Best area around Houston to raise kids?

[Jeebus]

I do agree with GWilson on the location part. It is VERY convenient to a lot of things. Only thing that messes it up in the 59 east where it meets up with 610/Galleria. That can be nightmarish --still- at certain times of day.

But is it convenient to what the original poster's desires are? Things like good public schools for both to work at and to send their children to, recreational activities beyond golf but including horeback riding, and finally a very close commute to both the school he works at, and the hospital she works at. All of these in a safe neighborhood.

I agree that in itself Sharpstown is convenient, but I don't think its convenient to the poster.

[KatieDidIt]

Can I ask real quick about what seat your daughter rides? North of the city tends to be Hunt Seat and Dressage. West of town is more Saddle Seat and Western. When you are a rider, there is always a pretty good commute to the stables involved. We put in an hour each way, 6 days a week to the stables. Then I had to start flying to training centers, but that's a whole other story.

I would not recommend Glennloch to someone who wants to be a serious rider and national or even regional competitor. But you could live there and train elswhere. But its kind of an island in that area.

Any burb is going to attribute to some heafty mileage in my opinion. Its like the saying goes: You get everything you wish for, and whole lot you don't want.

I would still recommend West Memorial ( Wilchester, Nottingham Forest,Fleetwood) and commuting to Southwest Equestrian. Great Hospitals and Looping Freeways close by. And close enough to all the Town And Country Development to cause values to increase.

I know a lot of people make fun of Katy, but its so close to West Houston, its almost not a burb anymore. And they do have the Great Southwest Equestrian Center. The Woodlands has riding stables around it not in it, but the kids are just "socially" riding and the facilities really aren't geared towards anything more that farm shows. There are some more serious training centers deeper into Magnolia, but there is the driving again.

Good luck!

[texasdiver]

Can I ask real quick about what seat your daughter rides? North of the city tends to be Hunt Seat and Dressage. West of town is more Saddle Seat and Western. When you are a rider, there is always a pretty good commute to the stables involved. We put in an hour each way, 6 days a week to the stables. Then I had to start flying to training centers, but that's a whole other story.

I would not recommend Glennloch to someone who wants to be a serious rider and national or even regional competitor. But you could live there and train elswhere. But its kind of an island in that area.

Any burb is going to attribute to some heafty mileage in my opinion. Its like the saying goes: You get everything you wish for, and whole lot you don't want.

I would still recommend West Memorial ( Wilchester, Nottingham Forest,Fleetwood) and commuting to Southwest Equestrian. Great Hospitals and Looping Freeways close by. And close enough to all the Town And Country Development to cause values to increase.

I know a lot of people make fun of Katy, but its so close to West Houston, its almost not a burb anymore. And they do have the Great Southwest Equestrian Center. The Woodlands has riding stables around it not in it, but the kids are just "socially" riding and the facilities really aren't geared towards anything more that farm shows. There are some more serious training centers deeper into Magnolia, but there is the driving again.

Good luck!

She mostly does western riding but it is only a social thing now. I don't know that she will get competitive and if she does, what area will interest her the most. She mostly does western because that is what they mostly do where we take her now, but I suspect her preference would be towards jumping.

Around here (Waco area) most of the serious riders seem to come from farms and ranches where they have plenty of space. There aren't really any stables that really focus on it. My wife and I are new to the sport and really have a lot to learn if we are going to support our kids in this. So we'll see how it goes. For my part, I'm happy if she does nothing by social riding and has the opportunity to have a horse. But if she wants to take it farther than that I would support her within reason. Driving an hour each way 6 days/week is not what I would call "within reason"!!!

[marmer]

Man, where to start? I actually laid awake last night thinking about this.

IF your wife's work is in the Texas Medical Center proper, then the only true suburb that has a reasonable commute is Pearland. Provided she can avoid the peak times, like 7-9 am incoming and 4-6 pm outgoing. 288 can be bad but there are a few secrets, which I wll share later in this post. If you can live in a suburb that is near a suburban hospital, then any upscale suburb will do.

