Area for families with toddlers in the Woodlands (Tomball, Center: homes, landscaping)

[tag428]

Hello!
My husband is considering a job in The Woodlands, and I've visited once and liked the area. We have a 2 year old and a 4 year old, and it's important to me to have a neighborhood that has a lot of small children, as well as a playground etc. I know a lot of the neighborhoods have this, but I thought some probably are more geared toward younger families.

It is also really important to me to be near the town center (within 15 minutes drive). What neighborhoods should I start with?

[plaidfrogg]

Most neighborhoods have their own parks/playgrounds, or else are located very close to one. Young families seem to flock to the newer build areas (Creekside/Timarron, May Valley, etc.) When we first moved here, my children were 1 and 3. We were in a newer neighborhood in Sterling Ridge, and while there were many kids, most were school age, so a tad older than mine. We have since moved to an older neighborhood near the center of The Woodlands b/c 1) we didn't like the "commute" to the front of TW from the back, and 2) we much prefer mature landscaping and trees. As luck would have it, there are more young kids in this neighborhood that are the same age as mine (now 4 and 6) than there were in the new neighborhood. Luck of the draw I suppose, but this older area is seeing a lot of turnover as original owners' families have fled the nest, and young families are grabbing up the homes, often the same day they go on the market.

So I guess it would help to know whether you prefer new build vs. established areas, budget, and any other related preferences. Each village in The Woodlands is comprised of neighborhoods of homes in array of price ranges, so it's not as easy as saying check out these one or two areas. KWIM?

That said, May Valley is growing and I know several families with young kids (infants - elementary) there who like the area. The homes are lovely, there's a new park, the area is zoned to Magnolia ISD. All fine things, but it's almost as far back as you can go and still be in TW....which means it can be a long haul to the Town Center depending on time of day, traffic, etc. (15 minutes would be in ideal conditions....more like 20-25 min). Creekside is a bit larger and growing quickly. Schools are in Tomball ISD. The front of Creekside is about 10 min to Town Center, but parts go pretty far back, adding to time.

Feel free to DM me with any questions. I've been here almost 4 years and gotten to know the lay of the land with the kids pretty well.