Expat wife

Thanks to everyone for their advice. I've found a house in West U just within my budget which has a swimming pool (which I really did not expect). The location is fantastic. We can walk to shops and restaurants, it's just 1 mile to Rice Village and there is a bus stop right at the end of the street in case I want to avoid parking up at the zoo. I'm due to move in next week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it is everything I hope it's going to be!

Unfortunately I read these last two posts after choosing a house. I saw some houses at the Lakes on Eldridge and one of the sister developments and thought that the houses were truly beautiful. I also saw a house in West U which matched our criteria and had a swimming pool. I was really torn between the two. I thought the houses at the Lakes were really beautiful but the house in West U has a fabulous location with shops and restaurants within walking distance. Even the house is in West U is a little bit more dated than I would have liked I opted for this because of the location. I wasn't sure whether the women's groups would be enough for me. I liked the idea of being closer to the museums etc. I'm due to move in next week and am keeping my fingers crossed that I made the right decision! Thanks to everyone for their advice.

Thanks for all your suggestions. I'm going to plan my route and spend most of today and tomorrow visiting as many as it takes.

I really want new and because I have two children under 4 I'd like something that's going to wear well. Somehow I can't get my head round The Dump. I hear the adverts all the time which are really annoying and I'd imagined the store to be full of rubbish - just my perception of it!

I've recently moved to Houston and need to furnish a whole house. Does anybody have any recommendations of good furniture stores, i.e. good quality furniture which doesn't cost the earth. I've tried Star furniture but a lot of the furniture in there was too ornate for my liking; I've looked at Rooms to go. I saw some things I liked. Does anybody have any idea of the quality? Somebody has recommended Macy's Clearance Center - does anybody know where this is? Please feel free to recommend other places. Thanks

Thanks for your help. Other people have mentioned the Heights to me and I am keen on exploring this area. Please e-mail what's available to rent. Thanks

There used to be a great shop on Westheimer specialising in model/toy trains. Does anybody know what happened to it?

Thanks for that. It's sounds a really nice area to live in but I agree with you in that I don't want to be too far away from all the other attractions Houston has on offer. Back to the drawing board then

Somebody has suggested to us, that if we are interested in sending our 4 year old to the British School of Houston, then the Lakes on Eldridge would be a good choice for a home. I believe it is a gated community with a lot of British families. Does anybody have any opinons of this area?

My husband is going for a quick visit to Houston and will check out all the areas you've suggested. Although I like the look of what I've seen of Montrose on the www we've decided not to persue that option as I think some of the other areas look better for young children. I've been looking at schools for all the other areas you've suggested. It seems that, if you're prepared to pay for private schools, then there's plenty of choice in all those areas. I think we're going to be spoiled for choice. It might all come down to budget - which we still don't know yet!

Thanks for all your suggestions. I will spend some time researching all the areas you've suggested. Been looking into Montrose as this was the first suggestion and I like what I see. I've also spent some time looking at THe Heights which also looks interesting. I hope I'm not going to be as enthusiastic about all the other areas, as this won't have narrowed my search down very much. Not keen on the idea of an apartment. I've got two young children so really wanted a private garden for them to play in and plenty of space for all their toys and all the other bits and pieces that come with them. I've lived in apartments before before kids and when I just had 1 child and it wasn't really for me. I'll keep looking at your suggestions. In the mean time please keep the advice coming.

I am due to move to Houston from the UK at the end of the year and haven't a clue where to live. My husband will be working on Post Oak Blvd and ideally would like to cycle into work. As we'll only be there for a few years we are only looking for a rental property. I don't know what kind of budget we have yet but it's likely to be quite generous and I'm hoping for 4 bedrooms and a nice garden, possibly with a pool or with a pool nearby. I'd like to be in a nice area with good schools/nurseries for my 3 year old and somewhere we can walk/cycle. My initial thoughts are to look at catholic schools or even the British school. I've also heard that Esperanza is an excellent nursery. I liked the look of West U because there seemed to be a lot going on community-wise but I've since heard that it's not that friendly/welcoming to outsiders. A friend has advised me that The Heights would be a better place. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated because I'm completely overwhelmed by the size and number of neighbourhoods in Houston!