IF she works in TMC, the only way to avoid a long commute will be to live in Houston. 300-500 K won't put you in River Oaks, but you might find something interesting in Meyer Park, Braeswood, Meyerland, the Heights, Montrose, Cherryhurst, Oak Forest, Glenbrook, Idylwild, or Eastwood. RPS, you out there? Help us out, here. This is also the only way to get easy access to more urban amenities like exotic restaurants and indie movies. The East End schools have large Hispanic populations, which mean the learning of Spanish will be easier, and my understanding is that they are not war zones. You don't need special programs to learn Spanish well. You need to study hard in Spanish class, do your homework, read Spanish texts, and practice with Spanish speakers. It is definitely worth the effort.

I don't remember anyone mentioning Clear Lake, Friendswood, or League City, but those all have nice areas, good restaurants, good schools, and a thriving medical community.

Not to be too political about it, but the reality of hurricanes and increasing energy costs mean that some suburban tract housing may not be a good long-term choice. That puts you back into the city.

On the other hand, commuting need not make you insane. iPods, podcasts, satellite radio, and audiobooks can make the time almost pleasant. There are fuel-efficient vehicles which can help you lessen your fuel costs. There are methods to make cell-phone usage safer. Yes, I know it's a hot button issue but as long as working people have long commutes I don't think it will go away.

There is a large and thriving bicycle club in Houston which has delineated almost all the urban and country ride possiblilties. Check them out at http://www.houstonbicycleclub.org

OK, now on to more specific information about Pearland, where I have lived since 1990. There is also a bicycle club in Pearland http://www.pearlandcyclingclub.org Most of their rides are early mornings on Farm-to-Market roads. Personally, I don't find cycling on the rural roads around Pearland very comfortable. They are too heavily travelled and too narrow, without shoulders. I actually feel much safer on a bicycle in Houston. The streets are wider and there are more options with less traffic.

Pearland is strongly considering adding the International Baccalaurate program to some of its schools. The population is pretty divided about it, but the ones in favor seem to hold a small majority. One downside to Pearland is that there is no string orchestra program, unlike the other big suburbs. Music is quite strong in the Pearland schools, but if you want your kids to play violin or cello, they'll be better served in Spring Branch or Sugar Land (or Clear Lake or HISD or The Woodlands)

The Bay Area Equestrian Center is on the east side of Pearland. There are also still some pasture opportunities in the area.

The Sagemont area (more or less near BW8 and 45 South) has a lot of small Vietnamese and Asian restaurants. Pearland and Friendswood have Perry's Steakhouse, Killen's Steakhouse, Santa Barbara Italian Restaurant, Central Texas Bar-B-Q, Las Rosas, Tokyo Bowl, and Pearl Dynasty, all of which are extremely good. Pretty much all the big chains are in Silverlake now, too. Another Really Cool thing about Pearland is the Premiere Cinema 6 at McLean and 518. First run movies, $2.00 matinees, $4.00 other times. Reasonably priced concessions with short lines. Not the best theatres, but so convenient and cheap you can live with that.

For those who've suffered through my logorrhea, here are the Pearland commute secrets:

1. Mykawa Road will take you from 518 to 610 in 25 minutes or less, either way, at any time of the day. Yes, there are stoplights, it's a two-lane road, and it goes through a sketchy part of town. But it'll get you to 610 with a fraction of the 518/288 drama. For that matter, Highway 35 isn't terrible for heading north provided you're not going when the flea market is open. It's also a great way to get to Hobby Airport.

2. Now that Southfork goes through to 288 (by Southern Ford), CR 101 becomes a great alternative to 518 westbound. Turn right at CR 90 and go up to Southfork and you're on 288. Again, it's a two-lane road and there are a couple of stoplights, but it's much less annoying than 518.

3. If you have to be on 518, you can bypass Silverlake by going north on Cullen to BW8 and taking that to 288.

4. I don't know much about the Shadow Creek Ranch area but I would guess that Almeda Road might be a good northbound alternative.

