What Is The Worst Neighborhood In Houston?

[Jeebus]

5th ward is tha baddest neighborhood out there here is a list of the worst hoods out there:

1.5th ward..

Your list seems a little biased doesn't it? As of late, I would have to say Westwood is getting alot of coverage on the news: shootings, assaults, arson fires, etc. Welcome to the Wild Wild West(wood), right?

[VicMan]

Your list seems a little biased doesn't it? As of late, I would have to say Westwood is getting alot of coverage on the news: shootings, assaults, arson fires, etc. Welcome to the Wild Wild West(wood), right?

You mean the apartments across Stella Link from the Westwood homes, right?

It looks like the apartments zoned to Westbury (west of Stella Link and south of West Bellfort) and Madison (east of Stella Link) fare worse than the apartments zoned to Bellaire (west of Stella Link and north of West Bellfort)

[4thWardBoy]

i'm pretty familiar with southeast. living and working in the area for years, i am totally comfortbable in this side of town, and will probably make it my long time residence for the foreseeable future. the side of town i fear most is by far southest/bellaire/fondren areas. it seems most of the time i see a shooting or violent crime in the newspaper it is from the southwest side. but one thing is true, there are bad areas on all sides of this great city of ours, all sides. the least dangerous maybe the straight west side, not southwest or northwest, but straight west down memorial, i-10 area all the way to katy. just my 2 cents.

[Jeebus]

You mean the apartments across Stella Link from the Westwood homes, right?

It looks like the apartments zoned to Westbury (west of Stella Link and south of West Bellfort) and Madison (east of Stella Link) fare worse than the apartments zoned to Bellaire (west of Stella Link and north of West Bellfort)

No no no no no.. I meant Westwood, between Beltway 8 & US59, south of Beechnut.

[BayouCityGirl]

I would love to see the article! All of the Press articles are online.

I wish I could find it. In this week's press they were talking about the Mayor on Myspace.com and the Press mentioned how he would love to fix all the Houston neighborhoods excluding Fondren SW...but don't take my exact words on it. I wish i could find it!

[The Great Hizzy!]

The thing with the so-called SW "ghettos" is that they're relatively small in size and are concentrated in apartment complexes lining four or five blocks of some main artery:

Fondren SW - Fondren Road from about Creekbend to Airport Drive

Gulfton - Gulfton/Glenmont Drive from about Chimney Rock to Hilcroft

Westwood - Bissonnet from Gessner to Bltway 8 or Gessner from Beechnut to the SW FRWY

This is important, because the better HPD and the COH can work together to 1) patrol and 2) pressure complex management regarding these properties, the sooner these "hoods" can stablize and show some sort of "return."

The residential areas (that is, the homes and actual subdivisions) surrounding these complexes are actually still in solid shape. In fact, Sharpstown, for all the jokes that have been levied upon it during the 90s and early 21st century, appear to be a prime example of this type of "turnaround" that could take place with better management. Crime in the greater Sharpstown area is down, home values are up and there are a handful of community improvement projects underway. The question might be, how did they go about helping to stablize things and can those tactics work in a Fondren SW, for example?

I hate to label a "worst" neighborhood but a neighborhood that has severe problems, in my view, is Sunnyside: lack of retail, lack of economic investment and a prevailing since of rural detachment, as if its annexation was mere window dressing. I have a serious problem with that, and I think it's high time that COH does a better job of encouraging larger scale economic and retail investment in these former rural enclaves that the city annexed back in the 60s and 70s.

[Jeebus]

The thing with the so-called SW "ghettos" is that they're relatively small in size and are concentrated in apartment complexes lining four or five blocks of some main artery:

Fondren SW - Fondren Road from about Creekbend to Airport Drive

Gulfton - Gulfton/Glenmont Drive from about Chimney Rock to Hilcroft

Westwood - Bissonnet from Gessner to Bltway 8 or Gessner from Beechnut to the SW FRWY

I agree, but you missed a few areas. You have to start around Beechnut when talking about Fondren. You've got Kingsgate Court just north of Bissonnet, and then St. Charles, and St. James just south of Bissonnet before Braeswood.

You also have Gessner to consider: Rockport, Woodscape, Concord, etc. These are all between US59 & Bellfort. Of course this is not counting possibly the worst ghetto of them all: Gustine & Sapling Way, which is also accessable from Gessner, just south of Bissonnet.

Often forgotten, but just as full of crime, are all the apartments off of:

Corporate between Beechnut & Bellaire,

Ranchester between Bellaire & Town Park,

Sandpiper between Dumfries & Creekbend,

Cinnamon between Beechnut & Spice.

These are all high concentrated apartment complexes sitting on top of one another with high crime rates.

