 4-year stint in Ohio (thanks to the late 80's economy in Houston) and a few post-college years on the southwest and west sides of town (close to work), I've lived my entire life on the SE side (between SH 288 and SH 225...plus UH).

Personally I can't understand why anyone wants or needs to travel north of I-10 in Houston! Much less actually LIVE there. My wife (born and raised in South Union) joins me in this belief. Any time we're north of I-10, it's like we're in a foreign land...I think people even have a different accent north of I-10.

SOUTH SIIIIIIIIIDE!

[2112]

...wasn't Dobie the National Academic Decathlon winner for several years in a row?

Dobie is in Houston. It's just the PISD - which Dobie is a part of - spans not only Pasadena, but also parts of Houston and South Houston.

you're joking about pasadena, right? it's a cesspool of crime and drug dealers. the best thing anyone could do is to move their family from pasadena. kids who leave the pasadena school system are practically SOL if they move to a different school district. add la porte, deer park, channelview and baytown to that mix. high crime, high juvenile deliquency, schools that are the suck, pollution, stinky horrible water, bad roads and more. i know this because i have family there, we used to live there and i've spent the better part of the last 4 years trying to rescue people from there.

pasadena is THE SUCK!

Granted, Pasadena is not River Oaks. But this description above is very tainted. Sure, there is crap there. But there is crap in Houston proper also. And there is crap in Dallas. Crap in Austin exists too, but in Austin, they refer to crap as "quirky" or "weird".

There are many upscale developments in Pasdaena if you look around. And further, a kid coming out of PISD is not coming out with a death sentence either. I know of a particular kid, who transfered out of a PISD school, into a Clear Creek school, and is excelling. I'm sure that kid has plenty of company.

Chances are that if a kid is doing THAT bad in PISD, as you describe, then that kid will probably do not that good in any other school district.

[2112]

I've developed a fondness for the entire SE quadrant, both in the COH and the surrounding communities. There's a real gritty yet well-manicured charm to many of the neighbors such as Eastwood, Pecan Park, Washington Terrace and South Meadows to full-blown opulence such as in Idylwood, Riverside Terrace and University Oaks, as well as the 60s era modern architectural boom communities such as Glenbrook Valley and the Quails further south. But even with that, as you head into Pasadena, Seabrook, Webster, Kemah, El Lago, League City, Friendswood, etc... you feel an energy, a kind of gentle leisureliness that makes Houston feel more like west goast Florida than, say, lower Great Plains. The diversity it adds to the region is nice.

I don't think I'm alone in this view.

For good or for bad, I think the SE quadrant is going to be getting a lot of interest as it continues to develop. At least, this is all my opinion.

Only problem I have with the CL area is the darn traffic. The area is chronically congested. It can take 45 minutes to get from the boardwalk to the northern parts of CL, around CLC BLVD., on a Saturday. And the 5pm traffic is horrible. Metro has the 246 commuter service into downtown. But what would be really nice is 2 or 3 LOCAL service busses. There are just too many people and there is no easy way to get around. And now there are 30 story condos being built on the lake. If this continues, then local traffic will only get worse.

A local bus service could serve the CL campus of UH, and traverse Bay Area Blvd. and NASA Rd. 1, along with JSC. Also, it would be nice to have a second or third line that hits the residential areas towards El Dorado, Pineloch, and CLC BLVD. east/west bound, and Hwy 3., El Camino, and Space Center Blvd., north/south bound. with the price of gas these days, I know I would use it.

[The Great Hizzy!]

In my experience, the worst areas for traffic in Clear Lake is on Bay Area Blvd as well as NASA Road 1, from about Galveston Road to the Gulf Freeway. Traffic on the Gulf Freeway can be pretty bad too from the Nasa Road 1 exit to about, oh, Dixie Farm Road (the backups going Southbound can be legendary).

It's also a hassle sometimes to make a left off of SH 146 onto NASA Road 1 when you're coming from Kemah or one of the coast communities.

They're hoping the flyouver from NASA Road 1 to I-45 will help but I doubt it will have as much of an impact as they would like. A lot of the problem on both NR 1 and Bay Area Blvd lies with the traffic light synchronization. On BAB, in particular, it's awful. It can take 20 minutes to go just four blocks.

[2112]

It's bad everywhere. Space Center Blvd. El Camino especially. Med Center Blvd. CLC Blvd. Sure, after 6:00pm things start getting better. The weird thing, I just moved to the bay area...used to live by hobby. My commute into CL for work used to be about 35 minutes...it was only 14 miles. Since I moved...I only saved about 9 minutes off of my commute time The inbound 45 traffic in the afternoon was nothing compared to the traverse from JSC to the 45 feeder. On Friday afternoons, it has taken me sometimes 1 hour to get out of the area onto I-45. Outside of traffic jam our that same distance takes about 10 minutes. I still think some local mass transit is in order.

