Should I move to The Woodlands? (Houston, Dallas: house, neighborhoods, school district)

[HaRaS]

My husband and I are trying to decide if we should move to The Woodlands with our 4 young boys. We are currently living in Arlington,TX and have lots of family here, but just don't like the scenery, the school district's poor ratings, and we aren't seeing young professional families choosing to move here. My husband works from home so we can move anywhere as long as it's near an airport.
We are currently considering the Colleyville/Keller area and also The Woodlands. We have visited The Woodlands twice and just love what the community appears to offer for families with all the amenities, beautiful trees, trails, and good schools. The only drawback seems to be the 3 1/2 drive from home. Colleyville has great schools and is a nice area, although not as pretty in my opinion, but just feels like a bunch of individual neighborhoods and not the master planned feel.
Our families are desperately trying to sway us to stay close. They say the humidity, bugs, and congestion are awful there and they really want us to consider that our family is here in DFW. My mom will be so sad if we move and I feel such guilt, but we're just not happy here. Is it really that nice, or is it the whole "grass in greener on the other side" syndrome?" Do people really use all the trails systems there or does it get old after a while? I would truly miss seeing my family every week, but just hate the idea of staying in a place we don't like that much. I'm really needing unbiased advice right now. Thanks ahead for any input.

[fitzy24]

After reading your post, I think thats a personal decision that should be up to you and your husband.

Good luck!

[AlpinaB7]

Do whats best for your family. Your mother has lived her life, you can live yours. If you really want to move to the Woodlands then do it.

[lhafer]

That's a personal decision only your family can make.

Both my husband's family and my family live in the DFW area. We have no family here and we've been here since 2001 for my husband's job. Due to work schedules (theirs and ours), school schedules, etc we are only able to see them pretty much on the holidays. Occasionally he will take a friday off and we will make a long weekend of it, but that's only a few times a year. His parents come down to visit us a few times a year.

My best friend is also from the Dallas area, all of her family is there, and she has no family here. They make the treck more often than we do, and her mom comes to visit often, but her mom's not working, and my friend's son isn't in grade school yet, just pre-K. That said, they still only see them every other month or so and sometimes longer gaps in between.

Personally, I would look more around the DFW area. Arlington is not the best IMO, but there are some great areas up there that would put you a lot closer to your family. What about the Grapevine/Southlake area? It's supposed to have awesome school systems. That's where my sister lives, and if we ever moved back up that way, that's the area I would look in first.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by HaRaS

My mom will be so sad if we move and I feel such guilt, but we're just not happy here.

Another way to think about it is that they will have a place to stay if they wanted to go to the beach in Galveston.

[jbarn]

Except to get to Galveston from the Woodlands takes about an hour and a half.

[bloodwings19]

Originally Posted by HaRaS

we're just not happy here.

Happiness goes a long way, either discuss it with your family including your kids who may want to stay with school friends and your parents. As for The Woodlands, it is great for your family with kids. They have good academic schools in public to private, as well as schools with well-rounded athletic success from football, baseball, basketball, hockey, cross-country, golf, soccer, etc.. at Woodlands High School and College Park High Schools. It has a lot of parks and wide streets, as well as hike/bike trails. A lot of things to do from movie to eating, to concerts (Woodlands Pavilion) as well as small concerts (Dosey Doe) and it is going to get bigger because Exxon is moving in with 9,000 employees. So, I expect house value to hold up, or rise. For families with kids, I highly recommend it here, or Magnolia, TX around FM1488/FM2978 area for more acreage and good schools. The drawbacks is keeping up with the Jones, high property/school tax, traffic problems during rush hour, confusing streets and a long drive (longer if there are traffic) to Houston. For your kids, I recommend it if price isn't a detriment. Good Luck!!!