One last Way Out of the Box suggestion: Galveston. Major medical center, affordable houses, great restaurants. Extremely bicycle-friendly and the beach couldn't be easier. There are private schools, and while the public schools have some problems, they are being addressed. And a tropical/historical setting that is unparallelled anywhere in Texas.

OK. Now maybe I can sleep.

[texasdiver]

Thanks marmer. Lots to think about.

Definitely want to drive down and see pearland as you're not the only person to speak highly of the area.

One point though, my wife probably isn't going to seek work at the medical center. She's in family medicine and does community clinic work. The medical center hospitals are more specialty and teaching centers. She is much more likely to seek and find work at some sort of family medicine clinic in a suburban area with a suburban regional hospital nearby. Those situations are scattered all over the Houston metro area. Sugarland has lots of clinics and hospitals. Katy has two new hospitals and looks to see growth in outpatient clinics and medical offices in the land around the new hospitals. I assume that similar situations exist in most of the other fast-growing suburbs around Houston, although I have not personally driven by and checked out the sitations in other suburbs.

[texasdiver]

Not to be too political about it, but the reality of hurricanes and increasing energy costs mean that some suburban tract housing may not be a good long-term choice. That puts you back into the city.

Why is that? I mean why back inside Houston as opposed to Sugarland, Katy, or the Woodlands?

Are there web sites and maps that detail hurricane risks in the Houston area? My uneducated assumption is that there are probably five factors to consider (at least five):

1. High ground or elevation above sea level

2. Distance from the open ocean (storm surge issues)

3. Local drainage. Can the immediate neighborhood deal with flooding?

4. Quality of construction. Will the house blow down?

5. Evacuation routes.

Energy consumption is a different issue, of course.

[KatieDidIt]

Not to be too political about it, but the reality of hurricanes and increasing energy costs mean that some suburban tract housing may not be a good long-term choice. That puts you back into the city.

Why is that? I mean why back inside Houston as opposed to Sugarland, Katy, or the Woodlands?

Are there web sites and maps that detail hurricane risks in the Houston area? My uneducated assumption is that there are probably five factors to consider (at least five):

1. High ground or elevation above sea level

2. Distance from the open ocean (storm surge issues)

3. Local drainage. Can the immediate neighborhood deal with flooding?

4. Quality of construction. Will the house blow down?

5. Evacuation routes.

Energy consumption is a different issue, of course.

Harris county has tougher building codes (probably Galveston too). Hurricane strapping/bracing required for the roof. Montgomery County (aka The Woodlands) has no such code. That's why we left when Rita was coming.

[marmer]

texasdiver,

Both Memorial Hermann and St. Lukes have recently built or are building minor surgical/minor emergency centers and family practice clinics in Pearland. I understand that at least one true hospital is well into the planning stages.

Katie, my comments about hurricanes stem from only my own observation of the quality of construction in my suburban house vis-a-vis my mother's from 50 years ago. I think the conventional wisdom is that brand new houses are often constructed cheaply with cheap materials. Hurricane roof or not, I have real misgivings about how well some new houses (like mine) would withstand a windstorm compared with, say a brick bungalow in Montrose. And suburban drainage can be a very unknown quantity.

[KatieDidIt]

texasdiver,

Both Memorial Hermann and St. Lukes have recently built or are building minor surgical/minor emergency centers and family practice clinics in Pearland. I understand that at least one true hospital is well into the planning stages.

Katie, my comments about hurricanes stem from only my own observation of the quality of construction in my suburban house vis-a-vis my mother's from 50 years ago. I think the conventional wisdom is that brand new houses are often constructed cheaply with cheap materials. Hurricane roof or not, I have real misgivings about how well some new houses (like mine) would withstand a windstorm compared with, say a brick bungalow in Montrose. And suburban drainage can be a very unknown quantity.

Oh I agree with you. I am floored that Village is getting 750,000 for the putty they are building. I would much rather buy/build custom, or buy a pre-1980s home, than trust a home "built in 180 days or less. NO MATTER WHAT!"

[mkultra25]

Are there web sites and maps that detail hurricane risks in the Houston area?

There's a storm surge/evacuation zone map here.

