Help! Which area to buy in?

[Divegirl08]

We are looking to purchase a holiday home in and around the Houston area.

We are looking for a property within:

- 60 minutes of Houston INternational

- 30 - 45 minutes of the coast

- outside hurricane zones

- within 30 - 60 minutes of national or state parks

- within 60 minutes of child appropriate tourist attractions (i.e waterparks, zoos, space centre etc)

- with lots of local amentieis - bars, restaurants, cinemas, shopping, supermarkets, golf etc

- ideally with a honky tonk nearby!!

- safe neighbourhood

As we are from the UK we have no idea where to look so any pointers would be great as there are so many houses we like but we need to narrow down our search location.

Thanks

Anne

[memebag]

Welcome to the HAIF!

There are no "hurricane zones". Hurricanes can potentially affect any location in or near Houston. You might want to look at the flood plain maps.

30-45 minutes from the coast puts you on the south east side of Houston. You might want to look at Clear Lake.

Honky tonks tend to be outside safe neighborhoods.

[KatieDidIt]

HOw can you be 30-45 minutes from the coast and be out of a Hurricane zone?

[jm1fd]

We are looking to purchase a holiday home in and around the Houston area.

We are looking for a property within:

- 60 minutes of Houston INternational

- 30 - 45 minutes of the coast

- outside hurricane zones

- within 30 - 60 minutes of national or state parks

- within 60 minutes of child appropriate tourist attractions (i.e waterparks, zoos, space centre etc)

- with lots of local amentieis - bars, restaurants, cinemas, shopping, supermarkets, golf etc

- ideally with a honky tonk nearby!!

- safe neighbourhood

Have you seen the coast? It isn't very picturesque IMHO, and wouldn't be high on MY list.

I think somewhere around The Woodlands would meet your critera best, with the exception of being within 30-45 minutes of the coast. The airport is a stone's throw away, it is far enough inland to where hurricanes aren't as big of a concern. Go north on US 59 for a little over an hour and you're deep in the Piney Woods, near several national and state recreation areas, plenty of "local amenities" in The Woodlands too. Child appropriate stuff....I have no idea.

[Dieseldrvr]

Welcome to the HAIF!

There are no "hurricane zones". Hurricanes can potentially affect any location in or near Houston. You might want to look at the flood plain maps.

30-45 minutes from the coast puts you on the south east side of Houston. You might want to look at Clear Lake.

Honky tonks tend to be outside safe neighborhoods.

That's not true at all! Blanco's and Whiskey Creek, and Armadillo Palace are all in very nice neighborhoods, one is in River Oaks. And all of those areas are 45 minutes from Galveston, as long as you don't worry about the rest of the slowpokes going 45 down 45!

If I were to want a vacation house in Houston, it would either be near downtown to enjoy all of the amenities and then drive to the various outdoor events like the beach, or state parks, or hunting/fishing. Or I would buy a house on the Lake in Clear Lake for they have the most life of any lakeside community near Houston, and the neighborhoods are nice and close to water type environment. Personally, I would probably get a condo downtown for a base, and possibly some land west of Houston or near Brenham for a small low maintenance ranch to have fun on.

[wxman]

As a meteorologist, there is not a single place, from Conroe to Galveston, that is safe from hurricanes. They are a reality here. The rule of thumb is you run from the water and hide from the wind. Thankfully, they don't happen that often. Hurricane Rita produced a 117 mph wind at Lake Livingston Dam...over 100 miles inland.

Edited April 29, 2008 by wxman

[missmsry]

My first question would be: Why are you looking for a holiday home in the Houston area?

[davev1977]

As a meteorologist, there is not a single place, from Conroe to Galveston, that is safe from hurricanes. They are a reality here. The rule of thumb is you run from the water and hide from the wind. Thankfully, they don't happen that often. Hurricane Rita produced a 117 mph wind at Lake Livingston Dam...over 100 miles inland.

Hey, who do you work for as a meteorologist? I almost joined the Navy to be one, but ended up working for a coal company as a geologist instead. How do you like your job? Just curious...thinking about the road not taken.

[TJones]

Welcome to the HAIF!

There are no "hurricane zones". Hurricanes can potentially affect any location in or near Houston. You might want to look at the flood plain maps.

30-45 minutes from the coast puts you on the south east side of Houston. You might want to look at Clear Lake.

Honky tonks tend to be outside safe neighborhoods.

Clear Lake or Kemah sound about as close to perfect as you'll get with all that criteria, and if you need a "Honky Tonk", there is ALWAYS the Turtle Club. It is a honky tonk with bathing suits. There will be Hurricanes and Tropical Storms though. The only thing that is naggin at me are the words Houston and Holiday home being used in the same sentence.

Hey, who do you work for as a meteorologist? I almost joined the Navy to be one, but ended up working for a coal company as a geologist instead. How do you like your job? Just curious...thinking about the road not taken.

I'll bet there is a 50% chance that he likes his job.

[IronTiger]

We are looking to purchase a holiday home in and around the Houston area.

We are looking for a property within:

- 60 minutes of Houston INternational

- 30 - 45 minutes of the coast

- outside hurricane zones

- within 30 - 60 minutes of national or state parks

- within 60 minutes of child appropriate tourist attractions (i.e waterparks, zoos, space centre etc)

- with lots of local amentieis - bars, restaurants, cinemas, shopping, supermarkets, golf etc

- ideally with a honky tonk nearby!!

- safe neighbourhood

As we are from the UK we have no idea where to look so any pointers would be great as there are so many houses we like but we need to narrow down our search location.

Thanks

Anne

As a non-Houstonite but consistent visitor, I want to say The Woodlands or Spring, where it is near Splashtown, The Woodlands Mall (avoid Greenspoint Mall unless you love bling), the Airport, safe 'hoods, fairly far away from the hurricane, and so forth.

And now I'd like to make a shameless plug for a smaller, somewhat cheaper city about 200 miles more inland...

[toadfroggy]

We are looking to purchase a holiday home in and around the Houston area.

We are looking for a property within:

- 60 minutes of Houston INternational

- 30 - 45 minutes of the coast

- outside hurricane zones

- within 30 - 60 minutes of national or state parks

- within 60 minutes of child appropriate tourist attractions (i.e waterparks, zoos, space centre etc)

- with lots of local amentieis - bars, restaurants, cinemas, shopping, supermarkets, golf etc

- ideally with a honky tonk nearby!!

- safe neighbourhood

As we are from the UK we have no idea where to look so any pointers would be great as there are so many houses we like but we need to narrow down our search location.

Thanks

Anne

You're just messing with us, right?