Nottingham Country

[Import]

I am interested in finding out about Nottingham Country.

What is the history of this subdivision? Who were the builders? General quality of the houses?

Are there "good" areas and "not so good" areas?

Is there any sense of community and if so what is it like?

What is the culture of the area - mostly older people/teenagers/young families/a mixture?

I know it is a large subdivision so probably quite varied - so tell me all you can!

For info, we have a young family and are attracted by the established feel of the neighborhood and proximity to amenities. We are not looking to buy until well into next year but our budget will be probably up to around 280K.

Thanks for any info!

[Pumapayam]

We are not looking to buy until well into next year but our budget will be probably up to around 280K.

Thanks for any info!

Good luck, most homes in that neighborhood are above 300K.

It is a great place, awesome school district.

I lived right dow the street across from Meadow wood off of a farm road type street called Rancho Bauer, that is a great place too.

Nottingham is just canopied with trees. Almost like living in a rainforest.

You will love it, very beautiful!

[aberdeen12]

Good luck, most homes in that neighborhood are above 300K.

It is a great place, awesome school district.

I lived right dow the street across from Meadow wood off of a farm road type street called Rancho Bauer, that is a great place too.

Nottingham is just canopied with trees. Almost like living in a rainforest.

You will love it, very beautiful!

I believe that is Nottingham Forest (Memorial area) you are talking about, the poster is referring to Nottingham Country (Katy ISD).

[Pumapayam]

I believe that is Nottingham Forest (Memorial area) you are talking about, the poster is referring to Nottingham Country (Katy ISD).

Doh'!

Well, that is lame they stole the name, I bet the one in Katy has no trees, that is what I hate about new neighborhoods.

That also explains why she said 280K, she will have no problem finding a home in that range!

[ScottP]

Doh'!

Well, that is lame they stole the name, I bet the one in Katy has no trees, that is what I hate about new neighborhoods.

That also explains why she said 280K, she will have no problem finding a home in that range!

Nottingham Country has been around at least since I moved to Katy in 1981. Most of the houses are well maintained and are in the $180-250k price range. The older section has tons of trees, and alleys instead of front driveways, which I think looks a little nicer.

Most of the residents are in their middle ages and up, and like to keep things as quiet as possible. It's a very nice neighborhood, if you don't mind your kids going to Taylor High (I went to Katy)

[Import]

Doh'!

Well, that is lame they stole the name, I bet the one in Katy has no trees, that is what I hate about new neighborhoods.

That also explains why she said 280K, she will have no problem finding a home in that range!

Actually I know Nottingham Forest - some parts of Nottingham Country have a very similar feel, at least from driving around there. The houses look a similar age and size and there are plenty of trees.

Not everything in Katy ISD is new and I doubt they "stole" the name, I was actually wondering if it was the same group that initially did both subdivisions.

I like Nottingham Forest but for the sake of an extra 10 minutes on the I-10, I would prefer to save that extra 200K for other things...

[Pumapayam]

If you don't mind your kids going to Taylor High (I went to Katy)

What is wrong with Taylor?

[Trae]

Drugs man! That is where a lot of people from my school go and get them.

[Pumapayam]

Drugs man! That is where a lot of people from my school go and get them.

Blame that on Katrina Evacueees!

They are in Katy too!

[KatyGuy]

I am interested in finding out about Nottingham Country.

What is the history of this subdivision? Who were the builders? General quality of the houses?

Are there "good" areas and "not so good" areas?

Is there any sense of community and if so what is it like?

What is the culture of the area - mostly older people/teenagers/young families/a mixture?

I know it is a large subdivision so probably quite varied - so tell me all you can!

For info, we have a young family and are attracted by the established feel of the neighborhood and proximity to amenities. We are not looking to buy until well into next year but our budget will be probably up to around 280K.

Thanks for any info!

Here is a link to 3 year old article in the Houston Chronicle about Nottingham Country that you might find interesting. Check it out for good information.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/busine...ds/1920443.html

I lived in Nottingham Country for 13 years and we loved it. We enjoyed the area around Dominion/Hoveden. It was family oriented for the most part. Young families and families with teens for the most part. Also a few families that have lived there from day 1. The occasional "oddball" neighbor but what neighborhood doesn't have that. The homes are built in the late 70's and the reason we moved was that we made the decision to move instead of updating what we had. We moved to a new home but we still drive by and miss our home of 13 years.

[TJones]

Blame that on Katrina Evacueees!

They are in Katy too!

Puma, please be quiet and let us grown folks talk here. You are out of your element, as you have no idea what you are talking about concerning Nottingham Country.