[gwilson]

I'm sorry Gwilson, but I'm going to have to disagree. I'm sure the residential streets of Sharpstown are some of the safest in America. But who wants to be a prisoner in their own home? Sharpstown is a very dangerous place after dark along its main thoroughfares. Sugar Land is not. A good example would be to compare the reported crimes just in the parking lots of the First Colony Mall & the Sharpstown Mall. All you'll find in the First Colony mall stats are thefts. You'll find alot worse in the Sharpstown Mall stats.

For public middle and high schools, Sharpstown is left lacking. How could you possibly compare Sharpstown High to Clements, Austin or Cinco Ranch?

Again Gwilson, I'm not attacking you, but I'm forced to disagree with the safety and convenience of Sharpstown, especially compared to the likes of Sugar Land.

Sharpstown is far from an unsafe place. First Colony Mall has had more violent crimes than Sharpstown. Sharpstown is typically shop lifting. There was a shooting there several years ago after someone from SE Houston was followed to the mall by someone else from SE Houston and they took their opportunity then. There have been shootings at First Colony as well.

The very wrong impression that Sharpstown is an unsafe place is perpetuated by the blanket term of "Southwest Houston" everytime something happens and makes the news.

The quality of education in any of the schools you listed depends on the student. I had a great education at Sharpstown middle and high schools. All schools have the same failings. All have some bad teachers. You take an A+ student from Clements and put them in Sharpstown, their grades nor their education is going to suffer. It is that student that makes it possible, not the venue.

[texas911]

So according to that Hurricane map, almost all of Houston proper is not in the evacuation zone even in a CAT 5 hurricane? Why did everyone leave during Rita? We're they afraid of the levies breaching?

[gwilson]

So according to that Hurricane map, almost all of Houston proper is not in the evacuation zone even in a CAT 5 hurricane? Why did everyone leave during Rita? We're they afraid of the levies breaching?

You can thank the media and the hysteria caused by the criminally neglectful city of New Orleans.

The, state, county and municipal governments didn't want to take any chances of liability, so they cried wolf to save their collective arses. Smart move on their part in todays climate.

it only got them in trouble for being completely ill-prepared to evacuate a metropolitan area of 5 million people.

BUSES

What is so farking hard to understand here. BUSES.

[KatieDidIt]

Those maps show the storm surge,that's the water. What gets you in a hurricane is the wind and what's IN the wind, and it can come pretty far inland. A Cat 5 could rip the roof right off a house and implode the windows even 30 miles inland.

During Alicia, (a Cat 2 I think once it hit land) West Houston had no power for 2 weeks and trees down everywhere.

Its the idea of no power for at least a week in mid-summer that gets most people out of here. After living through Andrew in Miami, the STINK and chaos is incredible.

[musicman]

BUSES

What is so farking hard to understand here. BUSES.

There aren't enough BUSES to do this realistically.

[texasdiver]

Those maps show the storm surge,that's the water. What gets you in a hurricane is the wind and what's IN the wind, and it can come pretty far inland. A Cat 5 could rip the roof right off a house and implode the windows even 30 miles inland.

During Alicia, (a Cat 2 I think once it hit land) West Houston had no power for 2 weeks and trees down everywhere.

Its the idea of no power for at least a week in mid-summer that gets most people out of here. After living through Andrew in Miami, the STINK and chaos is incredible.

We're ranging a little far off track here, but I'm now wondering about a few things and maybe you folks have already thought about this stuff:

1. Can an existing house be retro-fitted for hurricanes? For example, are there products like metal straps that are designed so you can go up in your attic and tie the roof down better than it might have been constructed the first time around? Or are you basically just screwed if the house wasn't built right from the beginning.

2. How long did it take to clear the roads after Alicia? How realistic is it to think you can evacute post-storm if necessary?

As for the other comments on buses? Not going to happen because everyone wants to drive their own cars and let some other family sit on the bus with no control as to where you are going. The only people who are ever going to ride evacuation buses in mass are those who own no cars and can't find friend or family to hitch a ride with.

