Neighborhoods with good schools close to downtown?

[MIBS98]

Originally Posted by PalmettoGuy

Thanks for all the input. Do neighborhoods outside the loop automatically put me at a commute time of more than 30 minutes? I currently live in Columbia, SC, and my average commute time is 20-30 minutes. I don't mind it at all; it actually gives me time to decompress a little after work. My wife, however, wants me closer to home if we move to Houston. I know in some cases a shorter drive distance-wise on city roads can take just as long (or longer) as a longer drive on highway roads. What are some of the easier-access places outside the loop with good schools? I've been reading a lot about Katy, Sugar Land, and the Woodlands, but the consensus on those seems to indicate a commute time of closer to 45 minutes for those.

I know Columbia well. My maternal grandparents were born and reared there and both went to USC. I lived there for about 3 years and did grad school at USC (as did both my siblings). Nice little town.

Anyway, I have always lived inside of the loop so can't offer a whole lot of advice on areas outside of the loop. Travel times will generally be much longer than what you are used to in Columbia as even in rush hour, I always found Columbia traffic to be rather mild.

That said, it is all in what time of day you travel. When I worked downtown, my company was pretty flexible on work start and end times. So, I had a lot of colleagues who lived in Sugarland who would arrive at work by 6:30am and depart from work at 4:30pm. As I recall, they reported travel times that early in the morning of around 30 minutes and slightly longer in the afternoon. At normal travel times, I suspect it would be tough to find anything outside of the loop that is within 30 minutes but others here would know better than me.

[houston-nomad]

Originally Posted by Vicman

All are in the Houston Independent School District, but they are covered by different schools.

Meyerland and Maplewood are in the Bellaire High School zone, and Willowbend is in the Westbury High School zone. Different elementary and middle schools serve those communities. For a specific house, you can use School Zone Search Tool to find the zoned schools

Use HAR.com: Houston school information and finder - Search for schools, ranking & compare public schools to find SAT/ACT averages for high schools

Try zips 77035 and 77096. Be sure to use the school zone search tool, once you find a house you like, to check that it's zoned to good schools. Lots of Maplewood is actually zoned to Westbury, not Bellaire, BTW.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by houston-nomad

Try zips 77035 and 77096. Be sure to use the school zone search tool, once you find a house you like, to check that it's zoned to good schools. Lots of Maplewood is actually zoned to Westbury, not Bellaire, BTW.

If you are referring to "Maplewood South/North" (part of that is zoned to Westbury) - It's actually a different group of subdivisions from "Maplewood" but it's in the same area, so you have a good point.

[houston-nomad]

Originally Posted by Vicman

If you are referring to "Maplewood South/North" (part of that is zoned to Westbury) - It's actually a different group of subdivisions from "Maplewood" but it's in the same area, so you have a good point.

That's interesting. I never heard that before... if there is a Maplewood that is not part of Maplewood S/N, can you tell me where it is? I know better than to question Vicman's facts... but this one has me puzzled.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by houston-nomad

That's interesting. I never heard that before... if there is a Maplewood that is not part of Maplewood S/N, can you tell me where it is? I know better than to question Vicman's facts... but this one has me puzzled.

That's plain ol' Maplewood, centered on Maplewood Mall. You will see the signs for the community when driving along Beechnut.

Maplewood South/North is centered along the bayou.