scott_p

Thanks again to everyone who has responded with information. Does anyone know anything about the data on this site? http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/routebuilder/routebuilder_start.html It seems like a really great tool, providing real time or historical data for given sections of all the different highways based on actual telemetry from tracking the movement of wireless devices. I am asking though, because I have mapped out a lot of different routes, and it seems to show a lot of areas where traffic isn't all that awful. Yet you hear so much about how bad the traffic is. Does anyone have any experience comparing the data shown or the results of using the route builder compared to the real world?

Thanks for the responses so far, everyone!

Greetings all, I will be moving to Houston this summer for work, and as I don't know much about the city or the area, I could use some advice. My work is located at Ellington Field. I'm somewhat of a city person and I'm hoping to live more in the city. I have done some research online and have seen some good things written about the Clear Lake area, Pearville, and other suburbs on that side of town, but am looking at neighborhoods in the greater East End and MacGregor areas. Is this a feasible reverse commute on I-45 or am I setting myself up for an hour plus each way? I would prefer to live closer in to the city, but am not so committed to the idea as to ruin my life with an awful commute. What other areas should I be looking at? For background, I'm coming from the San Francisco Bay Area, and before that I lived in Washington, DC. I love public transportation, am accustomed to walking and biking a lot, and have just always preferred cities to the sprawl of suburbia. I'm no longer in my 20's and am not seeking the high-end nightlife/party scene or only the most dense, urban neighborhoods, but my ideal living situation is a walkable/bike-able neighborhood with local restaurants and shops, and maybe some access to public transportation. Of course it looks like my work location pretty much means I'm forced to commute by car, and I'm fine with that, but I just can't stand the idea of living in a car-only suburb of tract housing and strip malls. No kids, so local schools aren't a factor, and having lived in several cities before, a reasonable level of crime doesn't scare me. Thanks, Scott