[RedScare]

Actually, it is the water that kills the most people in a hurricane. Most Houston homes would survive the winds, as even a CAT 5 hurricane at the coast would be significantly weakened by the time it hits Houston. The National Hurricane Center has a map of windspeeds inland. I'll look for it.

Homes can be strengthened to withstand hurricanes. Some of the retrofits are not that expensive. The best protection is either storm windows or plywood over the windows, as broken windows and doors allow winds into the house, causing the roof to literally explode from the increased pressure inside. Secondary measures include reinforcing the roof trusses and attaching hurricane straps to secure the roof to the walls. Remember though, if the wall is not secured to the slab, the whole house can shift. Most Houstonians will only need storm windows. Coastal counties need more protection, because they are closer to the coast.

Evacuations are not needed if you live in most inland counties. If you doubt your home's ability to withstand a hurricane, or if you are in a flood prone area, find a local structure to hide in until the worst winds pass, such as the high school you will be teaching at. Virtually all new schools are being built with at least one hurricane proof structure on the campus.

[Jeebus]

So according to that Hurricane map, almost all of Houston proper is not in the evacuation zone even in a CAT 5 hurricane? Why did everyone leave during Rita?

Because sheep tend to stay together in flocks.

[RedScare]

Here's a graph of inland windspeeds for a 144 mph hurricane. As you can see, most Houstonians would likely not even see 110 mph winds (building codes require 110 mph wind protection). Montgomery County would probably not exceed 90 mph.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/wind/gulf_144.shtml

During Hurricane Alicia, only a few southern Houston locations hit above 70 mph. Most of the damage was due to flooding and fallen trees (and those damned pebbles on the roofs of downtown Houston skyscrapers).

[texasdiver]

Guess if we move to Houston I'll be doing a lot more disaster planning than I've done in Waco. Here in Waco we only face two realistic natural disasters: Tornados and grass fires. Both of those are so localized that if you get hit by either you can still count on the rest of the greater community being pretty much intact.

I already own a big commercial-quality chain saw I brought from Oregon and have water filtration equipment for filtering storm water if necessary. And I usually have more than a month's supply of food in the house from Costco. So it seems like the major investment yet remaining would be for a decent generator, portable air conditioner, and gasoline storage.

I wonder how many laws and HOA regulations it would violate (if any) to put a 55 gallon drum of gasoline with a hand pump in your storage shed. Anyone know? Seems like 55 gallons should be enough to run a generator for a week and/or top off the car for a run out of the area.

All this talk of preparedness makes me think of a Christmas dinner I had at a friend's house in Juneau Alaska in 1999 (just before Y2K). There was a neighbor there for dinner and he spent the entire evening talking about every detail of his preparedness for Y2K and how insane we were to not follow his lead. The man had basically built a fallout shelter/armed fortress in his basement for tens of thousands of dollars. He had over a year's worth of food and fuel and enough guns and ammo to arm a platoon of Rangers. He kept talking about when people are running wild on the streets he's going to be prepared. And I kept thinking. What people? You mean all your middle class neighbors who instantly band together at the drop of a hat when there's any sort of emergency like a lost child? They are all suddenly going to go "night of the living dead" on you because the computers don't work? I never did find out how he did on January 1, 2000. He must have been one dissapointed guy when there were no raving lunatics to shoot on the street.

[RedScare]

Love the militia man story!

If you have a chain saw and food and water, you are already more prepared than most Houstonians. And, the time to prepare your house is when you buy or build it, so asking these questions now means you won't panic when the storm is 3 days out.

As for generators, gasoline engines are the worst way to go. Storing gasoline is more dangerous than the storm itself. If you must go that route, look for a diesel genset. They are more fuel efficient, and diesel is not as volatile as gasoline.

A better route is to look at natural gas gensets. Natural gas rarely is interrupted by storms. There is no storage issue. The generator can be set up outside the house, connected to a gas line, with the wiring connected to your home through the electrical panel. In a power outage, the genset kicks in within seconds of the power interruption. My 80 year old parents installed one last year, since they refuse to evacuate. A 15kW genset cost about $3500, but it runs the entire house. No portable AC is needed. They had to spend some money on electrical hookup (the electrical panel was not very good), but on a new house, gas and electrical hookup would be negligible.