Import, your budget is a little over target for Nottingham Country, you will have one the biggest and nicest homes if you spend all your budget. Most lots are very small for the home size, but that was the idea for these homes so that the residents wouldn't have much yard work. Nottingham is one of the more cozy feeling neighborhoods in Katy, no cookie cutter tract homes, IMO much better than Cinco Ranch. Nottingham is very mature and the trees prove it, these aren't trash trees either, we are talking big oaks and elms and pecans in everyone's yards. For the most part, everyone keeps their properties looking very nice, yards are mowed, no cars up on blocks in the front yard. A mostly "white" neighborhood, with a probable family income of about $120k to $250k a year. Taxes aren't cheap, still have a MUD district to pay for. Most houses in the first phase of Nottingham, south of Kingsland, are 2 story, whereas you'll find a nice mix of 1 and 2 stories on the north side of Kingsland. I recommend the south side, as the property values seem to hold a bit better, and there tends to be a better selection of homes, and that your neighbor doesn't have the same floorplan 3 houses down. The "alleyways" are only on the southside also, so you won't see any garages on the elevation of the property. Not much crime to speak of police patrol pretty regularly through there, and I think alot of the neighbors look out for each other.

Trae is right about the "drug use". It is a well known fact in Katy, that Taylor is the drug school, it's not where they send all the bad kids, it is just where all the "spoiled rich kids" went to school,and they were bored and one thing leads to another.......... I don't think it is AS MUCH of a problem these days, but a couple of years ago, it was on the same level as PLANO highschool.

[Pumapayam]

Puma, please be quiet and let us grown folks talk here. You are out of your element, as you have no idea what you are talking about concerning Nottingham Country.

I know enough that the west side of Houston got the brunt of the refugees, and they make the papers and the evening news headline at least once a week.

It is a problem, despite I used a smilie, I know what I am talking about. Katy has apartment complexes that house Katrina People too. The land and rent is cheaper there.

[TJones]

I know enough that the west side of Houston got the brunt of the refugees, and they make the papers and the evening news headline at least once a week.

It is a problem, despite I used a smilie, I know what I am talking about. Katy has apartment complexes that house Katrina People too. The land and rent is cheaper there.

There are only 2 sets of apartments anywhere near this neighborhood, and one is not even close to being cheap, and the other has people on a waiting list to get in. Someone has to die before one of these comes available, because they are in the Taylor High school zone. So your assessment of this area is way off their kid. Again, don't talk about things you have no clue towards.

[Trae]

Those "bad" apartments are zoned mostly to Mayde Creek and some to Katy.

[karlpopper]

I am interested in finding out about Nottingham Country.

What is the history of this subdivision? Who were the builders? General quality of the houses?

Are there "good" areas and "not so good" areas?

Is there any sense of community and if so what is it like?

What is the culture of the area - mostly older people/teenagers/young families/a mixture?

I know it is a large subdivision so probably quite varied - so tell me all you can!

For info, we have a young family and are attracted by the established feel of the neighborhood and proximity to amenities. We are not looking to buy until well into next year but our budget will be probably up to around 280K.

Thanks for any info!

Hi Import,

Kickerillo built nottingham country. They are considered one of the premier custom builders in houston (they built out kelliwood, fleetwood, twin lakes, thornwood, lakes of parkwayetc). They build solid houses and do not make many mistakes when it comes to community layout (see subdivisions mentioned above on MLS for proof) (http://www.kickerillo.com/).

It has the best established appearance and layout in Katy in my opinion except for kelliwood lakes.

[TJones]

Those "bad" apartments are zoned mostly to Mayde Creek and some to Katy.

.......and these "bad" apartments are NORTH of I-10. Nowhere near Nottingham Country, which is SOUTH of I-10 between Fry and Westgreen.

btw.....Karl, Kelliwood Nottingham is a different subdivision from the "original" Nottingham of Katy, houses in Kelliwood Nottingham go for $300k minimum. I don't think Kickerillo built the "original" Nottingham, I could be wrong though.

[Trae]

Why do they still have that model home on Fry Road? They aren't building anymore.

[TJones]

Why do they still have that model home on Fry Road? They aren't building anymore.

I think they are still working out of that home as a base of operations. He still has some projects going on around here.

[KatyGuy]

Hi Import,

Kickerillo built nottingham country. They are considered one of the premier custom builders in houston (they built out kelliwood, fleetwood, twin lakes, thornwood, lakes of parkwayetc). They build solid houses and do not make many mistakes when it comes to community layout (see subdivisions mentioned above on MLS for proof) (http://www.kickerillo.com/).

