SpringTX

Although the homes in Cypresswood are getting older, they seem to be holding their value these days. The schools (Klein Collins, Strack, etc.) are doing fine. Some of the apartment complexes on Kuykendahl are changing from high-end to low-end, and the demographic profile of the schools is starting to change slightly. But I don't think it's anywhere near a tipping point yet, because people still talk about Klein Collins as being better than Klein Oak. The younger families moving in seem to be more middle-income rather than upper-middle income, but there are plenty of upper-middle income residents nearby in places like Candlelight Hills, The Thicket, and Terranova West that help preserve the overall value in the area. And the new upscale Lakes of Cypress Forest is opening up just down the road. There are occasional attempts to build new low-income apartment complexes in the area, but the residents have successfully blocked them all, fortunately. If the neighborhoods along Cypresswood start to go the way that the neighborhoods along 1960 went, it will be a big mess for that whole area. But, so far, fortunately, they're hanging in there. Some feel that Kuykendahl between 1960 and Louetta is going downhill quickly, but that alone wouldn't sink the area. The trouble would need to spread much further. And, so far, it hasn't. So Cypresswood is doing fine these days, even if trouble is lurking right on its doorstep to the south.

Yes, and a lot of the upscale apartment complexes for young people working in Greenspoint, etc. converted to low-income or Section 8 in the 80's. The housing along 1960 was primarily very upscale subdivisions at the time, and still is above-average, with homes now going for usually in the $150K to $200K range, with a small number as high as $500K. Nothing wrong with a bus. I personally love buses. The homeowners along 1960 don't like the buses because it symbolizes/reflects the low-income apartments there.

Uh oh. It sounds like we're definitely headed for some sparks here. Let me qualify what I meant. The bus line affects the quality and condition of retail establishments along 1960, not necessarily the crime rate, at least not directly. A bus line serves the segment of the population that can't afford a car, or who can't afford 2 cars per household, etc.

The seemingly endless northward expansion of the "Greater Gunspoint" area. The neighborhoods along 1960 are basically surrounded with low-income apartment complexes now. And the bus line along 1960 doesn't help.

I appreciate your feedback. I think that there's going to be a significant percentage of foreclosures, like maybe as many as a few houses per block. I think that there will be a significant percentage of renters, like as many as several houses per block. There might be a couple abandoned units on each block. But I think this is all a worst-case scenario. I think lenders are getting a little savvier these days. I think there are a lot of working-class, minority, 2-parent families that are very stable financially and employment-wise, for example: a first-generation Mexican-American family where the father is a truck driver and the mother is a nurse, and their combined income is $50K/year. The kids may not be as likely to be National Merit Finalists, but they hopefully won't be selling drugs on the corner. Overall, I would think it'll be pretty hard to turn a brand new subdivision of $130K homes into a ghetto overnight. It can definitely happen. But I think it'll take some time and hard work.

1960 looks good around Champions, but then once you get past Champions, it takes a big dip downward again, and stays that way all the way to Willowbrook. And the Willowbrook area is not what it used to be at all. So, to me, it seems almost like 1960 is pretty run-down in general...except for that little island/stronghold around Champions. I guess the fate of the neighborhoods along 1960 will very much determine the quality of the retail/commercial on it. And, historically, the neighborhoods along 1960 have been in a long, slow downward slide. So I'm wondering what 1960 will look like 10 years from now.

Bachanon, I've noticed that, too. New housing is exploding in the area you mention, which is confusing to us residents nearby. Do you think that these new single-family residential subdivisions are going to increase or decrease the "ghetto" (i.e. crime) factor in the area? The area is already considered to be somewhat unsafe. So is it now getting safer, or is just getting denser?

AstroWorld is a skanky rat-infested hell-hole. Moms in suburban Houston are crying out for ANY sort of alternative. SplashTown ain't half bad. WaterWorld (inside AstroWorld) is actually one of the high points of AstroWorld for me, even though it's pretty small. Schlitterbahn Galveston had better offer something a lot more compelling than what SplashTown currently offers, or it's hardly going to make a dent in the tourism/entertainment scene in the region. It's not a good sign that Schlitterbahn Galveston is going to be smaller than SplashTown. I was expecting SplashTown to close its doors when Galveston Schlitterbahn opened. Now I'm starting to wonder if Galveston Schlitterbahn will be the 800-pound gorilla that it was supposed to be. If nothing else, Schlitterbahn Galveston can complement Moody Gardens and the other offerings of Galveston in such a way that more people head to the island. Put it this way: a brand new major theme park in Galveston, even a small one, ain't gonna hurt! Galveston needs to be a "must" trip at least once a month during the summer for every suburban Houston family. Right now, a lot of families don't even make it down there once per summer. For crying out loud, it's an hour away - and it has a beach most cities would kill for! There's absolutely no reason why Galveston shouldn't be THE place to be in the greater Houston area.