The thing with the so-called SW "ghettos" is that they're relatively small in size and are concentrated in apartment complexes lining four or five blocks of some main artery:

I'll try and make a map later today with all these apartment complexes highlighted just to see how much of the SW side they actually take up. The problem is that even though all these people may live behind the walls of a handful of complexes, they still have to shop at the same stores as the neighborhood homeowners. This is evident by all the empty shells of former Randall's, Kroger's, and HEB's that are left standing on the SW side.

[The Great Hizzy!]

That's a good point. It's not like they merely stay inside those complexes. The riff-raff who might live in there (and I'm more than willing to assume it's a low percentage of the overall) have no problems getting outside and causing trouble elsewhere.

[TheNiche]

I hate to label a "worst" neighborhood but a neighborhood that has severe problems, in my view, is Sunnyside: lack of retail, lack of economic investment and a prevailing since of rural detachment, as if its annexation was mere window dressing. I have a serious problem with that, and I think it's high time that COH does a better job of encouraging larger scale economic and retail investment in these former rural enclaves that the city annexed back in the 60s and 70s.

I'm with you all the way on Sunnyside. Its scary out there.

Having said that, I haven't explored much of the Kashmere area.

[sevfiv]

I'm with you all the way on Sunnyside. Its scary out there.

Having said that, I haven't explored much of the Kashmere area.

i wouldn't call sunnyside scary, but maybe more on the depressing side - i end up driving through via bellfort (e/w) or mlk (n/s) most of the time, though

city of houston has an interesting neighborhood summary:

Sunnyside is the oldest African American community in south central Houston. It was originally developed to provide homes outside the city, but close enough for residents to commute. It now includes a number of tract home subdivisions on typical suburban streets, as well as the original frame homes interspersed with small churches of the original neighborhood. It has endured a number of detrimental land uses, including a major land fill which dominates the center of the community, a now-closed garbage incinerator next to the land fill, and a number of salvage yards. Recently, new developments have revived parts of the community, especially along Cullen.

[TheNiche]

i wouldn't call sunnyside scary, but maybe more on the depressing side - i end up driving through via bellfort (e/w) or mlk (n/s) most of the time, though

city of houston has an interesting neighborhood summary:

Sunnyside is the oldest African American community in south central Houston. It was originally developed to provide homes outside the city, but close enough for residents to commute. It now includes a number of tract home subdivisions on typical suburban streets, as well as the original frame homes interspersed with small churches of the original neighborhood. It has endured a number of detrimental land uses, including a major land fill which dominates the center of the community, a now-closed garbage incinerator next to the land fill, and a number of salvage yards. Recently, new developments have revived parts of the community, especially along Cullen.

Driving through is different that driving around in. I've even had to get outside of the car with an $800 camera to take photos. I know it sounds like I'm just being squeamish...but you weren't there.

[sevfiv]

Driving through is different that driving around in. I've even had to get outside of the car with an $800 camera to take photos. I know it sounds like I'm just being squeamish...but you weren't there.

ohhh i drive through to get home, or to get away from home, but i have stopped plenty of times (less and less now, though). plenty of people on the streets, but none menacing to me (or my humble camera).

that strip center along bellfort near cullen was recently demolished - took pictures, but not that interesting. my two favorite stops along bellfort - the burger chef sign at heffernan, and hemingway st. - (i think hemingway would turn in his grave if he saw his namesake there, although the sign itself would make a neat keepsake )

[TheNiche]

ohhh i drive through to get home, or to get away from home, but i have stopped plenty of times (less and less now, though). plenty of people on the streets, but none menacing to me (or my humble camera).

that strip center along bellfort near cullen was recently demolished - took pictures, but not that interesting. my two favorite stops along bellfort - the burger chef sign at heffernan, and hemingway st. - (i think hemingway would turn in his grave if he saw his namesake there, although the sign itself would make a neat keepsake )

By the word "in", I meant off of the commercial thoroughfares. i.e on the residential side-streets. You know, where there isn't an abundance of visibility. Not-so-open spaces.

[sevfiv]

By the word "in", I meant off of the commercial thoroughfares. i.e on the residential side-streets. You know, where there isn't an abundance of visibility. Not-so-open spaces.

um, okay, i was just relating my experiences, but thanks for clarifying

[musicman]

ohhh i drive through to get home, or to get away from home, but i have stopped plenty of times (less and less now, though). plenty of people on the streets, but none menacing to me (or my humble camera).

that strip center along bellfort near cullen was recently demolished - took pictures, but not that interesting. my two favorite stops along bellfort - the burger chef sign at heffernan, and hemingway st. - (i think hemingway would turn in his grave if he saw his namesake there, although the sign itself would make a neat keepsake )

Isn't that on the other side of Mykawa from Cullen and Bellfort? thought you were describing sunnyside.

[The Great Hizzy!]