If you have a house built to City of Houston wind code, with a natural gas genset, you literally would never need to leave the house during a hurricane. In fact, it would be the safest and most comfortable place to be for you and your family.

[texas911]

Yea don't store gasoline for extended periods. It actually goes bad. But what you can do is buy it right before the storm hits. You'll have ample warning. But if you don't use it for the generator, use it for your car.

[texasdiver]

Well, gas doesn't go bad THAT fast. You could probably buy gas near the start of the hurricane season then use it up at the end of the season in your car and be OK. And then repeat the process every year. But diesel does probably make more sense from a safety standpoint.

I'm going to look into those natural gas gensets though. Never heard of them before. I live in a rural area outside Waco where we have no municipal gas service so everything in the house is electric. For that reason I keep a couple extra propane cylinders around for the grill and I can cook 3 meals/day on the Weber for a month if forced to by lack of power.

[TAK]

Why did everyone leave during Rita? We're they afraid of the levies breaching?

Kinda... Allison + Katrina + recent timing = panic.

I stayed home and drank beer in the garage.

[RedScare]

Here's an example.

http://www.generatorsdirect.net/servlet/th...ERAC/Categories

Propane gas gensets are also pretty good. However, EVERY Houston suburb has natural gas access. Given that their is no looking for fuel prior to a storm, these things are a breeze. My dad says he forgets the thing is even there until Sunday morning, when it automatically cranks up to test itself.

The only gripe with natural gas is that it does not produce as much power (Btus) as gas or diesel. But, since it is hooked up to the pipe, and only used occasionally, the convenience is well worth it.

[MidtownCoog]

I stayed home and drank beer in the garage.

Me, too!

Last week 740AM had a Hurricane Special, and one of the emergency planners from the County said "most people left becuase they were afraid to be without air conditioning after a storm".

I said the same thing back then on this very message board. My family was ready to sweat it out. We did it in 1983.

He also blasted all the fools who evacuated with two and three cars.

[texasdiver]

Kinda... Allison + Katrina + recent timing = panic.

I stayed home and drank beer in the garage.

If you do intend to evacuate, buy a GPS for certain. Texas has an almost infinite network of small country and farm roads that will get you almost anywhere. I drive between Waco and Fort Worth quite often. There are many times when circumstance cause I-35 to come to a complete standstill, whether just normal traffic, construction, or something else like major accidents. Around Christmas there was a multi-truck tanker accident that closed I-35 in both directions near Waco. With a GPS I think nothing of grabbing the nearest exit and taking remote country roads. You can drive anywhere in this state and never touch a freeway much less an interstate. There are literally thousands of local and rural roads that don't even show up on the state-wide paper maps or Rand McNally Atlases. With the GPS I have figured out about 25 ways to drive between my home in China Spring (NW of Waco) and Fort worth without touching I-35. And no matter how congested I-35 is, I NEVER see anyone else but local pickups taking the smaller parallel roads.

[musicman]

During Hurricane Alicia, only a few southern Houston locations hit above 70 mph. Most of the damage was due to flooding and fallen trees (and those damned pebbles on the roofs of downtown Houston skyscrapers).

In Houston proper, I'd have to say the majority of the damage was due to winds. This resulted in downed power lines and trees. restoration of power was the biggest pain for many. you couldn't buy gasoline, use your refrig. at the same time, with the number of trees and power lines that were down, travel wasn't easy either. i think the city's response back then was to 1) clear the streets 2)restore power to residents. the heavy trash generated during that time was amazing. we had our power in 4 days, but i remember people going for weeks without it.

[mrfootball]

I think West Memorial (ie. Wilchester, Nottingham Forest, etc) is a terrific area. I also highly recommend the Cypress area (ie. Longwood, Coles Crossing, Lakewood Forest, etc). Trees, great schools, low crime, lots of parental involvment, etc.