There a few new development projects on 1960 in the news recently. There's a Home Depot going up. I believe there is a Target going up as well. There's a new medical hospital almost completed. And they're opening a P.F. Chang's restaurant near Willowbrook. Does this mean 1960 is headed upwards? Isn't 1960 supposed to be nothing but pawn shops and tattoo parlors these days? What say the experts?

I think it was true up to only a few years ago that the Willowbrook Mall was the draw for the nearby neighborhoods in Northwest Harris County over The Woodlands Mall, but things have changed recently. My wife won't go to the Willowbrook Mall in the evening by herself. It's sad to say, but the residents in NW Harris now unofficially declare the Willowbrook Mall unsafe, almost as bad as the Gunspoint Mall. Now, everyone drives to The Woodlands Mall, even if it's farther than Willowbrook. The demographics around Willowbrook have changed; the demographics of The Woodlands haven't. By the way, driving from along 1960 from I-45 to Willowbrook these days is an exercise in masochism. There are a trillion stoplights. Traffic is a complete joke, especially on weekends and holidays. And much of the development along 1960 is downright ugly and rundown. I also know people from south and west Houston that go to The Woodlands as a tourist destination: like a day trip. Some even stay overnight in The Woodlands Resort. The Woodlands has a mega marketing budget and a unique marketing identity (in reality, its just a jumble of neighborhoods no different from the ones around it) that makes it seem like some sort of Disney-esuqe wonderland. The new boat ride and skating rink are part of that image. Some people joke that all The Woodlands needs now is a monorail. Gunspoint is a little more than 15 miles from The Woodlands - according to Mapquest it's 18.5 miles, although it "feels" farther. I do agree that a revitalized Gunspoint Mall could drain a little revenue from The Woodlands because of its proximity, but I think it would only be minor, and it wouldn't affect the overall health of The Woodlands Mall, which is right now clobbering to death every other mall east of Katy Mills and north of the Galleria. Honestly, I'm skeptical about a Gunspoint Mall turnaround. Even though there is a strong lunchtime office worker crowd, the residential picture for miles around Gunspoint is truly grim indeed. Unless they lift up the Gunspoint Mall with helicopters and drop it down somewhere near Conroe, it's going to suffer from crime and that's going to kill the appeal for the middle-class shopper.

Champions and Olde Oaks aren't dangerous, but they're on the border of dangerous areas.

I'm no expert on this subject, but it seems to me that, when multiple Wal-Marts go up in The Woodlands, they primarily will draw residents from the immediate area. I've been into Wal-Marts in different parts of Houston and I've seen radically different types of clientele and even different stock. I went into a Wal-Mart in a predominantly white suburb and I saw a whole aisle full of Lord of the Rings toys at Christmas. So I went to another Wal-Mart that same day about 15 miles away, this one being in a predominantly minority and low-income part of town, and the Lord of the Rings selection was only part of a single shelf!