The "worst" of Sunnyside is off of Scott Street in either direction from the Loop to about Bellfort. Unfortunately, there are gangs that have a pretty strong hold on some abandoned homes/buildings, and you can see the flow of drugs and what have you in those areas. Further, there is a real sense of ambivalence among those legit businesses in the area; a notion that, what the hell, no one gives a real damn so why should I, and they almost foster this same element in one way or the other.

Then there's the issue of what I would call an almost token effort on the behalf of the city to provide municipal infrastructure: many of the streets are too narrow, the ditches, even if they aren't replaced by modern drainage systems, need to at least be dug deeper, streetlights are far beyond their lifespans and a lot of the street signs are falling down or so worn that you can always read the street names on them.

It seems to be the most blatant example of communal and beaureaucratic neglect to be found in the city. Even in Settegast you find streets that are in good shape and sidewalks that are meant to actually serve the residents. Not so in Sunnyside. I can't think of a single street or sidewalk that looks as if it has been cared for in the last 20 years. That's unacceptable, but yet it seems that most residents have settled into accepting this.

[sevfiv]

Isn't that on the other side of Mykawa from Cullen and Bellfort? thought you were describing sunnyside.

i was describing my drives along bellfort, hence the "my two favorite stops along bellfort" part. i don't have any favorite stops in sunnyside - yet.

i wonder if redevelopment is planned for the demolished strip center, though...

[Jeebus]

It seems to be the most blatant example of communal and beaureaucratic neglect to be found in the city. Even in Settegast you find streets that are in good shape and sidewalks that are meant to actually serve the residents. Not so in Sunnyside. I can't think of a single street or sidewalk that looks as if it has been cared for in the last 20 years. That's unacceptable, but yet it seems that most residents have settled into accepting this.

I wouldn't blame the city, but rather its elected representatives, for said neighborhoods in need of infrastructure repair.

[VicMan]

It looks like the city is finally paving the Sims Bayou, so I guess that's a start.

[The Great Hizzy!]

Well, the Sims project is part of a massive project addressing all the major bayous in the city. It's actually very impressive and encouraging. I wish I could remember the web address. Hopefully, someone else will step up with it.

[sevfiv]

Well, the Sims project is part of a massive project addressing all the major bayous in the city. It's actually very impressive and encouraging. I wish I could remember the web address. Hopefully, someone else will step up with it.

the sims bayou federal flood damage reduction project

http://www.hcfcd.org/P_simsbayou.html

[VicMan]

I wonder if this project along with better maintenance of streets would cause people to flock back to Sunnyside. Sunnyside, South Acres, the Houston ISD portion of Pearland, and the unincorporated portions of Harris County in the area could get more people coming in if the area is marketed properly.

In fact, I know that there is a master planned community (with inexpensive home prices) - Panay Park - in the area. I know a girl from school who lives there. Developers could fill the gap between Houston and Pearland if the Sims Bayou is contained.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

I wonder if this project along with better maintenance of streets would cause people to flock back to Sunnyside. Sunnyside, South Acres, the Houston ISD portion of Pearland, and the unincorporated portions of Harris County in the area could get more people coming in if the area is marketed properly.

In fact, I know that there is a master planned community (with inexpensive home prices) - Panay Park - in the area. I know a girl from school who lives there. Developers could fill the gap between Houston and Pearland if the Sims Bayou is contained.

Developers are filling in those gaps down 288 between 610 and BW8, as we speak. The City of Houston is encouraging this development through developer reimbursement programs for constructing affordable housing.

Of course, affordable housing is in the eye of the beholder...In this program, affordable housing is defined as housing priced below the median home price in Houston. Right now that limit is somewhere around $145,000. So, developers are being reimbursed for building "affordable" homes priced at $144,000. That's a pretty high price to me, for what's supposed to be "affordable" housing.

One example of a developer-reimbursed neighborhood is the new Skyview Forest subdivision being built by KB Homes. It's on Almeda-Genoa, just east of 288. I like the homes being built there...at least from the outside, they look nice.

As far as Sims Bayou is concerned...the new TSARP floodplain maps don't reflect the improvements yet, but I understand that the channel improvements that have been completed all the way up to 288 will lower the floodplain by TEN FEET in the area. In the next year or two, I would expect that the floodplain maps will be revised to account for the channel improvements, which will open up even more land in the 288 and Southside areas to development.

I can't speak for Sunnyside, as I don't travel there very often, but I live just north of Sunnyside in South Union. We're experiencing a "boom" in new home building right now. A lot of things have helped spur this development...about 5 years ago, the City installed new 6" waterlines and fire hydrants through the entire neighborhood (theoretically to replace the original 2" water mains in the backlot easement - although not many people are connected to the 6" line yet, since the City doesn't pay for that). About 3 years ago, the original sewer lines were replaced down the backlot easement. And our streets were resurfaced in the last year or two. I think those things have done a lot to spur new development in the neighborhood. In addition, a lot of the original owners from the 1940's are dying off, leaving properties available (either through sales by their children or by tax-delinquency foreclosures).