[PapillionWyngs]

I love Clear Lake. Lived here since 1991. Great area!

[DaTrain]

Chances are that if a kid is doing THAT bad in PISD, as you describe, then that kid will probably do not that good in any other school district.

Something in the air in Pasadena. ***cough cough cough, flunks out of school in Pasadena***

Fav burbs:

*Woodlands

*Humble

*Missouri City

*Katy

Fav burbs swallowed whole by Houston:

*Sharpstown west of 59

*Southside Houston

*Aldine

*Cypress

[ChampionsAdam]

My street in Champions...of course!

My Webpage

(This is not my webpage.... it is HAR...for whatever reason I cannot link without leaving the My Webpage default)

[Trae]

In my experience, the worst areas for traffic in Clear Lake is on Bay Area Blvd as well as NASA Road 1, from about Galveston Road to the Gulf Freeway. Traffic on the Gulf Freeway can be pretty bad too from the Nasa Road 1 exit to about, oh, Dixie Farm Road (the backups going Southbound can be legendary).

It's also a hassle sometimes to make a left off of SH 146 onto NASA Road 1 when you're coming from Kemah or one of the coast communities.

They're hoping the flyouver from NASA Road 1 to I-45 will help but I doubt it will have as much of an impact as they would like. A lot of the problem on both NR 1 and Bay Area Blvd lies with the traffic light synchronization. On BAB, in particular, it's awful. It can take 20 minutes to go just four blocks.

Aren't the building a freeway out there? I went to the out that back in June, and I saw some columns going up near Webster.

[blkmex]

Is College Station a suburb????? Well anyway my vote goes for woodlands.

[shinoda28107]

Is College Station a suburb?????

Not yet.....give the sprawl a few years (then we will be called the "Houston-Aggieland-Sugarland-Beaumont" Metroarea).

Anyways, my vote goes to the Cy-Fair area. Booming ecomony, hundreds of thousands expected to move there in only a couple of decades (I just did).

Of incorporated places- Any town in coastal Galveston county.

[houstonfella]

Kemah-Clear Lake. I love the water. This area is home to the nation's third largest marina district. The laid back life. The view. The sailboats. The Bay.

[mrfootball]

My official vote goes to Cypress (proper - the 77429).

I also like The Woodlands.

I also like Klein (the 77379).

Very much like West Memorial (77079)

Those are my favorite burbs.

[DaTrain]

Write-in vote for Pasadena!

A truly underappreciated suburb of Houston. It's got everything you could need, from upscale commercial centers to blue-collar industry. Housing runs the gamut from trailer parks to middle- and upper-class single-family neighborhoods to lakefront condos. Landscapes include refinery skylines and the pristine natural surroundings of Armand Bayou. You've got the urban side towards 610, and the undeveloped Galveston Bay side. Pasadena is home to refinery workers and astronauts. Education is not bad...wasn't Dobie the National Academic Decathlon winner for several years in a row?

I have nuthin against Pasadena cuz I don't go thru that area much, but I could hardly ever appreciate a suburb like Stankyassadena. I hardly go thru that area much on 225 to get to East Harris County because the refineries taint the scenic feel in my nose. You'd have to be a fool enough to drive in your car with the windows down in these parts.

[TheNiche]

I have nuthin against Pasadena cuz I don't go thru that area much, but I could hardly ever appreciate a suburb like Stankyassadena. I hardly go thru that area much on 225 to get to East Harris County because the refineries taint the scenic feel in my nose. You'd have to be a fool enough to drive in your car with the windows down in these parts.

Oh, come on. Every trip down 225 is a sightseeing expedition. There's just so much activity. Sure beats a boring old commute down just about any other freeway in town.

[2112]

Write-in vote for Pasadena!

A truly underappreciated suburb of Houston. It's got everything you could need, from upscale commercial centers to blue-collar industry. Housing runs the gamut from trailer parks to middle- and upper-class single-family neighborhoods to lakefront condos. Landscapes include refinery skylines and the pristine natural surroundings of Armand Bayou. You've got the urban side towards 610, and the undeveloped Galveston Bay side. Pasadena is home to refinery workers and astronauts. Education is not bad...wasn't Dobie the National Academic Decathlon winner for several years in a row?