My prediction for Galveston in 2025? Not many more high-rises. Only slightly more dense, as development reaches a few more parts of the island not currently developed. The skyline won't be much different. The major difference I see is rehabilitation and replacement of older buildings, and an economic and cultural transformation. Think of the Heights historic district in Houston and how it has been revitalized in recent years. Or, better yet, think of a bigger version of Old Town Spring on the north side of Houston. I see old, run-down, single-family Victorian homes going for a million dollars. I see more yuppies moving in. I see low-income people getting squeezed out because they can't afford the rent or the property taxes. I see it becoming an artsy, liberal, upscale beach community. It could become big with gays. I see more art galleries opening and more art festivals. More coffee shops opening. Think of Greenwich Village. I predict a "nuclear free zone". Maybe a socialist mayor. It could also attract a large retirement community. If there isn't a Unitarian Unviversalist church on the island, there probably will be one. I see the whole island getting cleaned up. I see all the ramshackle hotels on the seawall getting the treatment with a wrecking ball. I see more even obsession on historic preservation and on having new development match the historic architecture. I see more palm trees being planted. I see residents trying to turn it into an upscale wonderland out of a child's fairy tale: a Galveston that ironically doesn't resemble any Galveston of the past. Families will drive down to Galveston for the day and "ooh" and "ahh" and the million dollar homes with gingerbread woodwork on the front porches painted in pastel colors. They'll drive past Suzie's Corner Kitchen where you can sit on the outdoor patio and order a bowl of soup for $24 and have some waiter from Austria give you bad service in an authentic foreign accent. Gone will be the days when a family drives down to Galveston and keeps the windows rolled up and doors locked. And a rusty '67 Chevy with spinning hubcaps pulls up alongside of them, booming bass beats on the stereo. Gone will be the days of the hotels on the seawall with bright neon lights advertising $29/night. I know this picture is probably making many of you shudder. Welcome to the Galveston of 2025. I say move now and escape the horror. Homes near Old Town Spring are still cheap and plentiful.

I believe this is the one right next door to the Tremont. Which is good that they're adding more hotels to the Strand for the cruise ship passengers. I think the Tremont is the only real hotel on the Strand right now.

Forget about competing with the Houston Ship Channel. And don't worry if the Houston Ship Channel even takes away the cruise ship business from Galveston, which I don't think will ever happen. And forget about gambling in Galveston - they had it in the 1930's and 1940's and we don't need it, are better off without it. And Galveston is just geographically too far away from downtown Houston to ever be a major suburb of Houston...that is unless more employment centers locate to the south side of Houston, which of course would only increase congestion and lengthen the commute time from Galveston to those centers. Galveston has one thing, and has always had one thing: a beach. Austin doesn't have one. Dallas doesn't have one. San Antonio doesn't have one. New Orleans doesn't have one. Yes, it's one of the ugliest, saddest excuses for a beach. It's an environmental travesty. But it's a lot better than the beaches of Louisiana. And unlike the beaches on the east coast and even west coast of the U.S., the water is warm for swimming much of the year. While the surfing is almost not worth mentioning, there is some. Overall, as a beach, it gets a grade of maybe a C+, but it's better than the offerings of all the major metropolitan regions in a radius of many hundred miles. The beaches are one of bigger tourist draws in the State. People from Dallas don't want to drive to 10 hours to South Padre when they can drive 5 hours to Galveston. And that's why renting a beach house in Galveston for a week in the summer is $2,000: the same price as a beach house rental for a week on most other parts of the Gulf Coast. Houston has a precious commodity. It's the same reason why, during many months of the year, every single hotel room on the island is booked. And have you noticed the prices of the better resorts? The San Luis Resort (which is the top resort on the Texas coast, by the way) goes for over $200/night much of the year. The historic architecture of Galveston is a nice bonus - that's also hard to find in the region (although New Orleans isn't far away and they win this category easily). And the cruise ship industry in Galveston has certainly been a huge boost to the tourism industry. But Galveston should never lose focus that it's one and only reason for existence: the beach. Galveston needs to put its resources into taking care of the beach, and into promoting tourism that pertains to the beach and complements the beach. I think Schlitterbahn is a huge, huge gain for Galveston, because the beach is foremost a family activity, and a major amusement park is a huge family draw. This was something that South Padre had over Galveston (a major amusement park), and now Galveston has evened the score. I've checked out the beaches in the Freeport area. And these aren't any sort of rival to Galveston. The beaches on Mustang Island/North Padre are nicer than Galveston, but not that much nicer. I'd give their beaches a B- or a B (compared to Galveston's C+). And their drive from Houston is 5 hours. Compared to 1-hour drive from Houston to Galveston. And that's not to mention that most of the best beach area in the Corpus Christi area is on government land, so there are no beach houses on it. Now, Galveston has some serious problems. A lot of Galveston bears a resemblance to Kingston, Jamaica in terms of run-down housing and crime-ridden streets. The Galveston coastline is somewhat detracted by industrial activity from the oil and shipping industries. The beaches are terribly eroded. The island is susceptible to tropical storms and hurricanes. But all of these should be survivable. Galveston, never forget what you're all about: the beach, the beach, the beach. Treasure and preserve your beaches. Without them, you're nothing.