One of the results of all this development is increased home values. According to HCAD, the market values of the entire subdivision increased by 50% this past year.

[VicMan]

Do you think this will mean that Worthing High, Sterling High, and the feeder schools will suddenly get more children? Worthing High had a huge enrollment drop (by 30%) in a five-year period.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

Do you think this will mean that Worthing High, Sterling High, and the feeder schools will suddenly get more children? Worthing High had a huge enrollment drop (by 30%) in a five-year period.

I don't know how "immediate" the enrollment increase will be, but there will be an increase at some point, I'm sure.

The new neighborhoods I've seen going up between the South Loop and South Belt are filled with young families with young children. I'd say the area elementary schools will see an immediate enrollment increase.

BTW, VicMan...since you seem to be an expert on local schools, what do you know about the Montessori Magnet program at Whidby Elementary in South Union? My wife and I are considering it as an alternative to private school, since it's only a few blocks from the house. Junior high (Cullen MS) and high schools (Yates) are more questionable...but we'll see what happens to those schools in the next 15 years.

[VicMan]

I don't know how "immediate" the enrollment increase will be, but there will be an increase at some point, I'm sure.

The new neighborhoods I've seen going up between the South Loop and South Belt are filled with young families with young children. I'd say the area elementary schools will see an immediate enrollment increase.

BTW, VicMan...since you seem to be an expert on local schools, what do you know about the Montessori Magnet program at Whidby Elementary in South Union? My wife and I are considering it as an alternative to private school, since it's only a few blocks from the house. Junior high (Cullen MS) and high schools (Yates) are more questionable...but we'll see what happens to those schools in the next 15 years.

I don't know a whole lot about Whidby's program - I know where to find its website and profile:

* Website: http://es.houstonisd.org/whidbyes/

* Profile: http://dept.houstonisd.org/profiles/whidby_es.pdf

If you like what you see, make a visit and approve of the school environment, I would still apply to a bunch of other elementary schools (such as Poe, River Oaks, Roberts, Twain, T.H. Rogers, Horn, Briargrove, Kolter, Parker, Red , Lovett, Condit, West University) as backup choices.

If this stays constant: as for middle school, try to get your kids into Pershing, Pin Oak, Lanier, and/or T.H. Rogers. For high school Bellaire, Lamar, HSPVA, DeBakey, Challenge Early College, and Carnegie are good nearby options to consider. HISD also just opened the International Studies magnet at HCC Central. In addition, here may be some other good schools I haven't mentioned in this post.

[texastrill]

Can any one here name any of the housing projects(if they have names) in Houston?Someone told me which one is the worst in Houston,but cant remember the name or what they called it.

[VicMan]

Can any one here name any of the housing projects(if they have names) in Houston?Someone told me which one is the worst in Houston,but cant remember the name or what they called it.

Here's a list of Houston public housing complexes and programs (not including "mixed-income" developments):

* Clayton Homes

* Cuney Homes

* Ewing Apartments

* Forest Green Townhomes

* Historic Rental Initiative

* Irvington Place

* Kelly Village

* Lincoln Park

* Long Drive Townhomes

* Oxford Place

* Wilmington House

[The Great Hizzy!]

I wonder if this project along with better maintenance of streets would cause people to flock back to Sunnyside. Sunnyside, South Acres, the Houston ISD portion of Pearland, and the unincorporated portions of Harris County in the area could get more people coming in if the area is marketed properly.

In fact, I know that there is a master planned community (with inexpensive home prices) - Panay Park - in the area. I know a girl from school who lives there. Developers could fill the gap between Houston and Pearland if the Sims Bayou is contained.

South Acres and South Park have their issues but they seem to have a chance. For one, the businesses along Martin Luther King have done a better job of keeping up their appearances (I can't say the same for some of the empty lots nearer to them but they're at least managing the appearances of their individual properties a lot better. The medians are also less trashy than they were two years ago and it seems the influx of central American immigrants or former immigrants to the community has helped to slow the vacancy (and abandonment rate) of many of the homes there. All this said, SA and SP still have issues with crime and a lack of diverse retail but the future looks far less bleaker than it did 3-5 years ago. Furthermore, there is a significant number of middle to even upper middle class African Americans from California who are finding homes (both slightly older and newer) in subdivisions south of Bellfort, and their influences can be felt. So we'll see how it goes longterm, but the future of that entire region between Mykawa and SH 288 is likely to be dependent on the progress and evolution of the African American and Latino community that dominates the area.

[PureAuteur]

Can anyone tell me where the Gulfton area is? Like what are the street boundaries?