Should I move to The Woodlands (from Austin) to work at IAH? (Houston: real estate, apartment complexes)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Should I move to The Woodlands (from Austin) to work at IAH?
Hi,
I am moving to Houston, specifically the woodlands I think. I just looked at the Boardwalk at Town Center and liked their floor-plans. The facilities looked nice, of course, and I'm thinking of going back and asking to see my actual rental unit, not a demo. If I like that, I might sign a lease. It's a 900 sq ft one bedroom for $1100 a month.
The reviews I've read about this complex are mixed, but most come from the '08 time frame when it was still partially under construction. Does anyone have any "gotchas" about moving in here? It's right behind the amphitheater, mall, market, and seems like a great location.
I work at IAH and timed my drive.....it took 25 minutes at 5 PM on a Wednesday, and that was I-45/Beltway, not even using the hardy.
Thoughts? Opinions? Recommendations? I drove around some other complexes in the woodlands but nothing else really seemed to come close in terms of facilities or location. Is crime a big problem in this area? Thanks.
PS: Yeah I'm single, and 27. But I don't really care about night life. I'm not exactly a social climber, and I only get 2 or 3 days per week at home anyway (rest of the week at work). I think I got the partying out of my system during my 10 years in Austin.
Anyway, I liked this place (boardwalk) because of the jogging/walking trails, and the fact that it didn't look like a complete dump like most of the other north side apartments I drove through.
At 27 and single you will get a lot of peace up there. If you don't want to be single forever, then I would commute to IAH from Uptown,Midtown or upper Kirby. Even the new CityCentre at Beltway and I-10 has a hella lot more action and a miles upon miles of bike path along the bayou, with serious Tri-geeks all around. Lifetime Fitness included. Most younger Pilots do commute from the core areas.The 25 minute shot down the Hardy Toll road, or Beltway, won't kill you twice a week.
Last edited by EasilyAmused; 08-11-2010 at 06:51 PM..
Those are pretty cool, and the location can't be beat if you want to be near what little action there is up there. My wife and I were forced into an apartment after selling our home, the very same day we put it on the market. The buyers wanted to close in two weeks. The new hut we were building had just been sheet rocked, so, for the first time in nearly 15 years, we had to go find a temporary apartment. The Boardwalk was the first complex we looked at. I remember thinking that if I was single and twenty years younger, that's where I would live. The only thing I didn't like about it was the funky interior hallways......it felt like a hotel or dorm to me.
There other newer complexes are at I-45 and 1488, on the north end of the front of the Woodlands. The Mansions look very nice with a ton of amenities on site. The Dominion is less desirable. We ended up staying for 4 months at Sterling Ridge Estates, which is probably deeper in the Woodlands than you'd want to be. They were the closest complex to Carlton Woods. We actually sat in that apartment through hurricane Ike, in our 3rd floor bedroom, waiting for the roof to fly off all night.....and then sat in there in the dark for four more days.....other than that, it was a fairly nice place to live.
Reason for renting other than to see if you enjoy the area or not? The Woodlands is a very nice area but you may also want to look around Fall Creek. They have several apartment complexes there and just a hop and a skip from IAH. I am sure you could probably even find a nice rental in Fall Creek or even Eagle Springs that is if you care to do yard maintenance or you can higher a yard guy for cheap and not worry abt it. Eagle Springs has many amenities that you mentioned liking such as walking/running trails and a sports complex. Just food for thought. You can hop right on to Will Clayton and take it straight into IAH.
At 27 and single you will get a lot of peace up there. If you don't want to be single forever, then I would commute to IAH from Uptown,Midtown or upper Kirby. Most younger Pilots do.The 25 minute shot down the Hardy Toll road won't kill you twice a week.
^ this is really good stuff to consider. I didn't see your second post until now. I also lived in The Woodlands way back when i was 27 and single. She's right.....I ended up breaking my lease and moving closer in....I under estimated how isolated I would feel at the time...if that makes any sense.
Yeah, now that you mention it, I did notice quite a few geriatrics at this woodlands apartment complex, but also saw some young people, so it seemed to be a mix.
To be honest I've been considering buying a house on the north side of houston eventually, and kind of wanted to use the apartment as a launching point to scope out real estate. I don't know, I guess it might be stupid to buy a house before I start a family, but who knows when that might happen.
My main fears of midtown are the potential parking hazards,I think. There's nothing I hate worse than parking a mile away from my apartment then lugging all my baggage from work (which weighs about 50 lbs) up 10 flights of stairs.
I have family in both clear lake and I-10/beltway so I guess it might be nice to be near them, although it's not immediate family. There's so many choices I feel like just jumping in when I see a nice place. Then I go online, do some research and always find a reason not to live there.
Yeah, now that you mention it, I did notice quite a few geriatrics at this woodlands apartment complex, but also saw some young people, so it seemed to be a mix.
To be honest I've been considering buying a house on the north side of houston eventually, and kind of wanted to use the apartment as a launching point to scope out real estate. I don't know, I guess it might be stupid to buy a house before I start a family, but who knows when that might happen.
My main fears of midtown are the potential parking hazards,I think. There's nothing I hate worse than parking a mile away from my apartment then lugging all my baggage from work (which weighs about 50 lbs) up 10 flights of stairs.
I have family in both clear lake and I-10/beltway so I guess it might be nice to be near them, although it's not immediate family. There's so many choices I feel like just jumping in when I see a nice place. Then I go online, do some research and always find a reason not to live there.
Visit them all and see where feels like home to you the most. Only you will be able to decide what is the right fit for you in the end. Make sure you are fully informed abt all locations before just jumping in. You could sooo regret it.
With the Hardy currently being extended into Downtown (will end at the I-10 and 59 interchange), I think a place in Midtown would be more fun/lively for a young single (a lot more than The Woodlands, IMO).
The Woodlands is not a bad place for young singles any more -- there's a lot more going on now than 5 years ago, and it's still growing. Some people simply don't enjoy the city life. Crime is low, and everything is conveniently nearby. My only recommendation is to stay away from apartments deep in The Woodlands -- those can easily add an additional 10-15 minutes commute time during peak hours.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
