kuttacondition Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Hello all,I recently accepted a job at an engineering firm in Northwest Houston (right off 290, ~ 10 miles outside the city center) and will be relocating from Cambridge, MA to Houston this coming September. Having lived a semi-urban grad student lifestyle for a number of years, I have come to value diversity, proximity to restaurants and the arts, as well the opportunity to discover local dives and ride my bike. Are there neighborhoods in or around Houston that offer a Texan variation on this theme? Friends have suggested that the Montrose area might be of interest. Any other suggestions? ?How long might the reverse commute take? Thanks for your input.Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danax Posted June 26, 2005 Share Posted June 26, 2005 Hello all,I recently accepted a job at an engineering firm in Northwest Houston (right off 290, ~ 10 miles outside the city center) and will be relocating from Cambridge, MA to Houston this coming September. Having lived a semi-urban grad student lifestyle for a number of years, I have come to value diversity, proximity to restaurants and the arts, as well the opportunity to discover local dives and ride my bike. Are there neighborhoods in or around Houston that offer a Texan variation on this theme? Friends have suggested that the Montrose area might be of interest. Any other suggestions? ?How long might the reverse commute take? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted June 26, 2005 Share Posted June 26, 2005 welcome to the forum kutta and welcome to houston.i think that your budget will help you decide which area is best. the amenities you mention will best be found inside the loop (montrose/heights/museum district).keep us posted on your experience and don't hesitate to ask the forum for info. there are some awesome posters here who have great information and are eager to assist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casual Observer Posted June 26, 2005 Share Posted June 26, 2005 So far it sounds like the inner Westhiemer corridor is where you want to be, but unfortunately that commute is going to be hell. The only positive is that its a reverse commute, and so you'll always have the traffic to your back.Sadly, in Houston - that still doesn't mean much.. Welcome to H-Town! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 as far as proximity to 290, heights and northwest of there (tc jester-ish area) might be a good place to look...back roads to 290 can be alright...(right now i commute (non-reverse) from 290 and hollister to the med center area, all road, no freeway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuttacondition Posted June 27, 2005 Author Share Posted June 27, 2005 Thanks for the tips! This is a great forum. I'm sure I'll have many more questions in the coming months.Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 290 is one of the most clogged freeways in town....reverse commuting or not, its going to be simply awful. What's your budget anyways? Buy or rent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuttacondition Posted June 27, 2005 Author Share Posted June 27, 2005 I'll be renting for the first year and then start looking for a place to buy. Ideally, I'd like to find a roommate for a 2db/2bath and save up money for a down payment. I'd like to spend less than $800/month/person including utilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jghall00 Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 Hi, Welcome to H-town. I'm a foreigner too, but I've been here 10 years. I'd say Montrose or Mid-town would be your best bet. The commute wouldn't be too bad if you lived nearer downtown, as I-10 would be easily accessible. Take a look at some maps on www.google.com. It'll give you a better idea of how the roads are layed out. How far out on 290 will you be working? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuttacondition Posted June 27, 2005 Author Share Posted June 27, 2005 Hi, Welcome to H-town. I'm a foreigner too, but I've been here 10 years. I'd say Montrose or Mid-town would be your best bet. The commute wouldn't be too bad if you lived nearer downtown, as I-10 would be easily accessible. Take a look at some maps on www.google.com. It'll give you a better idea of how the roads are layed out. How far out on 290 will you be working?<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Looking at the traffic figures from last year http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/hist/hi...?mapdate=063004(pretty neat site) it seems that a place accessible to I-10 could be doable. I'm working 11 miles from the 290/160 interchange. Does an outbound commute from someplace near I-10 in north montrose/midtown or rice military of 30 minutes sound reasonable? Traffic is heavier for the drive home. Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 just as a point of reference, i have a friend who works for hewlett packard and lives off of fry road and westheimer parkway/near katy. his commute is one hour during rush hour. living inside or near the loop should be quicker, i don't know about 30 minutes though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westguy Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 I think you should always try to live close to work. Of course if you have someone else in your household who commutes, the exurbs probably won't cut it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 Does an outbound commute from someplace near I-10 in north montrose/midtown or rice military of 30 minutes sound reasonable? Traffic is heavier for the drive home. Thanks for the help.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>It'd probably be about 45-55 minutes all told. The interchange at I-10 and 610 is a mess right now. And it would take about 10 minutes to get from Montrose to I-10, a little longer from Midtown...less if you live in Rice Military near Shepherd. You can be down at I-10 via Shepherd/Durham from Rice Military in no more than 4 minutes if there's no train....I live in Rice Military right now, so I know exactly how long it takes. Rice Military really isn't that hip or urban though....You'd get more house/apartment for your money if you lived close to work, and you drove into town to be hip and urban. It would also be less drive time since you'd probably be driving in/out at off peak hours.You're not going to have much space to live in, espescially since you're sharing it, in the trendy areas of town that you're looking at for sub $1600/month drive out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Timmy Chan's Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 You're not going to have much space to live in, espescially since you're sharing it, in the trendy areas of town that you're looking at for sub $1600/month drive out.I live near the Med Center, essentially at Holly Hall and 288. At 7:30 am it takes me 15 minutes to drive from 610 & 288 to the intersection of 610 and 290 (up 288 to I-45, take the Pierce Elevated through downtown, exit I-10 West, then take 610 North to 290). There are plenty of apartments and townhomes in the Med Center area in your price range (<$800/month). In fact, you can find plenty of 2 bedrooms for less than $800/month (or $400/mo/person). For $800/mo/person you'll have no problem finding a place inside the Loop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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