I believe Dobie is in Houston. (but happens to be in the PISD)

[VicMan]

I believe Dobie is in Houston. (but happens to be in the PISD)

You are correct, 2112. It's not only in Houston - it's at the edge of the Houston city limits, outside of Beltway 8.

[2112]

There are some pretty snazy subdivisions going up in Pasadena, I have noticed. Still, I love Houston and I have always commited to having a Houston address.

Regarding the so called "bad areas" to live in, I guess I cannot dislike any area too much, because everyone has thier level of afordability, and if that means you live in the lowest 10th of the income percentile, then that is where your home is. And maybe you continue to work hard and continually move up to a little nicer area. But I know this: it sucks to be lumped in with the bad element and the bad statistics, when you try to do the best and keep your home in top shape. I remember what it felt like to be pigeon holed based solely on where I lived. So I try not to do that myself. So there. There's my rant!

...but maybe we can make an exception, and continue to poke fun of Dallas!

[plumber2]

I didn't vote Galveston because I don't consider it a subburb. That being said, Galveston is a historical treasure that is unmatched in the state of Texas imo.

I went to the neighborhood by the port (between 18th to the seawall) last weekend and I have to say that the architectural detail and the historical value of these places was absolutely fascinating. It's almost like being in Boston.

Galveston is teaming with life right now with surf shops galore, great restaurants, residential highrises, the Truman show like Beachtown Galveston, the fantastic Moody Gardens complex, The Strand, The Seawall, Bishops Palace and very cool nightlife.

So I think if Galveston is considered a legitimate subburb of Houston there no contest. Sugarland or the Wooodlands are an afterthought in comparison. To a degree I like spending time in Galveston more than in Houston. Maybe I'm overblowing it but I really love the Island.

When did Galveston become a suburb of Houston? Galveston/Texas City has it's own SMSA designation. Using this logic we could include Beaumont and Port Arthur, or maybe even Lufkin/Nachodoghes. Let's stick with subdivisions and surrounding bedroom communities.

[Stephen]

Galveston is teaming with life right now with surf shops galore, great restaurants, residential highrises, the Truman show like Beachtown Galveston, the fantastic Moody Gardens complex, The Strand, The Seawall, Bishops Palace and very cool nightlife.

So I think if Galveston is considered a legitimate subburb of Houston there no contest. Sugarland or the Wooodlands are an afterthought in comparison. To a degree I like spending time in Galveston more than in Houston. Maybe I'm overblowing it but I really love the Island.

I love Galveston too, but you never mentioned the downsides. Consider the entire area between Broadway and Harborside west of about 30th street or so, and get a picture of what the rest of Galveston is like.

[texasbound]

Hi - my company might be relocating me to Houston - and I was doing searches for "best suburb" near Houston - and came across this forum.

I'm from the suburbs of Detroit, MI - and I have a wife and a 2 year old son. I'm looking for a great suburban community, with nice amenities, reasonable housing, safe areas, and great schools.

Any tips would be much appreciated. From some internet searching - northern Houston suburbs seem nice. But I have no clue.

Thx

Mike

[TheNiche]

Hi - my company might be relocating me to Houston - and I was doing searches for "best suburb" near Houston - and came across this forum.

There are plenty of places throughout the greater Houston area that would very easily fit your needs. Do you know where you'll be working?

[bachanon]

Hi - my company might be relocating me to Houston - and I was doing searches for "best suburb" near Houston - and came across this forum.

I'm from the suburbs of Detroit, MI - and I have a wife and a 2 year old son. I'm looking for a great suburban community, with nice amenities, reasonable housing, safe areas, and great schools.

Any tips would be much appreciated. From some internet searching - northern Houston suburbs seem nice. But I have no clue.

Thx

Mike

welcome to the forum mike.

[texasbound]

There are plenty of places throughout the greater Houston area that would very easily fit your needs. Do you know where you'll be working?

It's on a street called Yorktown. And if I quote the general geographics of Houston correctly.....that street is near the west side of the inner loop.

I was on the Houston Chronicle website looking at homes and school districts in the North/Montgomery, Northwest, West/Katy, and SW/Fort Bend areas (that's how the Chron has them laid out).

[westguy76]

It's on a street called Yorktown. And if I quote the general geographics of Houston correctly.....that street is near the west side of the inner loop.

I was on the Houston Chronicle website looking at homes and school districts in the North/Montgomery, Northwest, West/Katy, and SW/Fort Bend areas (that's how the Chron has them laid out).

Welcome to the forum and to Houston

Nice spot to work there, If you can avoid the traffic with flexible hours or a reverse commute. It would help us suggest an area if we had a rough idea of your budget. Thanks and good luck