It has the best established appearance and layout in Katy in my opinion except for kelliwood lakes.

The only thing I didn't like about Nottingham Country when we lived there was the fact that they didn't have sidewalks. With many small children in the area along with teenager drivers, I was a little nervous.

[Pumapayam]

So your assessment of this area is way off their kid. Again, don't talk about things you have no clue towards.

I am 27 btw.

[sttombiz]

nottingham country is good if you like shabby building. contrary to what people say or believe, kickerillo is not a good builder. NOT A GOOD BUILDER!!!

roof leaks, cracked slabs, and everything else thats horrible. imagine the worst in a house and that is kickerillo. he has gotten better from where he was in the 80s. Marywood and Lakes of Parkway have some well built custom homes but most of the specs are major reworks. Twin Lakes was a bust for him as well but I mean hes Kickerillo people on here will still love him because he is Texan, Italian, and hes 'been building homes for 50 years.'

"What can I build for you?"

...being worth over $100 mil has to give you some clout, but he doesnt scare me. even when he does walk in front of the bathroom window naked, seeing how I live across the street from him. 4 words, hung like a horse. haha

and everyone does drugs in Katy ISD. Trust me on that fact.

Besides when I was going to school it was Katy grows it, Mayde Creek sells it, and Taylor buys it. Now its split on buying between Taylor, Cinco, and Seven Lakes and on selling between Mayde and Morton. Katy still holds the market on growing though.

Taylor is an exemplemary school seeing how when I went there to be in the first quarter (600 kids in our graduating class) you had to have at least a 3.87-9. I dont know about it now, but thats how it was and I graduated in 2003.

also if you want kids who smoke weed go to Mayde, want chew go to Katy, want coke and anything harder the kids that do that are Taylor, Cinco, and Seven Lakes. They get into harder drugs as you go south of the freeway.

again, you can trust me on that fact

[Trae]

Taylor is acceptable on Katy I.S.D's website.

[sttombiz]

I was talking about when I went there. I dont know about now.

[soifan]

Okay, I feel I have a good perspective since I grew up in Nottingham Country in the 80's/ early 90's, my parents still live there, I taught in KISD for years, and still spend alot of time there. Dh and I live in north Katy now (Mayde Creek zone), but WANT to live in Nottingham Country -probably will be a few more years.

First, to address the issues about Taylor from a former student and educator perspective. I graduated in the early 90's and the same stuff was said about Taylor and drugs back then (as well as the Katy grows it, MC deals it, Taylor buys it addage). Everyone is NOT a druggie despite what people say. I've never done a single drug in my life (besides alcohol and that wasn't until college) and neither did any of my friends (well, I had one freind who smoked pot occassionally, but not around us). We were not the nerds, but weren't the jocks either. We were the middle of the road kids and got along w/ everyone. We were always on the go, always together, but NEVER did a single drug. I'm not talking about 5-10 kids, but quite a large group. So, don't let people tell you everyone at Taylor does drugs b/c that's simply not true. Maybe it's everyone they hang out w/ b/c druggies tend to hang out together. Drugs will be everywhere, unfortunately, but it's far from everyone. I have siblings from later classes and the story is the same with them -NOT everyone.

As far as academics, Taylor is a top-notch school. You can't go by an OVERALL accountability rating alone. As an educator, I know how these ratings work. If you have ONE sub population who doesn't make the 80 or 90% passing rates needed for a certain rating, the whole school is at their score level DESPITE the overall score. A sub pop might only have 3-5 kids in it, so if ONE fails, the whole school will be effected. This happened w/ Pattison Elementary a few years back. One special education population that had a VERY small number of children taking the test had one or 2 fail that made THAT sub pop's passing rate below 80%. Because of this one sub pop, the whole school was ranked acceptable that year despite having been exemplary the year before and the year after. Some schools/ districts get around this by exempting many special ed kids from taking the tests, but Pattison had high goals set and b/c of this they were penalized. This is just one example of why you can't go by a one word rating -look at the overall pass rates, graduation rates, scholarship rates, other academic awards (like National Academic Decathalon winners -Taylor has been several times), etc about ANY school and don't go by one word alone. It was named on a list of the top high schools in America not long ago (I will see if I can find that link) and one of the top 10 in Houston.

I have to go now and see about my son. I will get back later to give more info about the subdivision itself. Overall, NC is great and we are eager to move there someday -LOVE the established feel, big trees, non cookie cutter homes, etc...

