jpcampbell

Not really. They are as high as ever. When I was there, there was nothing decent for under 500K and I just checked with my friend there and he says nothing has changed. Our rent house that was 1500 sq. ft., no A/C, old, with a teeny backyard would go for about 800K. I'm so glad to be back home!

They voted for Kerry, but voted for Bush more: Bush/Cheney 581,485 54.76% Kerry/Edwards 473,021 44.55% http://www.election.co.harris.tx.us/results_for_20041102.htm But I TOTALLY agree with you on the atmosphere here. It's very non-confrontational.

The Woodlands is conservative, and I fall into that category. But really politics have never been an issue at all. We all get along in my neighborhood. We have a lesbian couple with three kids who are among the most active, prominent, and likeable people in our neighborhood. I'm assuming they are not conservative, but honestly it's never come up. Bottom line for me is that most people here are really nice, no matter how they vote. That being said, if you are "dinks" and can afford it, I'd probably live inside the loop. That's how we started.

FWIW, I think the sports page is very good. There are a number of columnists (John McClain, Richard Justice, ...) who are as good as it gets nationwide. Other than that, I really only check out the headlines on chron.com every so often and I'm not dissatisfied. But I don't have a high bar really.

I live in The Woodlands and consider myself a Houstonian. For me, it's all the same. I was born in Houston, lived all over the city and just ended up in The Woodlands due to my work situation. Most people I know that have moved directly to The Woodlands from other areas don't really spend enough time in "the city" to get a real feel for it. I haven't really studied up on how annexation will affect my daily life, but I certainly have no animosity towards the city. I think it will happen for sure though.

I commute from The Woodlands to the Galleria via car. I'd love to take a bus, but it only runs to Downtown, Med Ctr, and Greenway Plaza from The Woodlands. Taking an exchange would add too much time to the current 40-45 minutes in my car. We are planning to move the office downtown in the next two years, and I'll be getting that bus pass for sure.

It's like 2.9 miles for a single loop, but there are markers to let you know where the 3mi point is and almost every point in between. jpc

It's all about timing. I was very worried when I took the Galleria job, but it has proven to not be a big deal. I live at Woodlands Parkway and Branch Crossing which is very deep in The Woodlands. It takes about 10 minutes to get to I-45 and 30 to the galleria. I leave at 5am. If I leave closer to 6am, it has taken me 45-50 minutes. The key is being close to the Parkway and timing the lights. A downtown commute is even closer. It's 23 minutes from the Hardy to Downtown via I-45 on a normal morning (according to 740 5:30 traffic check). Not sure how long parking, etc takes. If I leave past 6:30 - 7, I would take the Hardy and then only see traffic on parts of 610. But if you try and commute in at 8am, then forget it, you will see traffic no matter where you are coming from. I used to work in Grogan's Mill which was like 9 miles from my house. At 8:00am it took me 25 minutes to get there. Woodlands Parkway is no picnic at that time. So, adding another 15 minutes and shifting my schedule back a few hours is no big deal. Now, coming home is harder, but only because of west loop construction. I bank on about 1 hour from my desk (16th floor) to my garage. But a good 20 minutes of that is just getting past I-10, 290 and onto the north loop. I expect that to get easier once the construction is all done. jpc

I live in The Woodlands. For me, it was a simple choice. We drove around a lot of neighborhoods, and we felt the best there. I was born in The Heights, lived in Timbergrove Manor for 8 years, went to Rice University, lived in the Allen House Apartments near River Oaks, and owned a home in Braes Heights. So, I think I have some Houston experience. Therefore, "ignorance" is out. I had no "incentives" thrown my way. "Choice" was not one of your options, but that is why I live there. I loved all my old areas, but now that I have a family with small kids, I feel most comfortable in The Woodlands. Why? A number of reasons that may only be important to me. I can't speak for anyone else. 1) I worked in The Woodlands. 2) My sister lives there. I have another sister in Katy, but that was too far from work. 3) My wife and kids love it. 4) More parks, trails, pools, etc that I have ever been around. We use them daily. 5) I love the trees and how everything is hidden behind them. 6) Commute downtown is not bad compared to other suburbs. I even can get to my new job in the Galleria in 40 minutes if I leave early. 7) Good public schools 8) Did I mention my wife and kids absolutely love it? If I didn't have kids, I'd be inside the loop probably still in Braes Heights. I love the area. But for me and my current situation, The Woodlands was the choice and I don't regret it at all. Hope that helps. jpc

I find that Houston has more overall software than Austin, but that Austin has more companies that would consider tech-centric. What I mean by this is that Houston has more industry in general and each of those industries employs there share of software developers. Austin is stronger in the hardware space, having many semiconductor, chip design shops, etc. There are probably more software startups in Austin too. But when I moved from San Jose to Texas, I got way more hits in Houston than Austin for my software skills. Before San Jose, I lived in Houston for almost my entire life and worked at a variety of places including BMC and MCIWorlcom. Salaries are a tad bit lower in Houston, but the housing market more than makes up for hit. You might see a 10% decrease from areas like Silicon Valley. This is what I am seeing as I talk to my friends that are still there. And with the glut of tech talent in the valley, many times the salaries are higher here. Couple that with the cost of a house, and this is a great place to be. jpc

I'm late coming into this thread, but I just found this forum. I commute from The Woodlands to the Galleria every day. I'm pretty deep in The Woodlands (the Parkway and Branch Crossing), and it takes me 40 minutes with no traffic to get to San Felipe and I-610. I leave at 5am, but could leave any time before 6 and still make it in 45 minutes easily. Coming home is about an hour at 6pm, but that is due to construction on 610 and San Felipe. It takes me 15 minutes to just get on the freeway sometimes. jpc