[soifan]

Okay, I only have a minute, but I wanted to add a little more about Nottingham Country. Yes, it's true -no sidewalks -my only drawback as I have a young child. The original part of NC between I-10 and Kingsland (north to south) and Fry Rd to Dominion (street on east side of Taylor) all have alleyways instead of driveways. My husband likes this look, but I don't like it with young kids b/c then there's nowhere safe to play on ride-on toys and such. (My parents had a long driveway where we would rollerskate, shoot hoops, etc...) It all depends on what you want in that regard. The houses with the alleys are the oldest in the subdivision (early-mid 70's). The trees in this part are huge and very lush, but most of Nottingham Country has large trees as most of the building was finished in the 80's.

The houses range from about 150K-260K in Nottingham Country itself (there will be a few exceptions on both price ends). Kelliwood Nottingham runs about 300-450K and was mainly built in the mid to late 80's. Both areas feed to Taylor High School, but feed to several elementaries and 2 junior highs I believe. The largest houses in Nottingham Country (not Kelliwood) are near Highland Knolls and Fry intersection - more in the price range you stated. I had friends who lived all over so I've been in many of these houses over the years and they were all very nice - just different features. The ones built later towards the back are more open and built with amenities similar to today's new builds. The older ones are custom homes with alot of wood block paneling and more individual rooms (once again-exceptions in both areas). It's just what your tastes are.

The lots VARY GREATLY in size. My parents have an average size lot for NC -not small, not large. (They live in the middle of NC - not the oldest part and not the very large houses in back.) The backyard is definitely big enough for a standard backyard pool w/ a little green room too. I had several friends w/ huge lots though 10,000 sq ft+ -most of them lived on cul-de-sacs or backed up to the bayou that runs through there. One friend had a lot big enough for an Olympic size pool -no joke - it was huge! They had a ride on lawnmower for the yard.

Homeowners fees are low - I think $200 or $250/ year. I pay $350+ in my north I-10 neighborhood. Cinco Ranch fees run from $750-900 (OUCH!) depending on where you live so NC is a good deal there.

If you have any other questions, PM or post here. I'm glad to help however I can.

Oh, one more quick add about Taylor. Memorial Parkway subdivision kids go there too so it's not just "rich" kids. I had many friends who lived in MP too. BTW I grew up in NC and we were far from "rich" -lol.

[Import]

Wow! So many posts! But I did figure it would be a popular topic

Thanks everyone especially those who actually have some firsthand knowledge of the subdivision

I will have to take another drive around and look at the houses with alleyways as opposed to those with driveways. I think I would prefer a driveway but DH and I would differ on that as he hates seeing garages at the front of a house.

Apart from the lack of sidewalks (also a minus with us) and the debate about the high schools (but don't all high schools have some drug activity?) it is all sounding good. We are big fans of the established look, would probably prefer to do upgrades to an older house with some character than settle for cookie-cutter modern, and it seems like we can get a lot more value there for our money...

We are not in a position to buy yet (the small matter of 9 months to go on our lease here) but we like to be prepared - and this is looking like a winner so far. I appreciate all the comments.

[Trae]

First, to address the issues about Taylor from a former student and educator perspective. I graduated in the early 90's and the same stuff was said about Taylor and drugs back then (as well as the Katy grows it, MC deals it, Taylor buys it addage).

That's not how it is around here anymore.

[katy_moonbeam]

Taylor is probably the best choice as far as the high schools in Katy go. My daughter goes there now and is getting a great education. There are drugs in all schools, it is up to us to raise a kid that can lead and not follow, make the right choices and be invloved in activities that keep them healthy, happy and enriched.

[Trae]

Seven Lakes is the best.

[soifan]

That's not how it is around here anymore.

I'm not 100% sure what you are trying to say, but I think you are telling me that I have no say since I graduated in the early 90's. If so, did you read the rest of my post? My siblings graduated later on and I was a teacher in Katy until 2 years ago. We attend a church with MANY Taylor kids and have contact with many of them. They are not all druggies. How can one person say everyone at a school does drugs unless they are close friends w/ every person? Believe me, there are still many "clean" kids in the world today, but the others overshadow them b/c noone wants to talk about kids who are doing things right -sad but true. I know drugs exist, but it's not everyone. Please read my whole post again. Have a good day.

Taylor is probably the best choice as far as the high schools in Katy go. My daughter goes there now and is getting a great education. There are drugs in all schools, it is up to us to raise a kid that can lead and not follow, make the right choices and be invloved in activities that keep them healthy, happy and enriched.

Great post! I agree 100% -love your last sentence.